Touching Earth

The floor of the Coachella Valley — Colorado Desert, a branch of the Sonoran with San Jacinto above it. Sand, rock, a hard horizon. These frames are from the land around Palm Springs.

Light moves across the same ground all day. Morning is pale. Late day goes warm, then thin. The photographs stay with that change of surface, not with the town.

• Palm Springs sits in the Coachella Valley, about 107 miles east of Los Angeles.
• Elevation is about 479 feet.
• The Colorado Desert covers roughly seven million acres, south toward the Mexican border.
• More than a thousand plant species hold this climate, with tortoise, jackrabbit, and reptile among the animals.
• Summer highs pass 100°F. Winter nights fall near 45°F. Rain is about five inches a year. Sun on most days.

Wind in the creosote. Otherwise the valley is quiet. That is what the pictures are for.

Experiences