Photographs
_________________________________________________
This is a photograph of a weathered-out pocket in a rock wall in Cohab
Canyon in the northern end of Capitol Reef National Park. I love the subtle
colors and the contours of the rock and shifting patterns of color. If I saw a
canvas gallery wrap print of this in an art gallery I think I might be wondering
if it was a photograph or an abstract painting.
Cohab Canyon ends just above the road following the canyon of the Fremont River that crosses through the north end of the park, one of only two places
to cross the 90-mile long park by car. To my surprise, though, it ended at a 20
-25 foot cliff that goes straight down. It was just high enough that it took me
15 minutes to figure out a way to get down without the risking a broken leg. I
finally realized I could use a tree close to the cliff to brace myself between a
tree branch and the cliff to shinney down far enough to where I could jump.
Cottonwoods and mesquite trees in the Rio Grande Bosque blaze with color every October and into
November, changing from green to gold to golden
brown as chlorophyll drains from their leaves with
dropping temperatures. It's a fleeting window of
brilliant color before leaves turn to dull brown and
fall to the ground. It's exhilarating to witness the
Bosque change from half green and half gold to
gold to golden brown over the course of a couple
weeks, a change that passes too quickly for me.
Beautiful sunsets don't always come in brilliant and
showy red and orange colors. This photograph taken
just after sunset evokes a serene and peaceful
feeling for me with some orange on the horizon and
dark blue-gray clouds and wispy white cirrus clouds
in the center, bracketed by darkening blue sky above
and the shadowed foothills below. It's a photo I just
want to keep looking at, so I put it on my computer
as my desktop background.
Bosque cottonwoods at their color peak next to trees in
various stages of transition from green to gold, framed
by brilliant deep blue sky. The timing of the changing
colors is unpredictable, so it's best to bracket several
visits to the Bosque if you want to catch it at the right
time, hopefully on days that aren't overcast. This photo
was taken in late October in a warm fall season.
Late December cottonwood forest north of Alameda
Road in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. In the last
stage of autumn color cottonwood leaves turn brown
and when backlit in light from a lowering sun they
take on a golden brown color that shows up nicely
against a deep blue sky. The tree trunk on the left
blocked the sun to let the color of the trees and sky
come through.
An arch in Canyonlands National Park's Needles
District called Druid Arch. I'm not aware of any source that tells the origin of the name, but I'm guessing that it reminded someone vaguely of Stonehenge, with the top looking like it's sitting
on three pillars, even if they look like they're three
sheets to the wind. To reach it, hike to the end of
Elephant Canyon and then up a short, steep climb
out of the canyon to the bench above, where you
get this view.
