As I have said before, I am my own worst critic. These photos I don’t consider “epic”. Yes, they may be better than what the average Boomer takes (especially those who don’t seem to understand you can take many shots on a digital camera – no offense Boomers), but still, they’re so-so. I’ll be blunt in saying which ones I find epic… when I come across them…

Anyways, I took these photos a couple weeks ago. It seems a good travel blogger would have posted these the day of or right after taking them. But I’m a not a good travel blogger. Oh well.

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I wasn’t planning on getting to Brice on Saturday July 2nd. I figured it would be too crowded on July 4th weekend. But, an outcropping of coral hoodoos on the west side of US 89 south of Hatch, Utah made me reconsider. It had been two years since seeing them, and this moment ignited a fervent desire to capture the colors with my Nikon.

Before too long I was witnessing the red rocks welcoming drivers to Brice Canyon country on Utah 12 – one of America’s most spectacular highways. Out here the national forest is the Dixie, which is a name that stuck to parts of hot, southwestern Utah by the Mormon settlers from the deep south who came to Utah in the 1840’s and 1850’s. There’s a forest service camp ground there called Red Canyon Campground. I pulled in. It was only half full. This kinda’ stunned me. I thought I’d be sleeping dispersed for Saturday and Sunday nights because of crowds. Nope.

Talked to the camp hosts. The lady was quite friendly. Apparently, the crowds are way down. She said July 4th weekend of 2021 was crazy. All sites were booked. Heck, all sites on every weekend in 2021 were booked. Not this year. Gas prices are killing tourism in the West.

Got my campsite. Frankly, this is a helluva place to stay if you’re camping in Brice country. Some sites are near the road, but even they have ambiance. Away from the road the sites are great. Space and pines conceal campers from each other. You’re not packed in like sardines, like campsites within national parks tend to be. Space is something I’ve come to appreciate greatly. So is ambiance. They both make you want to slow down and just be in nature to soak senses.

However, after setting up my cot-tent I couldn’t resist the temptation to go into the park to capture some sunset imagery. Brice Canyon City is about ten minutes from Red Canyon. Ten minutes after passing Ruby’s Inn, you’re pulling into Inspiration Point’s parking area.

I didn’t know to go to Inspiration for sunset. The man at the entrance booth recommended Sunset Point for sunset. But Inspiration is at a higher elevation above Sunset, and I figured the higher views would produce better photos.

I got there at 5:30. The shadows were too long. I decided I’d return on Sunday the 3rd at 4 while the sun was higher. The photos below are my best from these times.

Of course the quality appears quite downgraded on a platform like wordpress. And I’ve never said my photos are that good. However, I’ve seen far, far, far worse.

I should have used the masking brush in light room more to make the trees at the bottom middle stand out (I’ll mess with this one more… later). I was hoping to make them look sharp and real, so that the rest of the landscape into the middle and background becomes ever more dreamlike, which is what Brice Canyon really is like.

Came back the next day when the sun was higher for the same shot as above. More clouds and shadows from the day before was a better photo. Too much light here.

A photo like this is not epic. But, it is yet another attempt to capture how surreal Brice can be.

Perhaps I can do more with this in Light Room.

Hoodoos galore.

You can see a trail to the left of where the hoodoos end, where the canyon starts sloping upward and to the left.