Bedrock, Colorado

The Bedrock Store at Bedrock, Colorado. 

It was the last day of February, and it felt time to take another long drive into the mountains of southwest Colorado. To them, between them, through them. Why not? (My usual excuse, as if I need one).

My first real stop (meaning for photos, rather than merely admiring the passing scenery) was Bedrock, Colorado. A tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere, truly. Wide open high desert scenery. Snowy mountain ranges to the west and to the east. No services, not even a convenience store. Gas up your vehicle well beforehand.

Which is not a put-down, merely advice. I love these rural, clean air, wide open skies kind of places. As usual, the locals waved to me as our cars passed, even though they did not recognize me. I have experienced this many times in rural areas, where people look after each other, including strangers. Especially when the weather is bad.

Highway 90 west from Bedrock toward the La Sal Mountains in Utah.

But this was not a bad weather day. More like an early spring day. Warm in the sunlight, chilly in the shade.

At Bedrock, which is nothing more than a wide spot on the highway (and not even very wide) I once again photographed the Bedrock Store, that irresistibly historic building. Looking like an Old West general store. Several years ago when I first make my way through Bedrock, the store was open. It was fascinating inside. I bought a little something, then continued on my way.

The next time I passed through, the store was closed. With a sign saying the owner was experiencing health problems. And again the next time I was there.

But now I hear that it's open once again. Limited hours. As in: when whomever running it is there.

See much more of my photography at my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

La Sal Mountains Springtime Sunset

La Sal Mountains at sunset from near the Bears Ears National Monument boundary, San Juan County.

Late April in southeast Utah and the Four Corners country, and the weather was moody. I like the variety that it provides.

Driving west out of Monticello toward the Abajo Mountains, the road veers northward toward Utah 211, the highway into the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. But before you get anywhere near that portion of the park, you cross the invisible boundary (since it's so new) of part of the eastern boundary of Bears Ears National Monument.

That evening, my eye was not on going into the Needles, but on staying high to watch how the sunset light would play out onto the La Sal Mountains to the northeast, near Moab.

As the sun slid below the western horizon, the low angle of its light lit up the still snowy peaks of the La Sals. Warmer, then a bit pink, too.

La Sal Mountains peaks at sunset color.

Zooming in with a longer lens, I made a series of overlapping shots from which to make a super high resolution panoramic image in Adobe Lightroom.

Soon the colors had faded, and it was time to drive home in the twilight. 

See more of my photography at www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

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

May Moonrise, La Sal Mountains from Canyonlands

Moonrise and La Sal Mountains, southeast Utah.

For the May 2016 Full Moon I was in the Canyonlands Basin in southeast Utah. 

The particular spot I was exploring has an unobstructed view of the La Sal mountain range to the east. However, this late in the year the moon rises to the south of the mountains rather than over them like it does during the winter months. So it wouldn't make for killer moonrise over the mountain peaks shots.

The clouds -- the variable of prime importance -- had been questionable for most of the day. At first they were an awful high hazy mess, neither blue sky nor overcast. But as the day wore on the thin high clouds moved on east, and were replaced by a nice mix of cumulus clouds and blue sky. So maybe things would work out, at least as far as sunset colors.

Mount Tukunikivats in the La Sal Range, under hazy afternoon light.

Being in the Canyonlands region, there is always much more to see than just the sky. And since one can't control the weather, one takes what is offered. It's all good here.

The La Sal Mountain Range in afternoon shadow.

The Colorado River south of Moab, Utah under sunbeam overcast skies.

Looking down onto the Kane Creek Anticline at dusk.

As sunset approached, there was even a slight threat of rain to the north. I had been hoping for a last minute breakthrough in the clouds on the western horizon to create some shafts of golden sunlight streaking low across the northern landscape at the last minute. Maybe even an alpenglow event lighting up the snowy peaks of the La Sals in a nice rose hue. It didn't happen, though I was ready. You have to be out there. 

Pre-sunset golden sunbeams to the west.

Toward the east, though, it was partially clear. As the light faded to blue twilight, the Full Moon made its appearance over the gently sloping southern flanks of the La Sals. 

Moonrise over the southern flanks of the La Sals.

 It was a remarkable scene in person. However, any zoomed in shots of the rising moon would seem not at all representative of the total scenery. So I made overlapping shots horizontally to be merged into a high resolution panoramic image.

Two shot panorama of the moonrise and southernmost peaks.

Three shot wide angle panorama: the moon appears smaller, but the overall scene is better represented.

After the last twilight was gone and the brightness of the Full Moon had taken over, it was time to walk back down to camp and enjoy the early night from there.

© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg

Moonrise, La Sal Mountains, Utah

La Sal Mountains, and...the moon

Time for another Full Moon. This time, in the high desert country of southeast Utah. 

Between Monticello and Moab is a lightly visited side road called the Anticline Overlook road. There are many more cows and pronghorn (antelope) than people. No power lines ruining the view. Nothing. Perfect. 

The La Sals in late afternoon, with the red rocks.

It was the evening before the official Full Moon on the calendar, which is usually the best day of the month for landscape photography shots of the almost full disc rising above the eastern horizon while it's still light. 

We were there, ready. Even had time for a side trip to the Anticline Overlook beforehand. 

I'd picked this spot because of the prime views of the La Sal mountain range to the east. The one that you see in all the photos of Moab and Arches National Park, towering over everything. It's a small but very photogenic cluster of peaks. And when you have the full moon rising above them, it doesn't get much better. Probably not any better, really.

Having once again used The Photographer's Ephemeris on my computer to determine the time and, just as importantly, the azimuth (compass direction) that the moon would rise that evening, I was set. Pretty much. Because those mountains in the way would block the moon for a while. And it doesn't rise straight up, like an elevator. After all, it has to arc across the southern sky and set in the morning in the west. So by the time it clears the mountains it will be somewhat southeast of where it initially "rose". 

Don't you hate that technical stuff? Even when it's useful? You just want to wing it. Not a bad idea. 

But I used it, and it worked out very well. So there. One for the geek side of me. Which allowed me to turn to the artistic side and shoot away at a very awesome scene. 

The moon first appears, 5:18 PM.

Photo location: San Juan and Grand Counties, southeast Utah.

© 2015 Stephen J. Krieg.

Red Rocks and Mountain Tops, Utah

Arches National Park and La Sal Mountain Range, Utah

Red rock sandstone spire, compressed across the distance to the snowy La Sal Mountains. From west of Moab, Utah, to east of it.


Arches National Park, Utah.