China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Waterfall Through Vegetation

We were on a fairly rigid schedule going through the park.  We had all day, but there were so many and varied spots to stop and explore that our usual allotment of time in one place was only between 45 minutes to an hour.

So in between the various lakes we stopped to see waterfalls, among other sights.  Waterfalls are a treat no matter where a photographer goes, and this one would normally be considered very special, but it was just one of approximately a million more we saw that day, each seemingly bigger and more grand than the last.  I went crazy with the iPhone, and this is where I missed the Bigger Cahoona most, primarily because of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's lack of ability to extend shutter speed.  As an example, compare this and the following few posts with these posts from British Columbia.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Aspen or Birch (?) Tree Trunk

The water isn't the only attraction in this wilderness area...lots of interesting trees and vegetation.  The Bokeh 'ed stream in the background was a bonus that I didn't notice until post-capture.

Looks like there're some scratches and writing on this tree, but otherwise in condition good enough for a photograph...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Colorful Cliffside with Reflections

Had to saturate the color a bit on this one to increase the contrast between the rocky cliffside and the surrounding vegetation.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Reed Reflections

...and pics like this always take me back to Gormire Lake in the UK, on a fantastic hiking vacation with our son Andrew.

Wider view of lake below:

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Underwater Logs

Seeing logs under water like this always takes me back to one of the easier trails we hiked in Colorado...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Of-Through Pics of Lakes

A couple of shots of lakes through some trees.  Either some of the lakes were a brighter blue than others, or the iPhone's sensor interpreted the white balance differently based on shading and environment:

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Smooth Lake Reflection Shot

It was a splendid day with good weather, so the lakes were generally smooth as glass.  Moving closer to the left-hand side of the lake posted yesterday yields this pretty good reflection shot.

We were at the higher altitudes within the park, so as a bonus it was nice and cool.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, 2-shot Panorama of Lake

...and this is the perfect way to start our adventures in the natural settings of the Park.  Our guide told us there are 110 lakes in the region, and that we would see just a few of the better ones.  Very interestingly, there was an earthquake some years ago, which created fissures into which some of them literally drained dry.  Can't have that since there's so much tourism money pouring in (no pun intended), so they repaired the lake bottoms, after which the lakes refilled for all to see.

This 2-shot panorama was captured exactly at 33.207353N latitude, 103.899553E longitude.

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Ladies in Costume

At least one of these ladies seemed to be in good spirits.  Not sure, but based on dress they appear to be workers either departing from or arriving to work.  Figured this shot would be a good way to end our jaunt in this little town on our way to see some of the awesome beauty in China we'd been hearing about...

China - Juizhai Valley National Park, Stone Wall

 Glowing edges below: