Tag: Desert

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas, July 2021, Part 1

On my return trip from the Grand Canyon North Rim, my first overnight stay was near Gallup, New Mexico at Red Rocks Park.  There were large red rock formations around the park and I thought this would be a good place to check out.  It was not a bad place to stay for one night, but much less interesting than I had anticipated.  At least the weather was mild, due to overcast and rain during the day, just before I arrived at the park, then a booming thunderstorm at night.

My second overnight was at Texas’s Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo.  I had been through the park many years ago, but never spent much time here.  My campsite was deep into the canyon.  Even though it was late July, the weather was only mildly hot in the day and cooled down nicely at night.

After settling in, I walked around the area to scout potential locations for sunset and possibly sunrise photography.  All of the scouting images in this post were made with my iPhone.

The Sportsmobile in Palo Duro Canyon Campsite.
Small Cacti in Palo Duro Canyon

As in most western US deserts or arid places, cacti abound and one needs to watch where one steps.

Dinosaur Grafiti, Palo Duro Canyon

Visitors to this area have a penchant for carving into the rocks, which I assume must not be very hard rocks.  I found this image of a dinosaur in a narrow space between large boulders.

Rock Grafitti, Palo Duro Canyon

Many of the boulders near the campsite had graffiti, initials, names and/or other scratched in symbols.

Rock Signings, Palo Duro Canyon
Boulders and Hillside, Palo Duro Canyon
Boulders, Palo Duro Canyon

I captured images, testing compositions and to use as reminders, at locations that I thought might be good to return to with my DSLR at sunset.

Palo Duro Canyon Scene
Palo Duro Canyon Topagraphy
Life on a Rock, Palo Duro Canyon
Cacti and Red Hill, Palo Duro Canyon
Cacti and Red Hills, Palo Duro Canyon
Scrubby Vegetation and Red Hills, Palo Duro Canyon
Tilted Hoodoo, Palo Duro Canyon
Tilted Hoodoo Palo Duro Canyon
Hilltop view near campsite, Palo Duro Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon Pano

I posted this panoramic image to Flickr, not because I thought it was a great image, but to share with others that may want to know what the area looks like and because I intended to use it in my blog and wanted to have a link to a larger image.  Much to my surprise, this image was chosen for Flickr’s Explore page and is now my most viewed and faved image on Flickr.  Maybe I’m just physically abusing myself carrying around that heavy DSLR camera and other gear, when a simple iPhone image garners this much attention.

Rock Registry, Palo Duro Canyon

Apparently, lots of people have scrambled up the steep slope to the top of this hill, since the boulders there all had some initials, names and dates carved into them.

Stay tuned for the sunset shoot here,

Ken

 

 

 

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, July 2021, Part 2

I continued my whirlwind tour of the Petrified Forest National Park, driving the park road and stoping at a number of pull outs, trail areas and overlooks.

Mineralized
Colorful Sediment

It was monsoon season in this part of the country.  There was evidence of recent rains, heavy water runoff, cloudy sky was common.  Distant rainfall is seen in the photo above.

Flowering Desert
Long Petrified Log
Wildflowers and Petrified Log Sections
Mineralized

Mineral crystals replaced the original tree fabric, often preserving the detail of the original tree.

Cross Section
Petrified Forest National Park Panorama

This is a vast park with wide open desert vistas and colorful geological features.

Petrified Forest National Forest
Colorful Sediment

The view from this pull out might be the most beautiful within this park.

Painted Desert
Teepees
Eroding

It was getting late in the day and I had seen numerous signs in the park reminding visitors of the closing time.  It was already past the time suggested for visitors to head for the exits.

As I approached the south exit, I saw that the gate was already closed and for a moment I was concerned that I was going to be stuck in the park.  However, the gate would open for those approaching from within the park, so I could get out after hours, but not get back into the park, outside of the open hours.  I had wondered about the possibility of remaining within the park for sunset or night photography, but apparently the rangers make a sweep through the park to be sure no one remains for long after the closing time.

I arrived at my RV site and found that no one else was there and it was past the gift shop closing time, so I assumed I would be alone here tonight.  Although it was not excessively hot, the sun was still high above the western horizon and it was apparent that my vehicle would heat up quickly with no shade and would require some time to cool to a comfortable temperature for sleeping.  So I decided to drive the twenty plus miles into Holbrook, find a place for dinner and maybe a beer.

I had noted a restaurant called the Butterfield Stage Co Steak House as I was passing through on my way to the park.  So I decided to check it out.

It was warm in the restaurant, so apparently they either did not have A/C or it was not working well or to save on electricity it was set to a rather warm temperature.

The staff (only seemed to be two) were friendly and courteous.  I had my mind set on a steak, but when I looked over the menu, the steaks were all much larger than I could possible consume, so I decided upon Shrimp Scampi, house salad and bottled beer.  I had hoped to find a local brew on draft, but only common bottled beers were available.  The beer was good, but not as cold as I liked.  The food was good and more expensive than I expected.  The online reviews were mixed, some raved about this place other condemned it.  I liked the western decor, folksy feeling, friendly low key staff and the food.  I would give it a high rating, except for the prices, uncomfortably warm temperature and cool beer.

After dinner, I topped off my fuel tank before heading back to my RV site.  When I arrived at my site, the sun had just set with a good sunset view from the parking lot.  At first, I thought I had pulled into the wrong site, since there was a young female having lunch at the picnic table at my site.  I double checked the site number to be sure I was at the right place then got out and greeted the picnicker. She asked if I had this site reserved. When I affirmed that I did she apologized, saying she just wanted to watch the sunset, while having her dinner.  I assured her that I was not bothered by her having her meal there.  As she gathered her food, I suggested she might as well use one of the other available picnic tables, since no other RVs were there, but she moved back to her vehicle.  Maybe I looked like a really scary person, but I think she was just being careful, as one traveling alone should be.  She was apparently car camping and her vehicle was still there in the early morning, as I headed out on the last leg of my journey to the Grand Canyon North Rim.

Next up:  Grand Canyon North Rim.

Until then,

Ken

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, July 2021, Part 1

The last stop on my route to the Grand Canyon North Rim in July 2021 was the Petrified Forest National Park.  There is an exit to this national park from I40, but I elected to go into Holbrook, Arizona and go to the south entrance, since there is an RV site just outside the park entrance there.  That RV site does not take reservations, so I wanted to be sure to get there early to increase my chance of getting a site.  There are actually two places across the road from each other here, where RV’s can park.  One site is free, first come, first serve, but has no hookups.  The other has electric hook up, but no water.  I did not need a water hookup, but I wanted electric, since I expected it to be hot and I wanted to be able to use my A/C or, or at least a fan.

I pulled into the Petrified Forest Gift Shop and RV Park and went into the gift shop to secure a site.  Some of the reviews that I had read about this site said the staff were unfriendly, but I did not find that to be the case.  Instead, I would characterize the two staff/owners as matter of fact and business like.  They were not the bubbly personality types we’ve all come to expect at tourist lodgings, motels and hotels, but they were not unfriendly.

I jokingly requested a site with shade and was matter of factly told that there was no shade.  I had noted that fact already.  There are scattered trees around the edge of the RV parking area, but the vegetation on the trees is insufficient to provide any significant shade at any time of the day.

After getting my assigned site, I drove into the park for a quick tour.  This park has gates at the entrances that open at 8AM and close at 5PM, so there is no way in the summer to be anywhere in this park for sunset or sunrise photography.

The visitor center is not far from the entrance and I stopped here, but I did not go in, since I was practicing “social distancing” during the COVID-19 pandemic.  I picked up a guide brochure from an outside location behind the visitor center and proceeded to walk the paths.  There were a substantial number of visitors, but not so many that one could not maintain a suitable distance from others.

Since it was mid-day with harsh overhead light, I elected not to carry around my heavy DSLR and to shoot with my iPhone camera.  I do not even pretend to have great photos from this park.

Summer Learning

There appear to be educational opportunities here and this seems to be a good place for lessons in the geological history of this area.

Big Petrified Tree

The base of the petrified tree in the photo above is about 10 feet in diameter.  This is a clear indication of the size of the trees in the prehistoric forest that was once here.

Petrified Log Sections

Indeed, the size of the petrified logs here is impressive.

Petrified Log Sections
Petrified Log Sections

What a magnificent forest this must have been!

Observers

I noted a little girl and her dog watching me, so I had to include them in a photo.

Cactus and Petrified Log Sections
Petrified Tree

Satisfied that I had seen everything behind the visitor center, I decided to hike to the “Agate House”, which was mentioned in the brochure.  The Agate House is little over a mile from the visitor center.  It was hot, but, with the temperature in the low 90s, not nearly as hot as I had expected for this time of the year.  I took a bottle of cold water with me to be sure I did not get dehydrated.  The hike is an easy one and is on a paved trail.  The first portion of the hike is on the remnant of an asphalt road, which ends at what used to be a parking area, then the trail continues on a narrower path to the house.

Along the route, I caught a glimpse of a colorful desert creature moving amid the rocks beside the trail.

Collared Lizard

Fortunately, this colorful lizard remained perched on a rock just long enough for me to get a good photo before it disappeared into the jumble of broken petrified tree pieces.

Petrified Jumble
Agate House

The Agate House is actually a partially restored Native American dwelling.  The restoration was done via a works program during the Great Depression.  Current practice is to leave ruins as they are found, rather than to attempt reconstruction.

Agate House

I returned to my vehicle at the visitor center parking lot and continued my quick tour of this park.

More later,

Ken

Caprock Canyon State Park, Texas, July 2021, Part 2

Before continuing my journey towards the Grand Canyon North Rim, I took time to drive to the end of the road in Caprock Canyon State Park, stopping at a few locations to get iPhone shots.

Caprock Canyon Panorama
Red Dirt

The fine, red clay soil seems to permeate everything here.

Gypsum Crystals

There were gypsum crystals frequently exposed on the surface of this mostly desert like environment.

Desert Green

The effect of the recent rains were clearly visible in the greenness of the scrubby vegetation.

Caprock Canyon State Park, Texas

At the end of the park road was a tent campground and a trailhead into the canyon.  I’m thinking this might be the most interesting hike in this park.  If I stop here again and have time, I will plan to hike this trail.

After encountering a rattlesnake on my previous days hike, I was much more wary while strolling about today.  I did not see another rattlesnake while walking about, but I did see a small one crossing the paved roadway as I arrived back at the camping area.  There was also a bison standing at the trailhead of the hike I had taken the previous day.

Ready to Hike

I do not know why this big fella was hanging out by the sign, but it was still here, after I made a loop through the campground, before heading out on the next leg of my journey.  Maybe it was waiting for a hiking companion.

Until next time,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June, 2021, Part 13

Hoodoo Sentinel, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

This large hoodoo seems to be standing guard for those in the valley below it, ready to alert of approaching photographers.

Bisti Valley, Bisti Wilderness, June 9, 2021, PM
Delicate Balance 1, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

I spotted the hoodoo above from a far distance as it stands out very distinctly in this broad valley in the Bisti Wilderness of New Mexico.  I had scouted around it looking for ways to photograph it and found what I thought were promising compositions, only to discover that many of those compositions did not work out well.

A Valley of Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Delicate Balance 2, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Sunset Clouds and Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Desert Sunset Sky, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Long, Thin and Flat Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Petrified Log and Sunset Light, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

It was a cloudy afternoon, but some rays of golden hour sunset light broke through.

Golden Hour Hoodoos, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
Sunset Features, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM
The Nook, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

I was in a dead end spur off of a big valley and went into this small nook, where I noted interesting rock features and hoodoos with the golden hour light on the top of the background hills and blue sky with fluffy clouds above.  My son was calling for me to come out into the main valley, where the day’s final rays of light was peaking, so I hastened to get this shot, not at all sure it would be worthwhile; but I think it turned out well.

Soft Sunset Light, Bisti, June 9, 2021, PM

So there you have it, the final part of this visit to Bisti.  I do not usually include so many photos in one post, but since this is part 13 and I had exactly 13 photos to wrap up this Bisti visit, it seems fitting to end it so.

If you can, please look at these images on my Flickr page and on a big screen, where the details are much better viewed.

Revisiting these images has put me in the mood for another visit to Bisti, but it might be some time before I can get back, so readers will not have to suffer through more Bisti any time soon.

Stay safe and thanks for following,

Ken

P.S.  Actually, I just remembered that there is one remaining item for this visit: Night photography with stars and maybe the Milky Way, if I ever get around to finishing the editing, which is always a pain for such images, so I tend to procrastinate with that task.  There will probably only be one or two or three photos, so that post will be short.

 

 

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 12

Bisti Hoodoos and Shadows, June 8, 2021, PM

I shot these same small hoodoos early one morning.  This late day composition captures their long shadows across the desert valley floor.

Creature Face Hoodoo, Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM
Small Hoodoo – Long Shadow, Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM
Shadow Thin, Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM

This tall hoodoo with a very small cap seems to cast an unusually thin shadow, given the apparent thickness of the structure as seen from this angle.

Small Alien Hoodoo, Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM
Small Alien Hoodoo and Triplets, Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM

I photographed this alien looking hoodoo from various viewpoints (it was in an awkward place for getting a good shot) and under various light conditions.  The photo just above may be the best image that I got.

Natural Bridge Hoodoo and Shadow, Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM

Late day shadows are encroaching on this feature just as the light gets best.  At least I got its shadow on the hillside behind it.

Bisti, June 8, 2021, PM

Readers may recall seeing a monochrome version of this last photo in an earlier post.  While not a compelling image, I liked the shadow of the central feature on the hillside behind it.  The shadow is more distinct in this color version than in the monochrome version.

Stay tuned to the next morning’s shoot,

Ken

 

 

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 11

Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

After the best early morning light, I continued to move around the valley in the vicinity of Nefertiti’s Crown looking for more composition with the great variety of rock shapes and hoodoos nearby.

Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM
Greeting The Sun, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

The same features can be photographed from various angles and distances, yielding completely different looking shapes, shadows, highlights and textures.

Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM
Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

I tried various points of view and compositions for the scene above, but keeping my shadow out of the shots eliminated the best composition, so I settled for this view and it is not very satisfying.

Actually, I’m not really happy with most of these shots after the golden hour, but I do like the next to last image, with its wide angle view of the area from an elevated perspective and Greeting The Sun.

More from a late day shoot next,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 10

Pre-Sunrise, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

My son and I were out early again in Bisti waiting for sunrise.  We had to hike about 2 miles to get to our destinations each day of our visit, so for sunrise we were initially hiking in the dark on the way out.  After sunset photos, we could sometime hike all the way back to the parking lot without light, but sometimes we needed our headlamps for at least a portion of the hike back.

Pre-Sunrise, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM
Pre-Sunrise, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

We were back in the area of the “Michelin Tire/Nefertiti Crown” and “Shark or “Surfboard” (our nicknames) hoodoos and I managed to get a few decent compositions here, while waiting for sunrise.

Bisti Jumble, Pre-Sunrise in Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

I usually try to compose photos with multiple objects, such as those in the above photo, so that there is separation between all the objects, but sometime I could find no way to completely separate them.

Behind the Shark, Pre-Sunrise, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM
Nefertiti’s Crown Hoodoo, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

I shot the Nefertiti Crown hoodoo again in sunrise light, but with a wider angle view this time.  Nefertiti’s shadow is still falling on the “Shark”.

Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

From the point of view in the above photo, I got the shadow from the low, tilted hoodoo in the foreground that it cast upon the base of the Shark Hoodoo.  Note that Nefertiti’s Crown Hoodoo looks completely different from this point of view, hence my initial nickname of “Lumpy Hoodoo”.

Morning Breaks, Bisti, June 8, 2021, AM

“Morning Breaks” is my favorite from this batch and I had to use multiple exposures blended via HDR software to get this one.  Although, “Behind the Shark” is a close second and “Bisti Jumble” comes in close behind that.

More later,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 9

In the Heart of Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

The drainage pattern in the foreground is in an heart like shape, hence the title for this photo.

Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

A row of small hoodoos along a thin wall in a Bisti valley.  Getting low isolates two of the hoodoos against the sky.

Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

A little different view of the same row of hoodoos.  Shooting from a higher angle shows the early morning shadows of small foreground hoodoos.

Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

Looking skyward up a steep slope of loose clay towards features on the top of the slope.

Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM
Desert Ship, Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

The feature on top of the hill above, looks like an old ship’s hull to me.

Skinny Hoodoo, Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

We first spotted the tall, skinny looking hoodoo in the photo above from a far distance and initially thought it too far away and inaccessible, but we later found a way to get to it.  This feature is actually visible in the far background of at least two other images in this post.  I will leave it to readers to find it in those images.

Once we got to the base of this ‘Skinny” hoodoo, we realized that it was only skinny looking from one angle.

Skinny Hoodoo Side View, Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

A view from another side looking along the hilltop where this hoodoo resides, shows that it is not really skinny at all.

Skinny Hoodoo, Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

Another view of the “Skinny” hoodoo (left side).

After getting to the Skinny Hoodoo, we also found a shorter route into the area where we had been shooting by walking through valleys and washes back towards the west.

More later,

Ken

Bisti Wilderness, June 2021, Part 8

Sunrise, Bisti, June 6, 2021, AM

The first image in this post is an HDR made from multiple exposures, since it would be impossible to get a single exposure with detail in the foreground and background here.

Nefertiti Crown, Bisti, June 6, 2021, AM

My son called this the Michelin Tire Hoodoo, but one of my Flickr friends and former work colleague said this looked like Nefertiti’s crown and I like that description.  We referred to the flat wing like hoodoo in the background as either a shark or a surf board.

Shark Hoodoo, Bisti, June 6, 2021, AM

The shark hoodoo was difficult to photograph and it was always partially in the shadow of the Nefertiti Crown Hoodoo.

Lumpy Hoodoo, Bisti, June 6, 2021, AM

From a distance, seeing this hoodoo for the first time, I named it Lumpy, but a closer view makes it look more like some big mouth creature and it is actually the same as Nefertiti’s Crown from a different side.  The features here can take on very different aspects, depending upon the view point.

Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

A group of distinct hoodoos in pre-sunrise light (above).  The feature on the far right looks like an alien creature and near the middle are those we called the Triplets.  We photographed around this location multiple times from various view points at different time of the day.

Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM
Bisti, June 7, 2021, AM

Another view of the Alien and the Triplets.  I like the foreground in this view.

Even more Bisti to come,

Ken