TEXAS

Rugged Beauty of the Lone Star State

Texas is undeniably huge, and its landscapes are more varied than most people expect. This gallery features two very different areas I enjoy: the arid Chihuahuan Desert in the southwest and the colorful red walls of Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Panhandle.

Below, you will see Big Bend National Park, bordered by the Rio Grande (often reduced to a dry riverbed) as it winds through tall canyons and desert mountains. Also featured are the striking red-rock walls and layered formations of Palo Duro Canyon State Park, blooming cactus flowers and desert wildlife, and a memorial to the brave Texas Rangers in Fredericksburg. The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 was captured in Kerrville — right in the middle of the path of totality.

These images show the rugged, wide-open side of Texas that I’ve come to appreciate during the years I've lived here — big skies, tough landscapes, and a few special moments along the way.

A solar eclipse showing the moon covering the sun, creating a dark circle with a bright solar corona around it.
A desert canyon landscape with rocky formations, sparse vegetation, and a dirt trail winding through the valley under a clear blue sky.
An old stone building with a metal roof next to a tall palm tree in a desert landscape with mountain background.
A dry riverbed of the Rio Grande winding through a rugged desert landscape with large rock formations and sparse vegetation under a clear blue sky.
Two vibrant purple cactus flowers blooming on a cactus plant with spines, set against a blurred natural background.
Colorful beaded sculptures of insects, including a yellow and brown spider and a multicolored spider, on a rocky surface.
Red rock formations and green desert vegetation under a partly cloudy sky in a desert landscape.
Bronze statues of two men in cowboy hats riding horses, set outdoors with cloudy sky and green bushes in the background.
Colorful, layered rock formations in a desert landscape with a cloudy sky.
A close-up of a prairie dog standing upright on rocky ground.
A lizard perched on a weathered piece of wood in a dry environment.

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