xRez Studio visited Death Valley briefly in Jan 08, culminating in shooting the famed "Racetrack" in gigapixel resolution. First stop was a shot from Crowley Point, with lenticular clouds from 40+ mph winds. Next was a sunrise shot from Dante's View, with a light snow atop Telescope Peak. After endless washboarding we arrived at the remote and spectacular Racetrack playa, an abstract setting perfect for a Fellini film set. Co-traveler Tom Kluyskens captured the aesthetic nature of the playa's surface as well as during moonlight. A seemingly out-of-place rock formation dubbed the Grandstand helped frame a shot from our 20' custom pole mount. Lastly, we climbed to a shoulder of Ubehebe Peak for a view down onto the playa and the half submerged Grandstand. At the south end of the playa we investigated the cryptic traveling stones during dusk light.

Team Members: Eric Hanson, Greg Downing, Tom Kluyskens.