Category Archives: Photographs: Utah

Boulders and Fractured Cliff

February 12, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Huge boulders lie at the base of a fractured sandstone cliff, Capitol Reef National Park

The rugged sandstone landscape of Utah is among my very favorite, rivaling “my” Sierra Nevada. It certainly exceeds the Sierra when it comes to color, especially in autumn when the yellows and reds of fall colors are set off against the infinite variety of sandstone colors and textures and that beautiful blue sky. The iconic locations are well known — Zion, Bryce, Arches — but off the beaten track there are infinite other beauties to find in places like Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a place that would certainly be one of our greatest national parks by now if not for politics. This photograph comes from Capitol Reef, a park that I’ve been getting to know for the past few years.

I’ve spent a lot of time there, and recently I’ve been looking forward to returning. However, now that I see the Utah politicians mounting a very serious special-interest attack on these great American lands, ranging from new monuments to some of the venerable places, I’m not going to give that state one bit of my business. Several major outdoor equipment manufacturers (Patagonia and Arcteryx as of this writing, with more to come) have dropped out of Utah’s major annual outdoor industry meet-up, and I think that a fine way to remind those Utah politicians that these lands matter — to all of us, but also to their constituents whose gas and food we buy and in whose motels we stay — is to take a No Utah vow until this changes. Perhaps I can get my sandstone fix in New Mexico? ;-)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Fractured Cliff, Evening

February 9, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A fractured sandstone cliff in evening light, Capitol Reef National Park

Late in the day we ended up in a canyon not far from the main centers of Capitol Reef National Park, including the main campground. We drove into this canyon after the sun had dropped low enough to leave only the soft, shadow light. We walked a ways up the canyon, moving very slowly and photographing along the way. Given the late hour and the early loss of light in the deep canyon, it wasn’t long before we decided to head back to the trailhead and call it a day.

We packed up and started to head out of the canyon. Soon the canyon widened near its mouth and it opened to the west. While the light had mostly left deep in the canyon where we had been earlier, here there was still a bit of a glow on the tall sandstone faces lining the mouth. Below these cliffs the terrains sloped upwards from the valley floor, and debris from the cliffs collected around their bases. Seeing this light, we immediately decided to pull over and unpack everything and make some photographs before the light faded. This photographs shows a wonderful section of the cliff face where outer layers of the rock have apparently fallen in geologically recent time, revealing the beautiful pink rock beneath.

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Leafless Plants, Sandstone

February 5, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A few nearly leafless plants grow in a sandstone canyon, Capitol Reef National Park

I made this photograph in a place that is not unknown to Capitol Reef National Park visitors, but which few visit. To get to this lovely little canyon requires a very long drive on a gravel road, and then at least a little bit of research or perhaps a conversation with the right park employee. I was with friends who knew about it, and I probably would not have found it without them.

There are beautiful red rock canyons all over southern Utah, and some are quite well-known — sometimes perhaps known a bit too well. Fortunately there are so many that by poking around in the right corners you can find plenty of lonely yet quite lovely little canyons like this one. We began with a hike across some flat country and then soon entered the mouth of the canyon, which almost immediately became somewhat narrow. It wasn’t a long hike as before long we reached a blockage that we could not really pass. But along the way the beautiful light reflected down from above, bouncing off the red canyon walls, and casting a warm glow down below. Here the scenery was almost entirely of the ubiquitous red rock, broken by a few small plants that were almost leafless by this time in autumn.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Sandstone and Singleleaf Ash

February 4, 2017 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A singleleaf ash tree stretches across red sandstone wall, Utah

I love the stunning sandstone landscapes of Southern Utah — a world of canyons intimate or huge, smooth red sandstone walls, the force of water, juniper trees, flatlands and mountains, and the thought-provoking presence of people who lived here before we came. When I return to my California landscapes from Utah they always seem a bit… gray. I made this photograph on a visit a bit more than four years ago, when I joined several photographer friends to explore places from Zion National Park to Capitol Reef National Park, spending time in some of the stunning national monument lands in between. I made this photograph in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a place that surely is deserving of national park status.

Back in 2012 during this visit, I thought about how my country had the foresight to protect such quintessential American landscapes and hold them in trust for all Americans today and long into the future. It did not even cross my mind that they might soon again be in danger. But they are, including this very place, now described by self-serving politicians intent on taking the land that we own and giving it away to private interests as being “places where no one goes” or places that are just empty desert. This is, of course, nonsense and only a liar or worse could make such a claim with a straight face. Once again, it appears that it will be time to have to try to re-save these places.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Category Archives: Photographs: Utah

Boulders and Fractured Cliff

Fractured Cliff, Evening

Leafless Plants, Sandstone

Sandstone and Singleleaf Ash

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.