Successful Desert Photography

Transcription

1 March Where, when, and how to discover the best photography in America Published since 1989 Red-and-white layers of sandstone along the route to The Wave Successful Desert Photography Most of my favorite Southwest desert locations have already filled the pages of past newsletters. In this issue, I want to share some unpublished images, some new locations, and a few secrets about successfully photographing the desert, gathered over the past forty years. The black-and-white photographs in this newsletter were shot on Kodak Tri-X film. Some of the color images are digital and some were shot on Fuji s Velvia. Both are my favorite films. I pulled slides and negatives of desert images from my files and scanned them for this newsletter. Although I m sold on the benefits of digital photography, film is better for some uses. No matter what you shoot, it s time to start planning your next photo trip into the Southwest deserts.

2 issue 99 - page 2 I keep my digital camera manual, flash manual, and GPS receiver manual in my camera bag. I keep a copy of Thom Hogan s Nikon D300s ebook in my laptop. Thom s Nikon manuals cover much more than what s in the official Nikon camera manuals. Check out Thom s list of available manuals at: Exciting travel articles, those you read in the outdoor adventure travel magazines, often start with the author staying up all night drinking with friends joining the group, neglecting to do any trip planning, and then forgetting to pack maps, warm clothing, passports, tripods, reading glasses, and other important gear. These adventure tales stumble rapidly toward disaster as the participants enjoy humorous misadventures in dangerous locations. Life-threatening situations are somehow resolved at a painful price, through sheer dumb luck or heroic deeds. These stories often end with a life lesson or what used to be called a moral. These stories make exciting reading but mainly provide a guide as to what not to do. Real life, at least mine, seems to operate on a Darwinian principle. If I plan well, pack appropriately, and stay flexible, I continue enjoying what I enjoy doing. Planning out your photo trip, packing everything you ll need, and allowing for last-minute changes will give you the best opportunities for some good photography and get you home safely to share your work. My photo trips are planned, sometimes far in advance. At any one time, there are at least six places I want to visit and photograph. Bad weather, blackout dates on frequent-flyer accounts, and many other reasons narrow my choices down to only a few locations on any given day. My planning starts with a search through shelves of guidebooks and well-used maps that line my office. Then I do Internet searches for information on trails, lodging, and highway conditions. There is a large table in my office where I keep my suitcase open and in a state of packing or unpacking all the time. New maps, a print-out of my itinerary, and my airline tickets are kept in a clear plastic sleeve, where I can see them on the table until the last minute, when I pack them into an accessible outside pocket on my backpack. Fremont Period elk in Horseshoe Canyon Desert Weather Mid-summer weather may be great across some parts of America, but it s not always the best time to travel and photograph. Mid-summer is too hot in America s Southwest unless you plan to boat Lake Powell or explore slot canyons. A few hot days in early June open the large white Saguaro blossoms around Tucson. I visit the more southerly deserts in early spring. Wildflowers usually start to bloom down along the Mexican Border in late February. I have frozen in April during a late spring snowstorm in Bryce Canyon. When you are looking for great, stormy skies over Monument Valley or the Nevada desert, plan your visit during the southwest s monsoon season, August or early September, when it s hot and muggy and the skies are full of thunderheads. Be sure to avoid the slot canyons during monsoon season. Desert landscapes photographed under clear blue skies are usually dull and uninteresting. Desert slot canyons are best illuminated by a sun high in the sky, usually April through June and from late September through October on sunny days. Clouds diffuse the light and mute colors at the bottom of Antelope and other slots. During late May through late July, daytime temperatures rise in the Utah desert. Down in the deeper slot canyons, (especially Buckskin Gulch) temps are usually twenty degrees cooler than up at the surface. Late September is the best time to photograph autumn color in the aspen groves of northern Arizona and the higher elevations of Utah. Aspen grow above 7,500 feet and usually drop their yellow leaves by the first of October. The Cedar Pass north of Zion, the Aquarius Plateau north of Boulder, Utah, and the Mount Nebo Loop Road between Nephi and Payson, Utah, are great locations for autumn color around the edge of the desert. By the middle of October, cottonwood trees along the banks of the Paria River are bright yellow. Zion Canyon, along the Virgin River, usually sees the peak of autumn color around the first week of November, the same time that Canyon de Chelly is bright yellow.

3 issue 99 - page 3 In the winter, the sun moves in a lower arc across the sky. Longer shadows are cast and days are shorter. There are fewer hours between the sweet light of sunrise and sunset and even at high noon in January, sunlight streams low across the desert and not from straight overhead. Dust storms, especially in Death Valley can sandblast your car s paint and windshield. Several times I ve replaced windshields after desert trips. I quit traveling to Death Valley during Easter Holiday weekend because of strong spring winds. December, January, and February usually bring the best weather to Death Valley. Surrounding mountain passes are sometimes closed by winter snows. If you can get there, Death Valley in mid-winter is a delightful place to enjoy a week of photography. The few available lodgings are often booked up months in advance. I have experienced fifty-degree temperature changes from the top of Dante s Overlook to Furnace Creek, down in Death Valley. After shooting a sunset in a cold wind at the summit of Dante s Overlook and then driving down ten thousand feet into hundred-degree heat, the shock will surprise you. A raincoat inside a lightweight daypack fills the outside pocket on my suitcase. My camera bag, a backpack, is always ready to go, with fresh batteries and all the specialized gear selected for the next trip such as rain covers, macro lenses, or reflectors. I always pack my sunglasses, sunscreen, and my desert hat. Getting to the Desert When I fly, I carry a laptop and my backpack. I pack my carbon fiber tripod inside my suitcase to be checked. To save space, I take only my hiking boots, wearing them on the plane. Flying isn t as much fun as it used to be. It s just a faster way to get around. These days I look forward to a good, long road trip. When I traded in my ten-year old Toyota for a new 4Runner last year, I looked for better gas mileage and got a V6 instead of a V8. For easier long-distance travel, I got an automatic transmission instead of a manual. The new 4Runner still has good off-road capabilities. Long desert drives are more interesting since I had a satellite radio installed in my 4Runner. Even in the desert, I m never out of range of old-time radio shows or my favorite disco tunes. I used to listen to books on tape. Now I don t have to pack the tapes. The Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley When I drive, I pack a plastic cooler. When I fly into an area, I buy a Styrofoam cooler the first chance I get. Cold drinking water is vital for desert travel. Add about a cup of salt to your cooler filled with ice. You ll find that the ice lasts much longer and your drinks will stay colder much longer. To drive from my house to the desert, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Las Vegas, takes about ten hours, a trip I enjoy. I usually take an overnight break in Barstow, California, where there is a large selection of motels and restaurants. If I can t drive all the way to Las Vegas in one day, I sometimes stop at the border towns of Primm or Jean, Nevada, where large signs advertise very low mid-week room rates at several casino/hotels where you ll also find inexpensive buffet meals and reasonable gas prices. If you fly or drive into the Southwest without a four-wheel-drive vehicle, you can rent a Jeep in Kanab, Utah, at Canyon Country Jeep Rentals across from the Kanab City Market, (435) The town of Moab, Utah, has several rental car agencies that specialize in 4x4 Jeep Wranglers. The Budget Rental Car office, at the Grand Junction Airport, also has 4x4 Jeep Cherokees available.

4 issue 99 - page 4 Along the road to Factory Butte, west of Hanksville, Utah When I visit a location for the first time, I arrive the day before I plan to hike into a remote area. I like to check out the roads in the daylight. First, I go to a park visitor center or BLM office and ask questions. I purchase a topo map or trail guide. Then, I drive the roads and find the trailhead. You really can t safely drive remote desert roads in the dark, while trying to find a trailhead for the first time. There is a large washout on the road to Wahweap Towers in southern Utah. You and your car would disappear if you hit it in the dark. Searching for landmarks or road signs in the dark is very difficult while driving new roads, especially while driving alone. Estimating distances in the dark is not easy. Desert Roads My secret to finding many great locations to photograph and write about in my newsletters is to drive all the roads on the map and hike as many trails as possible. I burn a lot of gas, and wear out my knees. It s the service I provide to save my readers time and money on their travels. You won t need a four-wheel-drive vehicle if you plan to visit Zion, Bryce, and the slot canyons around Page, Arizona. Most of the roads to the overlooks in Canyonlands National Park and most of the roads in Arches National Park are paved. In the winter, you ll need a 4x4 vehicle to drive down the Schaffer Trail from Canyonland s Island In the Sky to the Colorado River near Potash. The switchbacks are so tight, you must turn and back several times to get headed in the other direction. It s not easy without four-wheeldrive, especially when the road is covered with snow. In the winter, watch for black ice along the pavement on the La Sal Mountain Loop Road into the mountains east of Moab, Utah. If the road is open, it s a very scenic route from southern Moab to Castle Valley where you can photograph the Fisher Towers late in the day from the edge of the Colorado River, looking south. You can drive around the Visitor Loop Road in Monument Valley without a 4x4. If you want to go farther into the backcountry, you must hire a guide. Make sure they have a 4x4 vehicle. At Canyon de Chelly, you can drive the paved rim roads without a 4x4 and you can take a truck tour into the canyons. If you want to drive your own vehicle down into the canyons, you must have your own 4x4, or a rental 4x4, and pick up a local Navajo guide at the National Park Visitor Center. Capitol Reef National Park has only a few miles of pavement and many miles of unpaved, rough 4x4 routes north into the Cathedral Valley and south, a hundred miles down the Waterpocket Fold to the Colorado River. If you plan to drive the Cathedral Valley Loop Road in the northern part of Capitol Reef National Park, drive to the western end of the loop road and check the depth of the water before fording the Fremont River.

5 issue 99 - page 5 If the water is too high for your vehicle, drive east to Caineville on Hwy 24, cross the Fremont River on a bridge, and head north into the Cathedral Valley, then return the same way. You don t need a 4x4 to reach the Wirepass Trailhead to The Wave in the North Unit of the Coyote Buttes, but you will need fourwheel drive, good ground clearance and offroad tires to safely reach the South Unit of the Coyote Buttes. The unpaved road into the South Unit of Coyote Buttes passes through some large areas of deep sand. It s easier to drive after a rain but tricky when it s dry. Several times, I ve been I stopped by a deep and fast stream crossing the House Rock Road on the way to the Wirepass Trailhead. When there is a chance that the water in Buckskin Wash, across the House Rock Road, is too deep to drive through, I come in from the south. Leave Page, Arizona, by driving south on Highway 89 for about twenty-five miles and then west on Highway 89A, through Marble Canyon, to the right turn onto House Rock Road. This is the southern end of the road to the Wirepass Trailhead. This southern end of the road is more level and without the deep washes that must be forded during a rain. There are no bridges or culverts anywhere along the House Rock Road. The southern approach takes a little longer. If you want to hike out to The Wave in the rain, it s a safer route to the trailhead. Don t try hiking into Buckskin Gulch in the rain. The mud is like quicksand and there is a chance you ll be washed down the canyon by a flash flood. When you drive desert roads, pack a shovel, a long tow-rope, and several strips of old carpet to slip under your tires for traction. Use your floor mats if necessary. Get as much weight as possible over your back tires. Have your passengers stand on your rear bumper, hang onto your roof rack, and jump up and down. Let some air out of your tires, but not too much or you might damage your tires when you reach the pavement. To refill my tires, I pack a portable compressor that plugs into a cigarette lighter. Unless the ruts are too deep and your undercarriage hangs up in the sand, try to stay in the most deeply-traveled ruts. Steering left or right to get out of the ruts will slow your progress and you ll lose traction. An automatic transmission is better than a manual transmission for driving in deep sand. Sometimes a lot of power from a large V-8 engine will dig down deep enough to get traction in damp sand below the surface. Sometimes you ll just bury your car up to its axles. A passenger/spotter can tell you when to stop and rock the vehicle back and forth easier with an automatic transmission. When your vehicle starts to move forward, keep going until you reach solid ground before stopping. After a heavy rain, even a four-wheel-drive vehicle will not have enough traction to get you through the upper stretches of the Cottonwood Wash Road, in the area of the Grosvenor Arch. This well-graded, smooth and level white clay road becomes so slippery when wet that a vehicle will slip sideways off the crowned center of the road. If you are near the pavement at either end of Cottonwood Wash Road and it starts raining, turn around and head for the asphalt. You could be stuck for hours, even with a 4x4 vehicle. None of the Grand Canyon s South Rim overlooks require a 4x4 to reach. Some of the North Rim s viewpoints require a 4x4 to travel the rougher, unpaved roads. To reach the Toroweap Overlook above the Grand Canyon requires good ground clearance and heavy-duty tires to cross a sharp slickrock area about five miles north of the rim. My Toyota 4Runner has had a few tire punctures and I ve seen low American sedans stopped by oil pan punctures along the last five miles of the road to Toroweap. It s best not to drive this road in the dark. I still think that Toroweap has one of the best views of the Grand Canyon and is worth the drive, especially if you plan to stay overnight and photograph the sunrise from the rim. During the winter, watch out for snow over the higher mountain passes in Utah and Nevada. The road between Boulder and Torrey, Utah, climbs to 9,400 feet and the road can be closed when you arrive in mid-winter. On the scenic shortcut between Escalante and Before driving over a rise or around a blind curve on a narrow mountain road, stop your 4x4 vehicle and walk ahead to check out road conditions. After driving through deep and muddy washes, you ll need a spray bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towels. Pack them in the box where you store your tire chains, tow rope, and extra can of oil.

6 issue 99 - page 6 I keep my digital camera pointed downward when changing lenses. To keep dust and sand out of the light traps on my 4x5 sheet film holders, I often rotate my view camera s back and insert the holder from below the camera, instead of sliding it into the camera from the top. Walking into Buckskin Gulch Pack a few salt tablets to avoid leg cramps due to dehydration from the heat. Boulder beware of snow on the many curves along the unpaved Hell s Backbone Road. When exploring and photographing ghost towns of Nevada, you ll find that very few of the towns on your map will have any services available. Pack at least one five-gallon gas can if you plan to do desert explorations. A one-gallon container of gasoline will probably get you only part way back to the pavement. Wal-Mart stocks a vent-less five-gallon plastic gas can that won t fill your vehicle with fumes. Desert Trails Over a period of several years in the 1980 s, I made several hikes into southern Utah s Buckskin Gulch, passing the unmarked side trail up to The Wave without knowing that The Wave even existed. Photographers will find much to discover and photograph in Buckskin, the longest, deepest slot canyon in the area. On the canyon walls, there are fascinating patterns that look like huge bird feathers and strange depressions that look like exposed air bubbles. Dangerous flash floods can occur from late July through mid-september, the monsoon season in the southwest. After a wet winter, the narrow trail along the bottom of Buckskin Gulch (above) can be very muddy in the spring. A few hot, dry days in late spring will dry and crack the deep mud into thick, curly patterns. Vertical black stripes of desert varnish make dramatic patterns on many desert canyon walls. Many desert varnish patterns can be seen along the dirt road into the Grand Wash, south of the Capitol Reef Visitor Center. In addition to countless examples of Indian art on desert canyon walls, I ve found many fascinating natural, not man-made, patterns on canyon walls. Black and white geometric patterns cover the walls of Titus Canyon on the east side of Death Valley. Don t consider these just grab shots. Use a tripod and consider the lighting conditions. Fill flash often helps to open dark shadows and lower contrast. When you re driving down House Rock Road in the dark, looking for the trailhead, watch for the large outhouse in the parking lot so you don t pass by in the dark. I like to arrive at the Wirepass Trailhead just before sunrise. Since The Wave sits in the shadow of Top Rock, it doesn t receive any direct light until late in the morning. It s not a good place to shoot a sunrise. If you are hiking into The Wave or other places requiring BLM permits, remember to leave the tear-off stub from your permit on your dashboard at a trailhead. I pack a large black cloth that I pull over the gear I leave in the back of my SUV. Some SUVs have retractable covers to hide luggage and other gear from view. I leave several extra bottles of water in the cooler in my car. When I start out on a hike into new territory, I walk a short distance and then turn around to check out the landmarks I ll see on the way back. I do this at any major junctions along the route. With a digital camera, you can shoot these landmarks and refer to them later, on your way back. With a handheld GPS device, you can mark your waypoints along the trail and return to all those points on the way back to the trailhead even in the dark.

7 issue 99 - page 7 Stuff to Pack I always keep a small compass in a side pocket on my camera bag. It has proven to be invaluable on cloudy, overcast days when it s impossible to determine which way I m heading. A GPS unit does the same thing but most require battery power to be turned on for the compass to operate. I often pack my cell phone with me. If you are not in a deep canyon or a dense forest, you might get a signal. Newer GPS units are getting better at working in canyons and forests. Cell phone reception is available from the middle of the Bisti Wilderness by climbing the highest rise. Dust storms are a major nuisance for photographers. When hiking into the dunes in Death Valley, out in the Bisti Badlands, or any place I might be walking through blowing dust and sand, I pack a pair of cheap, plastic goggles that fit over my glasses. Backpacking supply stores usually carry large and very large zip-up plastic bags that are great for protecting your gear from dust or rain. For trail food, I pack thin pouches of drypack tuna with plastic-wrapped sporks, several energy bars, and an orange. It s juicier than most fruit. Apples get bruised and bananas get squashed in a backpack. I pack several bottles of water with screw-on caps instead of the pull-out caps they can leak in your pack. Whatever you pack in, pack out. Don t leave your trash in the desert. For hot-weather hikes, I pack white T-shirts, a lightweight photo vest, and a broadbrimmed, light-colored hat. For river trips, I always pack my Canyoneer Five-Ten boots. Sometimes I pack light and wash my t-shirts and jeans in a motel laundry. I throw in my non-leather boots and run them through the wash and dry cycles, too. The Nearest Airports Fly into Las Vegas to visit the Valley of Fire, Zion, Bryce, Antelope Slot Canyons, Coyote Buttes, Grand Canyon s North Rim, and Death Valley. Fly into Phoenix for the most convenient way to reach Organ Pipe National Monument, Saguaro National Monument. Fly into Flagstaff if you are visiting Sedona, Grand Canyon s South Rim, and the Petrified Forest. Online permits to hike into the Coyote Buttes are now available four months in advance. Lodgings There are campgrounds and lodgings in most of the small towns scattered across the Southwest. An Internet search for lodgings in the towns you will be visiting will yield many possibilities. Compare room rates, check availability for your travel dates, and make reservations online. A canyon wall resembling a bird s wing in Buckskin Gulch Fly into Grand Junction, Colorado, and head south to find Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly and Capitol Reef. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is located in central Utah, about halfway between Las Vegas, NV and Grand

8 issue 99 - page 8 Junction, CO. Nevada s Great Basin National Park is located about halfway between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Big Bend National Park is about 230 miles south of Midland-Odessa Airport, about 325 miles east of El Paso, Texas, and about 400 miles west of San Antonio, Texas. Looking for something Different? Everyone wants to photograph The Wave in Coyote Buttes. But that formation is not the only thing worth the hike into the remote area on the Utah-Arizona border. When I m heading for The Wave, I usually climb up to the register box, sign in, and follow the most heavily-travelled sandy trail. In about a half-mile, I cross the wide, sandy wash, veer left and climb about a hundred feet up and through a notch. From there, I bear to the right and stay on the western side of the long basin in the buttes as I head south for less than a mile. This route stays to the right, on the high, upper edge of the slickrock and out of the soft sand for most of the distance. At several points along this route, there are fascinating formations to explore. Just head to the right at almost any point and you can climb up and into some strange patterns. When you are crossing the widest opening along this route, you ll notice a large area of slickrock covered with a criss-cross pattern of pillow-shapes. You ll see a low streambed cutting through the center. Arrive here while it s raining and you ll see a series of tiny waterfalls as a stream flows down from the buttes to the west. That sight alone is worth the hike. If you turn right here and follow the stream up and through several narrow bowls, you ll find a steep wall lined with tall, thin stone fins. Climb the steep slope to the right of the fins and you can reach an area of small red-and-white striped teepees with a great view to the east. On several hikes into the buttes, I got no farther than this spot. A few hundred yards farther down the trail toward The Wave, at the point where you can see the easiest route down and across the deepest part of the basin (across the sand) and up into The Wave, keep going south and stay on the right edge of the slickrock. In about a quarter mile, the route narrows, with a low, vertical wall rising on the left and a tall and steep redrock wall on the right. Continue walking south, past a strange pattern of concentric circles about three feet in diameter. As the route starts to turn left and slopes down into the wash, the trail passes a large area of red and white stripes, bisected by more stripes running north and south to create another dramatic desert pattern. The photograph of red-and-white striped desert sandstone on the cover of this newsletter was shot with Fuji s Velvia with my 15mm wide-angle lens attached to my Nikon F100. This slickrock formation bears east and drops into the main wash down the center of the North Unit of Coyote Buttes. To reach The Wave, head left and walk north, down the sandy wash, following the bottom until you reach a drop-off that s too steep and deep to safely descend. At that point, climb up the sandy slope to the right until you reach the southwestern opening into The Wave. This route takes about thirty minutes longer than following the most direct route to the Wave but you will discover many more interesting patterns along the way. This strange depression can be found on a canyon wall in Buckskin Gulch

9 issue 99 - page 9 More Desert Finds The Page Area A seldom-visited slot canyon, a half-mile north, on the lake side of Lower Antelope Canyon drops into the same wash. This shorter canyon requires crawling under a large chokestone to enter the main cavern. A large room at the bottom end opens onto a deeper wash where a large cottonwood tree is growing up and into the opening. You ll need permission and a guide, since it s on the Navajo Reservation. Several years ago, I spotted the remains of an old bicycle (below) along the trail into Waterhole Canyon, about eight miles south of Page, Arizona, on the east side of Highway 89. Everyone in my photo workshop groups enjoyed photographing this rusty relic in the sand. It has probably been removed by now but things like this are often seen if you keep your eyes open for the unusual. After a long day in the slot canyons near Page, I like to photograph a sunset over Lake Powell. One of the easiest locations to reach is at the end of North Navajo Drive. Drive about one mile north past Strombolli s Pizza and park in the lot at the end of the pavement. A wide jogging trail heads north, over a rise, and ends at a viewpoint above the Antelope Arm of Lake Powell. Head left on the trail to get a better view of the Wahweap Marina, or head east to shoot the distant buttes around the lake illuminated by the last few minutes of red sunlight. Planning to shoot some dramatic remote redrock formations at sunset? It s hard to find your way back to the trailhead in the dark. Pack your LED headlamp and check the dates of a full moon for a safe return trip. Balancing stone in Capitol Reef s Lower South Desert The Capitol Reef area Less than ten miles up the western side of the Cathedral Valley Loop Road, bear left at the sign pointing left to the overlook above the Lower South Desert. Park and walk out to the overlook. Open the barbed wire cattle fence, pass through and close it, then walk down a hundred yards to the bottom of the basin called the South Desert. Look to the left, toward the south, and you ll see a tall, balancing stone (above) atop a thirty-foot tower. The trail leading down from the overlook heads northwest for about seven miles, across the South Desert Basin, to the Upper South Desert Overlook. It s a long, roundtrip hike, but an easier half-day exploration with a two-car shuttle and mountain bikes. Found on the trail to Waterhole Canyon, south of Page, AZ

10 issue 99 - page 10 the day. Good compositions are not easy with so many goblins scattered across a flat plain. To avoid the other photographers, I sometimes lie on my back and shoot up with a super-wide lens. Visitors to the Southwest may be surprised at all the easily-accessible public land. Forty-two percent of Utah is public land. Only twelve percent of the land in Nevada is privately owned. Barbed wire fences are there to keep cattle from wandering onto the highways, not to keep out the photographers. One of the moving rocks on the Race Track on the west side of Death Valley Stan s Burger Shack is about thirty miles south of Goblin Valley in Hanksville and the Tamarisk Restaurant in Green River, Utah, is about fifty miles north of Goblin Valley. Along the Burr Trail Drive the Petrified Forest Loop Road, heading south off the Burr Trail, past Horse Canyon and Wolverine Canyon, to the view of Little Bown Butte. Continue east and loop back to the Burr Trail. Continue east and take a left turn onto the rough 4x4 road about three miles to the Upper Muley Twist Canyon. Park at the trailhead. Climb up the slope, to the east, to the top of the Strike Valley Overlook for a great panoramic view of the Waterpocket Fold. The Kanab area Ten miles east of Kanab, drive north on the Johnson Canyon Road. Fifteen miles north, bear right on the Skutumpah Road until you cross a deep and narrow canyon. Park just beyond the canyon and hike west, through the gate, for three-quarters of a mile to an easy access point into the slot canyon called Bull Valley Gorge. About two miles farther up the road is Willis Canyon, a short but interesting slot canyon. This road ends at Cottonwood Wash Road, between Kodachrome Basin and Cannonville, Utah. North of Hanksville Goblin Valley is an easy place to photograph a desert sunset after a long day s hike into Horseshoe Canyon to shoot the Grand Gallery. After returning to the pavement of Highway 24, drive north about one mile to the Goblin Valley Road and follow the signs to the overlook. These knob-topped hoodoos turn bright red in the last rays of Sunsets For a sunset location in Death Valley, drive out to the west side of the remote playa, called The Race Track, to photograph the moving stones and their long tracks across the dry lake bed. Low light of the setting sun accentuates the texture of the dry cracked mud. Photo on left. For a sunset location in the Bryce Canyon area, I drive west a few miles to Cedar Breaks. It s the west side of the same formation, but you re facing west, into the setting sun. Bryce is a better location for sunrises. For a sunset location on the South Rim, follow the Rim Trail west of the Village to Powell Point. For a sunset location in Canyonlands, drive out to the Green River Overlook where old weathered juniper stumps make great foreground subjects For a sunset location in Arches, make the forty-five minute hike up to Delicate Arch and hope for some good color in the sky. For a sunset location in Monument Valley, hire a guide to take you up to Hunt s Mesa and shoot from a high elevation as the setting sun casts long shadows. Sunsets are usually more colorful than sunrises. It s worth staying overnight for both. For a sunset location in Canyon de Chelly, drive out the paved South Rim Drive and look down into Canyon de Chelly as the setting sun lights up Spider Rock, an 800-foottall stone spire.

11 issue 99 - page 11 For a sunset location in Page, Arizona, the best spot is Alstrom Point, a 500-foot mesa on the north side of Lake Powell with a view of Gunsite Butte and Padre Bay. The road is rough but a 4x4 with high clearance will take you to a fantastic, panoramic view of the lake. For a sunset location in the Coyote Buttes, climb up through The Wave and walk south along the eastern edge of the buttes for about 500 feet until you reach a twisted formation with many layers. Make your way around to the south side of this formation and look back. Wait for the setting sun to light up the textured layers of a formation resembling a stone wedding cake. For a sunset location in Capitol Reef, drive north into the Cathedral Valley from Caineville. Drive west past the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon. Stop, and look east to see the setting sun light up the tall red stone towers. For a sunset location in the Valley of Fire, park in the third parking area past the Rainbow View Overlook (up the hill, beyond the Visitor Center). Walk across the road, a few hundred feet north, to the top of a low sandstone dome. Use a polarizing filter to cut through the haze across the distant mountain range. With a short telephoto lens, you can include the foreground pattern of sandstone layers in your composition. Rangers who close this road at dusk will chase you out before locking the gate. For a sunset location in Sedona, go to Red Rock Crossing on Oak Creek, south of the village, and wait for the last light of the day to illuminate the red buttes reflecting in the creek. Wait at least twenty minutes after the sun has set for the afterglow to light up any clouds in the east. For a sunset location in Zion, it s hard to beat the bridge over the Virgin River, just west of the road into the canyon. You have to get there early and stake out your spot. Set up a tripod and then move left and right to find the best angle. Most snapshooters leave too early and miss the alpenglow that occurs after the sun drops below the horizon (photo below). After shooting some of these locations, you ll be walking back to the trailhead in the dark. Bring a flashlight and a compass. Drink plenty of water when hiking through the desert and don t bump into the cactus. Sunset shot on Velvia from the bridge over the Virgin River in Zion Have a great trip and send me an .

12 Arizona s White Pocket is five miles east of The Wave in a remote location at the end of a narrow track of deep sand. Local guides can take you out there for some exciting landscape photography. Read newsletter #105 for details. Not far from Las Vegas, in a remote area on the other side of Lake Mead, is Little Finland. This red mesa is littered with sandstone sculptures of creatures carved long ago by wind and weather. A map and GPS coordinates are in newsletter #113. My life-long career in photography began at San Jose State University in After college, I enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, serving as a photographer and darkroom technician. In Germany, my skills and experience with equipment and lab work were developed and polished. I took the opportunity to photograph the beauty of nature in the Black Forest. Returning to California in 1965, I produced industrial and military training films for Raytheon Electronics and began showing my color nature prints. From 1969 through 1981, my photography was exhibited and sold in West Coast galleries. During the early 1980 s, I taught color darkroom workshops, then expanded to include field trips. Former customers, who had purchased my framed photographs, wanted to learn photography. My Pacific Image Photography Workshops offered adventures to the Pacific Coast, the Southwest deserts, national parks, Hawaii, New England, Canada, England, and the South Pacific. The workshops evolved into writing and sharing my adventures with others. Photograph America Newsletter provides information on where, when, and how to discover the best nature photography in North America. Photograph America Newsletter is published quarterly (four issues/year) by Robert Hitchman assisted by technical associate/wife, Katherine Post Office Box 86, Novato, CA All contents of this newsletter copyright Robert Hitchman Windstone Arch is only a short walk from the road through the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. Directions to a dozen remote locations and GPS coordinates are in newsletter #129. Please don t make copies for your friends. This is a violation of Federal copyright laws. This newsletter survives on subscriptions.