The end of January in the dead of winter is, well, just that…dead. Here in the Central Valley where Sacramento is situated between the snowy Sierra Nevada Mountain range to the East and the Coast range to the West, gray seems to be the predominant color.
Most everything is colored in shades of gray and white. I could take a photo and wouldn’t have to edit it to black and white! Even this flower is gray!
Descent into Foggy Light
After enjoying almost three weeks of southwest desert colors, we were immediately greeted with the inevitable gray fingers of low fog as we entered the Central Valley from the Tehachapi Pass.
Light from the Past and Some Color Infused into Gray Days
Just because I was on a bit of a break from Sunday Stills while Hugh graciously co-hosted, doesn’t mean that I don’t have a few photos to share for “round” and “old” (although I have been feeling round and old lately 😊).
Both photographs are from our day trip into Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park.
These petroglyphs span over 1,500 years.
Originally occupied by the Basket Maker people and Anasazi Pueblo farmers from around 300 BC to 1150 AD, the Valley of Fire rock formations offered protection from the weather as well as a primitive form of lodging.
https://blog.maverickhelicopter.com/the-history-of-petroglyphs-at-the-valley-of-fire/
These formations were exposed where older rocks of Cambrian age (about 500 million years old) were pushed sideways on a thrust fault over younger rocks (Jurassic, about 160 million years old) of the Aztec Sandstone. The sandstone was originally laid down in a colossal, long-lived sandy desert much like today’s Sahara.
https://www.thoughtco.com/valley-of-fire-state-park-nevada-4123246
Of course, hubby and I had to pose in the rounded rocks near the visitor’s center.
I can’t live for very long in a gray world. I was blessed to be able to travel south for our winter road trip to enjoy the vibrant colors of the Arizona and Nevada deserts. What can you do with gray? Here are some examples to help you!
Winter Sunlight Lake Tahoe 
Gray Granite 
Student deftly walks the high ropes course at the Challenge Center. 
Gray marine layer fog in San Diego 
Gray skies turn the American River gray
Maybe a gray sunset?
It was so wonderful seeing so many visitors to last week’s Sunday Stills post after my absence! I can’t wait to see what you all come up with for this week’s challenge, gray. You have all week to link your post to this one. Remember, I share your posts when I can!
For February’s themes, please visit my Sunday Stills page.
This post was also inspired in part by Becky B’s January Lights Photo Challenge which ends this Friday!
Enjoy your week and I hope you have sunny skies peeking through the gray!
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