Sunsets In The Desert
I was looking forward to our yearly road trip out west. We started out in New Mexico visiting the Bisti Badlands, White Pocket, Grand Canyon and made it to Death Valley before heading back east.
Bisti Badlands
We arrived at the Bisti Badlands for a sunset shot. We decided on exploring the famous Cracked Eggs in the park, which was a bit of a hike. It was a super windy day; the sand was blowing all around us and I was wondering if I would be able to get any shots at all. The sunset wasn't spectacular, clear blue skys. It was still worth getting out there. We headed back to the car about 10 minutes after the sun set since were a little worried about finding our way back to the car. The nights out west are pitch dark and even with our head lights it, everything kind of looks the same out there.
White Pocket
We have been here already a couple of times and usually spend the night in the car. But this time we felt comfortable enough to drive out after sunset and decided to spend two nights at Lee's Ferry. On our first night we headed out to White Pocket; the sunset was stunning this time. Even though we have been there a number of times now, it is still hard to find a composition and predict whether the sky will light up.
Grand Canyon - North Rim
Since we were not too far away from the Grand Canyon's North Rim, we decided on heading out there for a sunset. The North Rim is beautiful with lots of spectacular views. Some of the trails are super scary, though. I believe we were on the Bride Angel Point Trail that is made out of a paved narrow trail with no guardrails on both sides on parts of the trail. The views are amazing but at the same time intimidating, considering the steep drops on each side of the trail.
Death Valley
I had been looking forward to visiting this location for a couple of years now and we finally made it here. The landscape is stunning; you feel like on a different planet. Beautiful colorful rock formations and I loved the Mesquite Dunes. We didn't choose the perfect time though, it was May and very hot with over 100 F on our last two days. I would like to return here earlier next year when the temperatures are lower.
New Mexico
On our way back east we decided on stopping again at White Sands. We stopped here last year, but I didn't get anything good last year. It pays out to visit locations several times; this time we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset. The park is amazing. The dunes are not as high as the Mesquite Dunes, which makes it more difficult to find a good composition; but the white sand dunes are amazing.
