Zion's Riverside Walk Trail

I am trying to fit in as much Zion as possible the next couple weeks, so Scarlet and I went for a casual hike on the Riverside Walk Trail. Got a few pictures, but here is my favorite one.

This is toward the beginning of the trail with Telephone Canyon Falls in the background. 

Zion's Gobblers

Figured I better do a different set with these "other" pictures I got this morning. I am not a fan of photographing wildlife, but I definitely will take the opportunity if one is presented. These guys were great models!

Early Morning Zion Virgin River

Headed out early this morning to "The Grotto" in Zion National Park. I have been spending alot of time on the slickrock of East Zion, so I figure I better spend a morning in the Main Canyon. I didn't get up there 'til about 7:15 (thanks to the mandatory shuttles) but here is what I got.  

 Lady Mountain, just above Emerald Pool, is brightly lit by the early morning sun, with the blurred Virgin River as the foreground.

 A 0.8 sec. exposure of ripples with a reflection made for an interesting abstract.

 My prized piece of the day. Angels Landing beginning to glow from Zions early morning "indirect" sunlight. I have to be honest, the driftwood was place in the water by me, but, I thought it would fill in the bottom half of the picture really well.

 And now for my obsession with rounded river rock. I think the wife liked this picture more than me, but everyone likes something different. 

This one, I do like better! I love how the picture is "split in half" from river rock to water. 

The Way of the Zion Sheep...

My intention for this morning was to drive to the mouth of the Narrows and photograph the canyon as the sun rose. Considering I got up too late, and upon entrance to Zion, found out they have started mandatory shuttles for the summer, I decided to go to East Zion again. I chose a hike that would take me to the a pass that would require me to do an Angels Landing style hike, without the chains. I was a little nervous on some parts, but the views were worth it. Yes, it was a trail made by Zion's bighorn sheep.

 A Ponderosa Pine dwarfed from lack of water and good growing soil with East Temple in the background. I think this shot would look really nice during sunrise. Maybe I will return someday for that shot.

 A reflection in a canyon at mid morning. 

 Of coarse, I had to snap a couple pictures of the beautiful springtime flowers. 

The slickrock dome on the opposite side of the canyon from the pass that I hiked. Love the clouds!

Got thinking while out on my hike today. I think I am going to do a few series within the next couple weeks. Flowers, trees, reflections. Be expecting something!

Sand Hollow Dunes, Southern Utah

I spent a couple hours out at Sand Hollow early this morning. Didn't get the sunrise, but did get some nice pictures of the freshly wind swept sand and the beautiful springtime life.

 A small piece of grass growing out of the rippled bright orange sand.

 A globe of Cryptanth in bloom. This plant covers the bottom leeward side of a lot of the dunes, and sure adds some nice character to the desolate place.

 A cottonwood tree on the way out to "The Bowl" with its new bright green leaves. Cottonwoods are markers of natural water sources in the desert.

A closeup of texture of the sand and its wind blown ripples.

Landscapes of the Greater Zion area

A couple landscapes of this last weekends camping trip. Not the best, but good enough to make it on the photography blog :)

 Glowing sandstone during sunset. I think the clouds really work with the sandstone to make this picture nice.

 A broken arrowhead that we spotted on the side of a wash. It would be awesome to know the story of this little guy! One time, he was just a rock that a Native American tediously and perfectly shaped into an arrow. Then mounted it on a straight stick and probably used it to sustain life, through killing for food.

 A sandstone "island" in the middle of a valley on the "Maildrop ATV Trail". 

 The afternoon glow in Peek a Boo Canyon just northwest of Kanab, Utah. I have been told that the carved moqui steps lead to remnants of a granary. Peek a Boo has a couple water seeps that allow it, even on the hottest summer day, to stay about 70 or 80 degrees deep inside. 

 Taken just before sunset on a very windy day. The dry sand is being "peeled" away exposing the wet layers underneath. It was miserable out here, and I was literally being sand blasted, but it was one beautiful scene.

On the winding sandy road out to the Barracks. This is a view of the rugged Parunaweap wilderness, with the White Cliffs and Clear Creek Mountain in the background.

Zion High Desert Abstracts

We spent this last weekend out in the Parunaweap Wilderness area near the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. I didn't spend too much time taking pictures, but I did take a few. If you know me well enough, you know that I am completely intrigued by the desert and sand's different textures. You can see things here, that you really don't see anywhere else. 

 A very interesting root system to a fallen Ponderosa Pine. I think they look like hands.

 A stained canyon wall. This picture shows a lot. The color of the natural sandstone, the cross-bedding of the layers, the splash of a past flash flood, and the slow mud drips from the bright red sands above.

 Sunset at Coral Pink Sand Dunes. It was very windy this day, as you can see the horizontal lines blowing off the dune. As the sun is barely hitting the dune, the east side was completely darkened and the west side is lit a dark orange.

I thought this would make an interesting picture as the sun was barely lighting the wind blown sand. What has happened is the wind has swept away all the loose sand exposing the wet sand underneath. The heavier pebbles stay in place, leaving "tails" on the leeward side.