Every winter for many years I get together for a week of skiing with five long-time friends who are spread out in different parts of the country. This year, our trip was in Utah and I decided to drive out from Colorado and stop over in Moab to explore some of the amazing photography opportunities in the area. The skiing at Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton was excellent and it was great to catch up with old friends. And, to top it all off, I was able to experience some favorable winter weather and lighting conditions and snag a few images of this striking region in America’s Southwest that I wanted to share with you here first.
Turret Arch is one of the more distinctive natural arches within Arches National Park and is easily accessible in the popular Windows section of the park. My patience was rewarded this late afternoon as waiting just a few minutes for other visitors to move out of the frame led to the perfect opportunity to capture this sunburst in the lower corner of the arch.
Just across from Turret Arch is North Window Arch, which when combined with South Window Arch, looks like a pair of spectacles from a distance. This view looking up through the North Window arch as the rim glows in the golden rays of sunset was taken from the east side on the primitive trail that circles the North and South Windows. The subtle colors of sunset were simply amazing and presented the perfect back drop for the glowing rim of the arch.
Double Arch is an impressive pair of close-set arches that look like two “O’s”. At 112′ high and 144′ wide the larger of the two arches is the tallest and second longest arch in the park and the smaller arch is still a substantial 67′ wide. As the daylight was quickly fading I hurried down the trail from North Window Arch to catch a glimpse of Double Arch before it became too dark. Luckily, my timing worked out as I arrived just in time to catch the fading light shining through the openings and lighting up the sandstone walls.
On my way back home I made one last stop at Dead Horse Point State Park for sunset. The name, Dead Horse Point State Park, has curious origins. It is said to come from cowboys in the 1800’s who used the high plateau as a natural corral, but not without consequences as horses often died of exposure. Arriving a little before sunset I was able to explore the different vantage points from the dramatic rocky ledge overlooking a gooseneck bend in the Colorado River. I’m happy I decided to take this little detour on the way home as I was rewarded with these two sunset images highlighting the vast and rugged desert canyon terrain of sandstone canyons, buttes, and vertical cliffs stretching far into the distance.
