Patagonia’s Forces of Nature – Weekly Photo Challenge

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

BLUE ICE

BLUE ICE

This week, Brie Anne has asked us to demonstrate a “Force of Nature”. I was all set to use a group of new photos from earlier in the week but I simply couldn’t resist drawing from my archives on this one. Several years ago I was fortunate to visit Patagonia, traversing Chile and Argentina in an amazing experience as close to the forces of nature as one can possibly be. Above, an example of the incredible pressure of ice and snow as it forms the blue ice that peppers the water throughout the region.

GEOLOGY AT PLAY

GEOLOGY AT PLAY

“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”

Vincent van Gogh

A second manifestation of the pressure that nature exhibits in creating its wonders – the amazingly colorful striations present in some of the rocks surrounding the area. Geology at play indeed.

UNDER PRESSURE

UNDER PRESSURE

“We can never have enough of nature.”

Henry David Thoreau

Nothing quite illustrates the force of nature as well as a waterfall.  While it looks powerful enough in a static shot, its force is only truly felt as one stands on (OK, maybe just NEAR) the edge of the waterfall and experiences the roar of the water as it thunders over the ledge.

WIND CLOUDS

WIND CLOUDS

“Let us give Nature a chance; she knows her business better than we do.”

Michel de Montaigne

Prior to our Patagonia adventure, I’d never heard of “wind clouds”, which are shown in the photo above. These flying-saucerish clouds are the direct result of the fierce winds that surround the beautiful peaks of Fitz Roy in Los Glacieres National Park.

FITZROY GLORY

FITZROY GLORY

 “If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”  

Rainer Maria Rilke

I could not close without a shot of the peaks themselves, a testament to nature’s power as she pushes her plates from deep beneath the surface to create incredible beauty. Above, the peaks are surrounded by clouds and deep snow, offering further evidence of nature’s mighty forces.

How appropriate that this week we give a nod to Mother Nature, as we also give thanks or take a moment to remember our own mothers and their importance in our lives. Happy Mothers Day to all of the moms out there in the blogosphere,. To experience more of Mother Nature’s forces, click here.

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121 thoughts on “Patagonia’s Forces of Nature – Weekly Photo Challenge”

  2. These are stunning, and I especially like the “geology at play” photo, and love the Vincent Van Gogh quote, which I had not seen before. So true, nature is magnificent, we need to take time each day to notice.

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  6. Hi Tina. To quote some of your other readers, WOW! These shots are fantastic. I especially like the blue ice shot. What a great choice for this week’s theme.–Patti

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  8. Beautiful shots, Tina. At first I thought those flying saucer clouds were part of the mountains. Their shape and texture really had me fooled. The blue ice shot is incredibly dreamy, reminds me of a magic castle. That’s some superpower Mother Nature has over us sometimes – to make us dream and disappear into a happy place and then maybe we feel better about ourselves when we come back to reality 🙂

    Love the waterfall shot too. I would love to stand close to the edge of it. Well, maybe not too close for fear of being blown away and down into the abyss below 🙂

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  9. The forces of nature ~ so many diverse sets shown in your terrific photos, each one has me dreaming of being there experiencing such power. Blue Ice is the one that really captured my imagination, as it seems like a mythical place/scene to me…but the wind clouds photo is something else. What a sight, and if I would have seen such a sight as a kid I would be screaming ‘aliens, aliens!’ 🙂 Wish you a great week ~ Cheers!

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    • Thank you Alexandria. Patagonia is really a spectacular place with vistas that simply don’t quit! The mountainscapes are incredible. Truly worth the effort of getting there, which is no small thing!!

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  17. Superb photos (as usual), Tina.
    I’ve never heard of ‘wind’ clouds either (until I read this post). What a strange and rather eerie, sight to behold, especially as there are ordinary clouds in the same vista.

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    • Thanks Vicki – glad yo enjoyed. Yes, they were really bizarre looking and I agree having the other clouds there for comparison was great! Appreciate your visit and comment!

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  18. Just FABULOUS shots of the ‘forces of nature’…U truly have a very special eye…I consider myself lucky to be the recipient of such fine art!!! The ‘blue ice’ is just stunning……..
    a wonderful post!!

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  22. Those are beautiful as always. I love seeing what you dig out of the archives!

    I understand what you mean about the waterfalls. My husband and I visited Niagara Falls about 25 years ago for the first (and only) time ever. It might be a cliche, but when you stand close to it, you understand how people die if they fall in or try to go over in a barrel. It’s strong and it’s hard.

    I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Since I went to Atlanta several weeks ago, I didn’t go back this weekend to see my daughter. The hubby and I went out for a nice lunch and are having a quiet afternoon at home today.

    Nancy

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    • Thanks Nancy – yes the waterfall was incredible. Not sure if it’s always that powerful or if it was particularly strong due to snow runoff but my oh my!!!! Glad you had a peaceful Mother’s Day

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  26. Sublime photos, Tina, and I always enjoy (and sometimes steal) your quotes. Happy Mother’s Day, although I’m a little hesitant to wish women I don’t know Happy Mother’s Day in case they aren’t moms and it brings hurt instead of good wishes.

    janet

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  27. Sublime photos, Tina, and I always enjoy (and sometimes steal) your quotes. Happy Mother’s Day, although I’m a little hesitant to wish women I don’t know Happy Mother’s Day in case they aren’t moms and it brings hurt instead of good wishes.

    janet

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  35. These are all such stunning photos! Such wonderful sights – forces of nature – beauty! Your comments and quotes make this post just fabulous!

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  37. Pingback: 15-05-10 Weekly Photo Challenge – Forces Of (Mother) Nature | The Quotidian Hudson

  40. Beautiful shots as usual, my friend. I especially like the shot of the wind clouds. The name I know them by is “lenticular” clouds. They form along and near mountain ridges when the wind is strong enough to support them. Their organized appearance seems to defy the usual random appearance of things in nature.

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    • Thanks John, especially for the lenticular name. I was thinking venticular and looked all over the web and couldnt’ find it. The minute I saw your comment I did a “wow, I could’ve had a V-8” moment of recognition!!!

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  41. How fantastic it is to have such photos in your archive Tina . Love the blue beauty of the icebergs and the rainbow colours of ‘Geology at play’ !

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  47. If going to this location again, please consider me for the position of ‘trip slave’. Will only require a little time off for a few shots, and a little food (occasionally). Thanks in advance!

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  48. Hi tina and bailey;

    everything is good here. What,s new with you guys? Going to the second  bridal luncheon next weekend in boston  which is lauren,s Luv   Lee xoxo

    Sent from Samsung tablet

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