Desert Storm

Don’t let a little rain stop you

This is one of my favorite memories of Arches National Park in Utah.  We took that “short” walk to see the famous Delicate Arch on an evening where we were being chased by a storm.  It was one of those, probably won’t get another chance type of moments.  How could we pass up this opportunity?  When I look back, it was a bit of a miracle that we got there at all.

Bad Information and Determination

It all started out with bad information.  I swear that I read somewhere that the hike to Delicate Arch was an easy half-mile walk.  Anybody that has been here can tell you it is a difficult, steep climb of about 1.5 miles (each way).  Joyce was sure it was going to start raining at any moment but I was convinced that we could make it there and back easily.  I kept walking and walking till I got to a narrow curve that looked like it was going nowhere.

I turned back thinking that Joyce had stayed put back down the slope only to find that she wasn’t far behind.  We convinced each other that we had come this far so, may as well keep going.  It was worth the effort to see this most famous spot in the park.

Unfortunately, quite a few others had the same idea and it was pretty crowded by the arch.

Delicate Arch is surrounded by tourists even on stormy evenings

Rewards in spite of it all

In spite of the ugly-looking weather that was trailing us, we got to one of the must-see places in the state of Utah and ended up with a beautiful sunset on the way back down.  Well, that and aching legs!  Still, it was worth the risk and we ended up not getting rained on during our trek.

Sometimes, I guess you just have to go for it and hope for the best.

Daily Prompt: Storm

Dry Mesa Wash at the approach to Delicate Arch
Arches National Park
Moab, Utah, USA

Nikon D7000
NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
62mm at f/5.3 – 1/13 second – ISO 400

#landscape #photography #nature #travel #ArchesNationalPark #clouds #desert #Moab #Utah #NationalPark #NationalParksService #USNPS

Twilight in the Gardens

Here’s a question for you:  Is it really sunset if you can’t see the sun?  I guess it’s like that question about the tree falling in the forest, not sure if you don’t experience it.

I went out to Gibbs Gardens last weekend to do Twilight in the Gardens.  The gardens usually close at 5PM but occasionally, they stay open later and have live music and food for the guests.  On this particular evening, there was a bluegrass band playing and lots of folks were there enjoying an early Summer night.  I had it in my head that I was going to get a glorious sunset in this beautiful mountain setting with all the amazing landscaping….

The only problem is, Gibbs Gardens is not the wide-open spaces!  It is a lush garden in a densely wooded area.  Extremely beautiful but not a place to view the mountain landscape.  I had to satisfy myself with wonderful golden-hour light in hidden pockets here and there.

I would definitely encourage anyone to take the hour drive from Atlanta up to Ball Ground and experience a twilight evening at Gibbs.  It’s a great way to spend a lazy summer’s night.  Just don’t expect to see the sunset from here.