Moab Day 5

It was so nice to have sun all day, right from the get go! And with no wind, the early morning shoot was much more pleasant than yesterday. About an hour from Moab is the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. Our first stop was the iconic Mesa Arch. We knew it was popular but we were not prepared for how many other people would be there at that time of day too. Eventually they cleared away and we were able to get some shots of the sun shining on the arch with a view of the peaks underneath. It’s so nice when the weather and lighting conditions are perfect!

Next was a stop at the Green River Overlook. The Green River joins up with the bigger Colorado River and the view was tremendous.

We stopped to shoot another viewpoint where we could see a winding gravel road below. It looked like quite an adventure to drive that road!

Our last stop of the morning was the Visitor’s Center where we saw another well-done short film. There was a terrific viewpoint right across the road. Where I stood made some people nervous but I was well back from the edge, really I was!

After lunch and a rest, the group drove out to Arches again and we split into two parties. One group went on a hike to Delicate Arch. The other group, which I joined, did a variety of stops. We saw an original cabin of one of the early settlers.

Some more petroglyphs were nearby.

We were able to photograph Delicate Arch from quite a distance away. We could see dozens and dozens of people at the top and along the trail and were glad we had not done the hike to such a popular and over-crowded spot.

We did a short hike in between some ‘fins’ where there was a cool arch.

Our sunset spot was Skyline Arch and we had the place to ourselves. The moon was practically full again. The quality of light at that time of day makes the already red rocks, even more so!

Moab Day 4

Off again at 5:55 AM for breakfast. Our sunrise photo location was Deadhorse State Park. It is a high point of land with the Colorado River 2,000 feet below. It was quite cool because of the wind and there were quite a few clouds in the sky.

 It was still amazingly beautiful though, and the sun tried to shine through. The place reminded me a lot of the Grand Canyon and there were lots of wonderful gnarled trees for foreground.

We made a brief stop at the Visitor Center then left the park.

After another turn-off we headed along the Colorado River again to look at ancient petroglyphs. They were quite high up the canyon wall which prevented vandalism.

Further down the road was Jug Handle Arch. It was not as spectacular as other arches but we were close to it.

We ate lunch together at a different local restaurant, then took a break until 3:30 PM. At that time, we drove back to Arches National Park for a one-way hike along “Park Avenue” trail. 1,000 foot towers of red sandstone line the trail on both sides, like the skyscrapers of New York. I must say, this Park Avenue was much more spectacular.

It was difficult getting very far without stopping for a photo. I could have spent triple our allotted time there.

Our sunset location was the iconic Balanced Rock with the beautiful La Sal Mountains in the background. The sun stayed behind the clouds and the wind was bitterly cold. But there was a short break in the clouds just before the sun dipped below the horizon and we were rewarded with 5 minutes of beautiful light.

We put so much into a day, it hardly feels like we’ve only been on tour 2 days. I can hardly wait to have a better look at my photos when I get home. I am sure I will have some prize winners!