Canyonlands May Morning

Sunrise colors over the La Sal Mountains, May 22.

May 22: After two wonderful but too windy nights of camping in the Greater Canyonlands area, it was time to start heading toward home. With all day to do it and only a few hours away, I was rich on time.
 

Sunrise colors over the southern end of the La Sals.

So rich, in fact, that I found myself reluctant to leave. I was feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and serene. It was time to explore a few more nearby places. 

One stop was the Wine Glass, a fantastic study in sandstone erosion. Since the sun was not yet up, the light was soft and graceful.

The Wine Glass. Stone falling apart creates such beautiful sculptures.

But I continued to keep one eye to the east, toward the La Sal Mountains. Because the clouds over those still-snowy peaks looked to have high potential to reflect the rising sun's colors. 

The sunrise flare begins.

Just before the sun was going to clear the northern end of the La Sal range, it lit up the horizon with what I call a sun flare. In this case, a sunrise flare.

"Sunrise flare" closeup and La Sal Mountains.

The flare lasted so long that I had time to make a high resolution panoramic image from overlapping shots, to better portray the entire scene.

Sunrise flare panorama.

The glorious sunrise colors finally done, the clouds continued to tantalize me. Now absent the red-orange-yellow colors, the sunlight poured down in dazzling slanted sunbeams.

Post-sunrise sunbeams over the La Sal Mountains.

A bit further down the road the sunlight was pouring down almost directly from overtop the mountain peaks. Rather heavenly.

Post-sunrise, early morning sunlight shafts, and high desert trees.

Then it was on to the Needles Overlook. Given the past two days of high winds, there was a lot of dust in the air. Plus some moisture from a rain shower. Which meant quite a bit of haze. Which I minimized in post processing in Adobe Lightroom after the shoot.

Needles Overlook: looking south toward the Six Shooter Peaks and the Abajo Mountains.

Enamored with the scene despite the haze, and because the Indian Creek valley floor was so green in this cool and moist springtime weather, I made a really wide panoramic image.

Needles Overlook panorama, looking south.

I walked up around the bend to check out the view to the west, and the north. It was a different scene: little greenery below. But in the foreground, a wonderfully green, gnarled Utah Juniper tree, as if showing off amid the red and brown rockscape.

Needles Overlook, looking north.

Photo location: southeast Utah, near Canyonlands National Park.

© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg

Greater Canyonlands Rainbow Evening

Snow showers on the Abajo Mountains and Monticello, Utah.

It was a rainy weekend in southeast Utah, making driving on the dirt roads in the area a muddy possibility. And in the mountains of southwest Colorado more snow. 

Rainbow panorama.

So I opted to camp above the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Good roads, few people, outstanding scenery. This area outside the southern portion of the park is sometimes called Greater Canyonlands and has been proposed as a new National Monument.


Near Monticello, Utah I admired a storm cloud of snow and rain enveloping the Abajo Mountains. 

Rainbow closeup.

North of Monticello was the road to Hatch Point, my intended destination. I normally would have continued on to the Needles Overlook, but sunset time was nearing and I wanted to be further north. But on the way in a full rainbow slowed me down. 

Pronghorn buck with last patches of his winter coat.

I almost always see pronghorn in this area of high sagebrush. At this time of year the herds are split up, as the females have their young, each in their hidden spot, I suppose. Then I saw this big buck by the side of the road, almost unconcerned with me. I shot this photo of him right out the car window. Notice how almost all of his winter coat has been shed. 

Sunshine through the rain down along the Colorado River inside Canyonlands National Park.

The view to the west, over the side of the rim down into the Colorado River further slowed me down for photos. I loved how the sunshine lit up rain showers, with other buttes in shadow for dark contrasting shapes.

I did make it to my campsite shortly before sunset. The view down Kane Creek Canyon and to the Colorado River were dizzying and beautiful. 

Sunset time looking down on the Colorado River from near the Anticline Overlook.

To the east, the La Sal Mountains were showing off another late spring coat of new snow.

The La Sal Mountains just before sunset.

One of the peaks of the La Sal Mountains that was visible through the clouds.

Golden sunset rain showers over the Colorado River.

During the night I was treated to the peaceful sound of rain drumming on the roof of the vehicle. 

Photo location: San Juan County, southeast Utah.

Sunset on Kane Creek Canyon, from Hatch Point.

© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg