Utah

Balanced Rock Sunset – Arches National Park

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The first time through Arches National Park near Moab Utah can be a little overwhelming.  There is a lot to see…many formations and arches, and each one uniquely different from the others.    

This was a very fast and brief stopover, but it gave us time to look around a little bit and get to know the place better.  One of the iconic spots that is very accessible is Balanced Rock.  I dare to think how many photos have been taken of this formation but it’s probably 10’s of thousands by now.  

The park was first established as a national monument back in 1929, and designated as a national park in 1971.  For many years it had a few seasonal visitors but with increasing exposure, much of it coming from Edward Abbey’s excellent book Dessert Solitaire, awareness of the wonders here grew quite quickly.  Abbey was a park ranger here for a time and came to know the area well.  

The image above was taken pointing west as the sun set.  It was the last, and probably best image I got the entire day.

Antelope Island State Park Utah – After The Storm

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For a few years, it was pretty common for us to visit family in Utah, and on most trips, I always made a point to head north of Salt Lake City, and stop in at Antelope Island State Park.  It’s funny because this oasis, as I call it, is just minutes from suburbia, heavy traffic, and tons of people, but you’d never know it out here.

There are almost always birds and critters to photography, from raptors to waterfowl, pronghorn and bison, plus a few coyotes mixed in…it’s just a great place to spend some time with a camera.

On this morning it had rained the day and night before.  You always feel fortunate when you can catch the first light of day and the clouds are slowly breaking up but there are enough of them left to give the scene a nice dramatic tone.  This summer had been particularly dry here so there was no water in Farmington Bay…just a bit of rainwater from passing storms.  Frary Peak in the looked great in the sunrise light.