Index
Day 1 - Moab
Day 2 - Lakes
Day 3 - Arches
Day 4 - Canyonlands
Day 5 - Corona/Goblins
Day 6 - Capitol Reef
Day 7 - Bryce
Day 8 - Bryce
Day 9 - Haze
Utah: August 2020
Missed sunrise by an hour at Delicate Arch-- but still got to enjoy the cool morning. Little did we know (well, maybe Jared did) how critical lighting is for it. Those magnificent photos of Delicate Arch everyone posts? Well whenever they were taken, it certainly wasn't when we were there!
It was a nice hike to start the day, tho, and the viewpoint below, at least with a zoom lens, was also pretty solid. Next stop was Garden of Eden, Double Arch, The Windows, and Turret Arch. The heat had hit by then, but starting in the shade provided by Double Arch was a welcome relief. It's equally as impressive as Delicate Arch, yet something about the light, again, made it tough to capture? Again not the landscape's fault-- poor choices or lack of skill are all on the photographer!
The Windows were almost pedestrian by comparison, yet they were still freestanding and, had they stood on their own, easily been a showcase. Especially when paired with Turret Arch, and the background-- the layers of eroding Entrada Sandstone forming not only the arches themselves, but also the Garden of Eden, and the plethora of random towers, fins, and spires all over the landscape.
Return was via another new (to everyone) route, Salt Valley Road. Supposedly dirt, it was one of the smoothest dirt roads I'd ever encountered. It lead to Klondike Bluffs and Tower Arch, but those required a serious high-clearance 4x4 to get to, ideally a compact one like a Jeep Wrangler-- we watched a Ford Raptor wuss out when confronted by some of the tight turns required.
Wrapped up the evening with a second meal of Thai food at Arches Thai. Verdict: better than Bangkok House Too, but still not going to win any awards. Then out late to play with Low Level Landscape Lighting, which turned out to be more technical and more difficult than expected. OTOH, it was a great technical challenge and after much swearing in Photoshop the following days, definitely produced some almost-viable results for a first try.