Dead Horse Point

I always wanted to see this well-known photo destination. Given its popularity, I thought I would get there early to make sure I had a good vantage point for some photos. So I got up in time to be at the entrance when the Dead Horse Point State Park officially opened at 6 AM.

It was about a 40-minute drive from downtown Moab, in total darkness. There was nobody in the gatehouse when I arrived at the park entrance, so I put my ten dollar entrance fee in the provided envelope and dropped it in the designated slot, then drove to the parking lot at the end of the point.

I need not have worried about beating the crowd - the place was desolate. Fifteen degrees Fahrenheit and a bit windy, and still pitch black. So I grabbed the flashlight and walked across the dry layer of crunchy snow to the overlook. Couldn't see a damned thing - just a void between the line of rosy light along the southeastern horizon in the distance and wall marking the boundary of the overlook.

So I went back to the car and rewarmed until there was enough dawn light to try again. I still couldn't see the shape of the land below from the overlook, but the camera could. So I took a couple of long exposures to figure out where to point the camera for the composition I wanted.

Hope you like the photo - waiting until the sun rose high enough to kiss the top of the point, I froze my @ss off to get it!

Mountain mornings.

OK, so what if I don't have my good camera gear? These beautiful summer mornings cannot be wasted. And even if I can't get a shot worth printing and hanging on the wall, I can still get the feel of the light around here, and scope out some places to go back to with the SLR and a couple of good lenses. And enjoy the peace and quiet, the beautiful light, and the delicious air.

Left the hotel at what my old friend Jerry would call "o-dark-thirty" again - about 3:15 AM I think - and got out of the car at around 4:30 and started climbing.

The trail switchbacked quite a bit. Climbing to the east, I had a chance to watch the progress of the sunrise:

4:28 AM: Climbing towards the sunrise.

Turning back west, a look at the mountains, with the tail lights of a few other early risers on the road in the valley bottom:

4:34 AM: Climbing towards the mountains.

Even though it is nearly pitch black and I am using a head lamp, the camera can see subtle differences on the light that my eyes cannot - if I give it a chance by using long exposure times - these are shot with the shutter open for 15 seconds.

After about an hour of climbing, I reached the crest of the hill. Too late for any pre-dawn shots - making a note to get there a half-hour earlier next time - but in time to circumambulate to the east side to catch the sun hitting the mountains over the lake:

5:36 AM: The mountains are painted red by the warm early morning light.

After that, taking my time to complete a lap around the lake, enjoying the air, the light, and the solitude.

5:45 AM: An old stump on the lake shore.

6:10 AM: Light spreads over the lake.

6:25 AM: Alpine Fireweed, Epilobium latifolium.

6:35 AM: A Leafy-Bracted Aster, Symphyotrichum foliaceum, hides among the grass.

Then back down the hill, and into town for a bit of breakfast!

7:15 AM: Back down the hill.

Tassie, here I come.

Within a few days - back to mid-summer.

Two flights totalling over 10 thousand kilometers. South. First from Tokyo to just across the Tropic of Cancer to Hong Kong, then the long haul from Hong Kong to Melbourne, crossing the equator around Indonesia's Molucca Sea. Southward, southward, crossing the northern coast of Australia around Darwin.  Down, down, and under with the last third of the eight-and-a-half-hour flight over the Australian outback.

Then, after a few days in Melbourne, a ferry ride to the end of the civilized world - the other end.  The island of Tasmania.

It will be mid-summer there, but I expect some cool weather and maybe even some rain, especially on the western side of the island.

And, I'm hoping for some open roads, some long hikes, some clean air, and some good views.

If I can, I'll post some photos along the way.