THE Traveler: John Piepkorn of Minnetonka.
The scene: A land feature so popular it has a name — Balanced Rock — rises from the desert of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. "This spot is popular for photography since it is easily accessible from the Jumbo Rocks Campground. A lone juniper tree helps give some balance to the photo," Piepkorn wrote in an e-mail. The campground is one of nine inside the park.
Destination details: Just about an hour's drive from Palm Springs, Calif., where Sun Country Airlines operates direct-flight service, Joshua Tree is an easy park to visit, Piepkorn wrote. "There is one main road that bisects the park, making it possible that you can visit the majority of attractions in a day or two. In addition to the park's namesake trees, there are some other very unique landscape features in the area including interesting rock formations, and remnants of mining activity. The weather in springtime is fantastic if you like sunny and 85 degrees every day."
The equipment: Piepkorn shot this with a Nikon D750 camera outfitted with a Tokina 17-35mm lens.
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