When I walked Sam this morning, I should have taken a camera to capture the dust storm. There were at least 40 mph winds blowing huge clouds of dust making it difficult to see where we were going and a little tough even to breathe sometimes. The sand and dust looked like thick fog with tumbleweeds rolling along. The sand stung anywhere it hit bare skin!
A few hours later the winds had calmed and we walked to the Old Spanish Trail Arena (adjacent to the OK RV Park where we were staying) to walk through a rock and gem show. There were a surprising number of vendors with quite a variety of wares. There was everything from rocks straight from the field to finished jewelry. For a while, I thought we would be taking a few souvenirs back to the coach, but in the end, we resisted the temptation and exited the arena empty-handed.
The day was shaping up to be a nice one. As we were walking back to the coach, the winds were all but gone and the sun was shining (although it was shining through some pretty dark clouds and I was pretty sure I felt a few raindrops.)
When the sun broke through the clouds, you could see the patchwork of fall colors on the La Sal Mountains.
The potential for some dramatic skies, behind the scenery in Arches National Park, lured us into a drive late in the afternoon. We really needed a photography guide to identify the prime shooting locations. Sunset is so fleeting and the options are so vast, it seems like we were almost panicked as the sun disappeared trying to find the perfect place for that million dollar photo.
We decided to try the Windows Section and then the Garden of Eden area to see how the light looked.
Can you see the climbers on the top of the tallest formation? Are they crazy!? You could see the storm coming and there was only an hour of daylight left.
Surely they don't climb down in the dark. I'm puzzled.
Turret Arch at 6:20 p.m.
Double Arch is back-lit by the setting sun.
Looking back at the Garden of Eden...
...the light set the sandstone aglow.
We climbed a little knoll, looking for the best sunset foreground. David has mentioned in the past that I have a thing for trees. This one caught my fancy.
It was 6:37 and time to sit and watch the sun slide behind the horizon.
David's HDR captured some detail in the foreground.
(6:40 p.m.) I do realize, "too many pics of the same tree," but I couldn't choose!
(6:43 p.m.) All this tree needed was a vulture sitting on its branch or a pumpkin on the ground to scream "Halloween is near."
(6:45 p.m.) The sun slipped below the horizon but continued to light up the underside of the clouds. Time to call it a day.
We had to try one last shot on our way out of the park (yes, it was pretty dark.) From this angle, the Three Gossips (on the right) are in a huddle. The only light was from the sun, deflecting off the underside of the clouds. It looked eerier than the photo captures.
It can be a little frustrating, but all in all, trying to capture the setting sun over the natural beauty of our National Parks is one of our favorite activities. Since the sky was socked in with clouds, there was no opportunity for sky gazing, so we headed back to the coach to unwind and review our pictures for the day.
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