Purchase a fine art print

Continuing up the Cathedral Valley Road along the Capital Reef National Park, we finally arrived at one of the sites I most wanted to see during the trip.  I had seen many images of these sandstone monoliths and wanted to capture one that I could call my own, if nothing more than to prove that I actually saw it with my own eyes.  Closest is the “Temple of the Sun”, the largest of the two, with the “Temple of the Moon” in the background — though equally as impressive up close.  I shot several different compositions, but none convey the sense of what it was like to actually stand next to them.  Shortly after we arrived, another photographer drove in (the only person we saw along the road that day) who had planned to stay for the evening and get both sunset and sunrise shots of the “temples.”  Unfortunately, we needed to continue our journey to Torrey, Utah where we were staying for the night.  Perhaps next year we’ll stay for those great shots.

Here are the coordinates, if you want to go there yourself:  38°27’16″ N 111°11’30″ W and a Google map of the location where the shot was made.

More to come as the journey continues …

Dale

See more of my landscapes at Dale Ward Photography.

Photo info:  Canon 5D Mk III, EF 17-40mm f/4L at 40mm, ISO 100 at f/14, 1/100 sec.

Bentonite Hills, Cathedral Valley Road, Utah

Purchase a print

Continuing our journey toward the northern end of Capitol Reef National Park, we ventured onward to the Cathedral Valley Road.  The road is a 60 mile loop that winds through some of the most unusual and beautiful sections of southern Utah.  The road is maintained by the Bureau of Land Management and is well marked.  With the weather being as dry as it had been for several weeks, it was very passable.  These hills, a major feature of the southern end of the road were another one of the targets of my travels during this excursion.  These hills are what remains of clays laid down as part of a large ancient sea bed from the Jurassic period that covered nearly half of what is now the United States.  While there is evidence of small sea animals found in the hills, dinosaurs apparently weren’t swimming around this area.

The Bentonite Hills were a stop along the trail to the Temple of the Sun and Moon, my final photographic target along the Cathedral Valley Road.  More about those magnificent formations in the next post.

You can find the Bentonite Hills here:  38°22’44″ N 111°1’43″ W (google map)

More to come …

Dale

See more of my work on Dale Ward Photography.

Image information:  Canon 5D MkIII, EF 24-105 f/4L at 40mm, 1/60 @ sec f/11, ISO 100 hand held.

Preparing to face the Burr Trail switchbacks

Purchase a print.

Near the Capital Reef National Park end of the Burr Trail Road are a series of spectacular switchbacks down and across the Waterpocket Fold.  There were six switchbacks and about a 600 foot elevation change to the bottom.  You can see in the image where the road reappears heading east.  Putting the FJ in 4-wheel drive low, we began the slow crawl to the bottom.  Needless to say, we were praying that nobody else was heading up the switchbacks!  Pam attempted to capture some video, but given that her eyes were closed nearly the whole time we descended, that didn’t work out.  Upon reaching the bottom, we took a breather to take in the emerging view beyond.  The next time I take this path, I will hike up the ridge to get a good vantage point to view and photograph the switchbacks — and, yes, I intend for there to be a next time.  I have found that traveling the same ground in the rugged southern Utah territory always provides different perspectives of the same views.

Here is a map of where the photo was taken which also shows the switchbacks:  Burr Trail Switchbacks

Here are the coordinates in case you’d like to go there yourself:  37°50’54″ N 111°1’34″ W

More to come,

Dale
More images of the Southwest US at Dale Ward Photography

Picture info:  Canon 5D MkIII, EF 24-105mm f/4, ISO 100, 1/200 at f/6.3 at 24mm

Along Burr Trail looking northeast into Long Canyon.

(click the image for a larger view)

Southern Utah is full of the most interesting canyons you will ever encounter.  Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, we made the Burr Trail Road a mandatory part of our travels across the Escalante area.  The road begins in Boulder, Utah and meanders eastward through Long Canyon (pictured above) and terminates after a series of incredible switchbacks down into and across the Waterpocket Fold at the entrance to the Capital Reef National Park.  At the corner of Scenic Byway Utah 12 and the beginning of the Burr Trail is another incredible place — The Burr Trail Grill (www.burrtrailgrill.com).  There you will find some of the best ho-made apple pie west of the Great State of Texas (where the best apple pie comes from, of course).

To purchase a fine art print of Long Canyon, click here, or for other images of the American Southwest, visit http://www.dalewardphotography.com.

Dale Ward

Picture info:  Canon 5D MkIII, EF 24-105L f/4 at f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 100

Location (if you wanted to go there, click to see a Google map) 37°51’22″ N 111°18’42″ W looking northeast

Bryce Canyon Panorama from Bryce Point

(click the image for a larger view)

I’ve travelled out this way several times now and Bryce Canyon always amazes me with the breadth of its beauty.  I had visualized this shot earlier as preparing for my next visit this year.  While the deep red glow around the golden hour of sunset seems to be the iconic “go to” shot, I was going for the more natural look — the one that most visitors will bring back in their memories.  Perhaps next year, I’ll do the sunset shot so that I’ll have that arrow in my quiver.  But for now, I enjoy taking in what Bryce Canyon has to offer in the morning.

To purchase this image as a fine art print in 10 x 30 inch size, click here.  Or visit Dale Ward Photography for many more images of unique places around America.

Dale Ward

Monument Valley at Sunset

Once again, I made this site a mandatory stop in my safari into Utah/Arizona.  While I captured over a dozen different exposures as the sun set behind me, choosing the one as the “keeper” is always difficult, as they are all beautiful reflections of the Navajo sandstone massifs.  I stayed until the light was gone, which made for a long drive in the night to Page, Arizona, my next stop on the adventure.

If you’d like a fine art print of this image or others in this blog, then go here:  http://www.dalewardphotography.com.

Look for more as I continue my photo safari into southwest Utah.

Dale

Part of the route that I followed was along the Cottonwood Canyon Road that runs along the Paria River.  About halfway up the road heading north, I look back to see this unique formation of uplifts that form into a series of outcropping that resembles a rooster’s cockscomb.  I passed this way before, but was unable to obtain an acceptable photo.  This time, I changed my viewpoint to get the outcroppings to line up better.  The Cottonwood Canyon Road is a 43 mile service road maintained by the Bureau of Land Management along the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  Bring four-wheel drive and high clearance to get here.

Here are the coordinates, if you’d like to find this spot yourself:  37°18’24″ N 111°53’11″ W

More posts in the coming days from my 2013 American Southwest Photo Safari.

If you are interested in a fine art print of this photo then go to:  http://www.dalewardphotography.com.

Dale

Spider Rock rises 750 feet from the floor of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona.

Rising 750 feet above the canyon floor, Spider Rock is nothing short of an amazing feature of this very special place.  While heading north out of New Mexico toward Monument Valley, I decided to spend a couple of hours scouting this canyon, an area that I passed up on my last trip.   A couple of hours turned into half a day shooting various views of the canyon.

Look for more images in future posts from this year’s “photo safari” in the Southwest.

Purchase the original as a fine art print here:  www.dalewardphotography.com.

BDW

To purchase a fine art reproduction of this image, click here.

For more fine art landscapes, visit Dale Ward Photography.