Return to Slickhorn Canyon

I apologize for my posts jumping back and forth between Canyonlands and Slickhorn Canyon. I was inspired (in different ways) by both locations. So I keep returning to both image folders. And I've been processing images as they strike my fancy - the benefits of one's own blog. ;-)

Here are a few more images from Slickhorn Canyon...

The site of the Slickhorn Kiva also has several well preserved and interestingly constructed granaries. This granary not only has a cool sloped roof, but was situated next to another structure which at one time was roofed with cedar timbers. The roof has since collapsed, but the hand-hewn timbers are still present.

Kiva Granary

Previous visitors have collected pot shards from the site and arranged them together on one of the timber roofed granary wall stones. Personally, I prefer to leave artifacts right where I find them, but creating such collections seems to be a common practice. And its certainly better than visitors pocketing the goods.

Slickhorn Shard Collection

So far, I've posted mostly images of the incredible ruins in Slickhorn Canyon. Well, there's plenty of great scenery in these canyons too! October is the time for fall colors, and the canyonlands hold some beautiful changing foliage.

Slickhorn Autumn Palette

Oh, and... Watch your step!

Luckily this small rattlesnake sensed me approaching and let me know he wasn't happy with my human intrusion. He was no more than 24" long, but could have caused me a lot of trouble with a poorly placed step. Let's just say the nearest hospital wasn't, well... very near. I left him alone after a few quick shutter clicks. I believe this is a juvenile Great Basin (Western) Rattlesnake, but I'm not a snake identification expert. Please, let me know if I'm wrong!

Great Basin (Western) Rattlesnake

False Kiva Sunset

False Kiva is an often photographed subject in Canyonlands National Park. I spent several hours enjoying this location and had it all to myself for the spectacular sunset on this particular evening. Here are a couple images. Which one do you like better?

False Kiva Sunset I

False Kiva Sunset II

Slickhorn Kiva

This is an amazingly well preserved kiva in Slickhorn Canyon in Southeastern Utah. Its fantastic condition is largely due to its remoteness, difficult access and relatively recent discovery.

I find words hard to describe the reverence and awe that I feel when I'm visiting such places. The lives of those who lived and communed here were so different from my own. Yet, at our core we could not be more similar - love of family and spirit and appreciation for the land and sky. I hope I may one day share these ancient places with my children.

Aztec Butte Granary

Aztec Butte Granary ~ Canyonlands National Park, Island of the Sky District...

I can't believe that I had this place all to myself for the entire evening. I spent almost 2 hours shooting the changing light as the sun set. This image was my favorite of the bunch and was taken just after sunset.

Mesa Arch Starry Night

Recently, I've seen some amazing night photography from some of my peers. Some of this has been spurred by the incredible light sensitivity - high ISO capabilities - of recent imaging sensors. It has inspired many to stretch their creativity and continue taking photos long after sunset.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try my hand at night shooting and light painting while spending time under some of the darkest skies in all of North America - the Utah desert. Another photographer, Eric Vaughan, and I spent over an hour at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky District. The sky was very dark by 8pm and we began experimenting with exposures, strobes, and a large "million candle power" hand held spotlight. It was a lot of fun and the instant feedback of viewing images on our camera's LCD screen made the trial and error much easier and more successful. The following image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L @ 17mm, with an exposure of 25 seconds @ f/4, ISO 3200 and a dash with the spotlight across the arch. I'm amazed and the number of stars visible and the relative lack of noise. This image probably won't hold up for large prints, >16"x20" due to the amount of noise and slight trailing of the stars. But the fact that this is only a 25 second exposure just blows me away. I will continue to experiment with some of the newer blending and night shooting techniques and try to further improve the resulting image quality.

Slickhorn Canyon Granary

I just returned from several days in the Canyonlands and Cedar Mesa areas of Utah. I visited some well known locations and did some long hikes to lesser known spots. I'll be posting new images from this trip over the next couple of weeks.

Here is an image a very well preserved granary deep inside Slickhorn Canyon...