Loneliness, Lassen Volcanic National Park, 07/04/2021

This pine tree stood on the volcanic ashes of Cinder Cone volcano. In the morning of July 4th, when we walked around Cinder Cone towards Painted Dunes, this tree caught our eyes. The straight line of the hill of Cinder Cone split the frame and created this simple but powerful composition, allowing the pine tree to stand out of the background of bright sky. This is the kind of photo that we were always looking for.

Painted Dunes, Lassen Volcanic National Park, 07/04/2021

Painted Dune is famous for its colorful dunes created by volcanic ashes. In this morning, we were hoping for a spectacular sunrise, but the sun never broke out of thick clouds. However, we found these two pine trees standing right in front of several dunes. The color contrast between the trees and the dunes is too good to be missed.

Lone Pine Tree on Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park, 07/03/2021

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a seriously underrated national park. It offered diverse geology features within a relative small package. A remote area that is separated from the main park, namely Cinder Cone, is the hidden gem of the park. It is a young volcano, only a few hundred years old. Hence, there is very little vegetation over it today. The few pine trees on its surface are popular subjects in photographs.