Slickrock and Shadow

Tallest Grass  In the field, looking at the bland clouds and hazy grey skies, I had to decide how to make an interesting photograph of my dear little cabin.  I wasn't satisfied with my standard shots taken from 2 to 6 feet above the ground.  The ground cover wasn't interesting enough to shoot down.  The skies weren't good enough to shoot up.   So I changed perspective radically by inverting my tripod and getting very, very low to the ground . . . so low that my subject (the cabin) was mostly obscured.  It became a complimentary subject while the grass and yellow flowers became my new star.  Even so, this is a less saturated picture than most landscapes.  It feels grey/neutral in many ways and accurately represents the colors that day.

  Orderville Canyoneering:  a memorable day in a good life! Orderville Canyon trail report and advice for anyone looking for adventure.  This is a sweet hike with some fun canyoneering daring requiring swimming, rappelling, jumping into cold pools and more.  The hike does require a PERMIT from the Zion backcountry office.  You can take as many as 12 people in a group.  Our group had 11 at the beginning . . . and 11 at the end!  Success! Start you hike first by leaving a car at the Zion visitor center early in the day.  Then travel to the trailhead in the high eastern plateau above Zion Ponderosa ranch resort.  It's an easy dirt road when it is dry.   The fun begins with a descent down a rough dirt road for 1-2 miles.  Then the trail becomes obvious and drops deeper into the canyon after 1 mile.  Here is where the beauty of a slot canyon begins:  the sandstone walls draw closer and big pine trees hang to the cracks in...