Canyonlands @en
now browsing by tag
Still Canyonlands…
No way to risk to stay stucked in so much snow, I preferred not to cross the pass that would lead me to the other side of the La Sal Mountains and went to Warner Lake driving around the mountains. I already discovered this little mountain lake in a previous trip and wanted to see it in its winter coat.
1. Late afternoon light on the Warner Campground, obviously empty at this season.
2. Beautiful frozen Warner Lake.
3. As the weather forecast indicated 12 F in Moab, over 3,000 meters below, I went down for me to find a campsite less exposed to cold. The view over Canyonsland and Henry Mountains, over 0 miles away, was splendid.
4. I found a better sheltered spot above Sand Flat, near an overlook over Castle Valley, a picture of the Far West at sunset…
The next day, session welding because I discovered that the bracket supporting the engine preheater was broken. Again and again the vibrations of the dirt roads… So I went late to Long Canyon.
5. The Colorado River reflecting the Moab Rim.
6. Going up in Long Canyon, With La Sal Mountains in the back.
7. The famous spot in Long Canyon ; Souvenir photo stop required! 😉
8. The next morning, I got up early to go to Mesa Arch at sunrise. A photo that I’m not the first to do but I like it…
9. VivaLaVida then went down the Schafer Trail to get to the White Rim Trail. Beautiful downhill in the vertical walls! VLV is quite small up there…
10. One of the meanders of the Colorado from the White Rime Trail.
11. Self-portrait at Musselman Arch, quite aerial… 😉
12. The towers that appear Under Mesa Arch, but this time from the bottom.
13. One of the huge overhang that crosses the White Rim…
14. In Canyonlands, there are number of canyons and arches everywhere. The White Rim Trail takes its name from the clear limestone layer that it follows over 100 miles.
15. From Whitecrack Campground where I spent the night, Sunset over the 20 miles away Needles is gorgious.
16. Under windwos of VivaLaVida too !
17. Almost the same colors at sunrise…
18. Another of theses giant overhansg with Candelstick Butte in the back.
19. A small slot canyon I visited along the trail…
20. I rediscover the Green River…
21. Luch stop at Potato Bottom.
Continuation and end of the White Rim Trail in the next update.
In Canyonlands area…
I went to see other places in Canyonlands NP, first in the beautiful Lavender Canyon.
1. The access road goes nearly 20 miles up in a wash. There is some water, partially frozen in places, witness of the recent weather disturbance (the one I had at Black Rock).
2. VivaLaVida is small under the vertical cliffs of the canyon.
3. Only way to show you that it’s cold in the desert too…
4. In a side canyon that leads me to Long Arch, I discovered some remains of an Indian granary dating from approx. 2,000 years.
5. They protected their harvest by sheltering it in cliff cavities, closing access to rodents using mud and stones.
6. Further in the West Fork Lavender Canyon, I discovered a nearly complete shelter in half-wall height.
7. It will take me several attempts to find a path leading to it.
8. After three hours of hiking, I discovered the elegant Long Arch, little known because really remote. I’ll have to study the map to see if there is way to access from the top because no way to get closer down here.
9. I take some showers of sizzles on the way back. But at sunset, a short ray colored cliffs around in this amazing red .
10. After a day of transition, I went to sleep at Anticline Overlook to enjoy the morning light.
11. Scenry over Hourah Pass and Moab Rim is impressive.
12. The weather get cloudy again and showers of rain/sleet follow one another. But I stop to show you how they transport trucks here! 😀
Having spotted the previous day an interesting point of view, I tried the gamble to go there for the sunset despite the rain and stormy Wind that got up, hoping for a sunray at sunset. The track was very bumpy and almost 20 miles long, VLV needed two hours to get to.
Arrived there at around 4PM, I went locate places to try to find a nice composition, aware that if there would be some sunlight, it would be brief. I finally found a composition I like, not without some apprehension because I was on a block overhanging a 600 feet cliff. It’s 16:30, I sit nearby and wait. It is downright cold and I’m beginning to think that I have come all this way for nothing…
But ultimately, the Gods of Light rewarded me with a moment of insane intensity! It did not last five minutes, just long enough for the sun to go under the clouds before to set. But the light was so intense, contrasting with the dark and low snow skie, gilding the cliff in a so bright yellow-orange..! A moment of pure happiness for my photographer’s eye. 😉
13. Firing…
14. Bis.
At once I prepared a luxury aperitif before processing these images… 😉
15. The next day, the snow has changed the appearance of the place.
16. The track of VLV, alone on snow, as a symbol of her journey, often trough almost desert places…
17. Contrast with the red sandstone is striking. Here, the small arch of Looking Glass Rock.
18. VivaLaVida is then went in the La Sal Mountains for a taste of winter.
19. Aspens have lost their leaves for some time but proudly raise their silhouettes in the sky.
20. There was too much snow for me to cross the La Sal Pass, I had to turn back.
21. Nice place for a small lunch, isn’t it? 😀
More in the next update…
D5 Creation