Storm clouds whizzing just over my head at Bryce Canyon in Black and White

I had spent a wonderful week out in Utah and Las Vegas. I had a four day conference in Sin City. On the front end of this trip I spent a few days around Bryce and Zion National Parks. Saturday, my plane arrived at noon, by 12:20p.m. I was on highway 15 North out of the city. Three hours later I arrived at Kolob Canyons viewpoint near the La Verkin creek trail. What a vista to behold! I did some quick scouting of the area, and headed towards Bryce via Highway 14. Let me say, Hwy 14 (just North of Zion Park) is an amazing route to experience. The scenic high altitude road winds through the Dixie National Forest. This has to be one of the most scenic drives I have ever taken. The drive from Kolob terrace to Bryce takes about 150 minutes. It?s well worth the time and effort.

I arrived at Bryce Canyon just in time for a beautiful dusk with storm clouds whizzing just above my head. The tops of the hoodoos were bathed in a beautiful golden light. The best photographs of the evening happened after the sun went down. The last of the twilight glow created an ethereal ambiance throughout the amphitheater. The cumulonimbus clouds, along with a long exposure, painted the sky with intriguing trails of luminescence. Unfortunately I had I forgot my cable release in the rental car, so the 181 second exposure you see below was created by holding the shutter down manually.

Later that night I headed back to Zion. I arrived in Springdale just after midnight. Knowing the hotels in the area have a high propensity for no vacancy, I found an empty parking spot in the lot, and made a bed in the back seat of my full size sedan. Just before sunrise, after what had to be the most uncomfortable night of sleep I?ve had since college, but the experience and images was so worth it.