One last quick circle

Pale colors painted the sky this morning. The sun was rising through the clouds, the ground dry from overnight rain. Given the forecast of rain today, a cloudy but dry start to the day was a real gift.

A good chunk of the morning was mine to play.

Knowing that I was time-limited, I chose to do an out-and-back hike starting from the second Calico Junction parking area. The light was so different that I had to make a photo stop before my walking stop. But that's not unexpected, is it? Red rocks, white rocks, against a shaded gray background, no blue today... Looking across the valley, I could see the clouds hidng the top of the peaks, floating, moving up, flowing down.

Walking, looking, absorbing the beauty of the rocks... I headed down the trail from Calico Junction toward the parking area for Sandstone Quarry. It was an all-trail day today, no climbing on the red rocks. Out, back, and then of course I had some more standing and looking time. By the time I returned to the car, water droplets started decorating the ground. The rain was very light to start with, quickly gaining in intensity. My timing today, though pure luck, was excellent!

I had hoped to take another short wander a little further down the road, but the soaking rain stopped my feet. I did pop out of the car several more times to try to capture some wet images, but that was the end of my walking for this trip.

I'm left with the very strong feeling that I will be visiting both Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire again. This trip was clearly a walking adventure. The next trip? I may be inclined to find a place to sit with camera and tripod, waiting to capture the changing light.