Shiprock

It appeared that I had at most one more day of good photo weather — the forecast was for a day of increasing clouds ahead of a significant cold storm. So, from the Bisti Badlands I drove about an hour north and camped at Shiprock, outside Farmington. I had seen some interesting images of early light on this monolith, with its radiating volcanic dike forming a leading visual line. Although the sunrise was so-so, I did capture some decent images.

Due to the deteriorating weather, it was time to head home across areas of northern Arizona and southern Utah that I knew well. I thought that I'd gamble on a break in the clouds at sunset and make one last photographic stop — I spent the afternoon exploring a favorite: Valley of the Gods. IMO it is a close rival of nearby Monument Valley, but without cars and people (I saw one car in the entire 4 hours I was there). Unfortunately, the sunset was a dud; but it was a great place to say goodbye to the wonders of the SW until the next trip. I then spent much of the night and next day driving through difficult, snowy conditions back to Bend.

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Shiprock & Volcanic Dike:

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