April 14, 2008 - The Desert in Bloom

Canon 5D, 24 - 105 mm f/4L IS @ 24 mm, f/8, 1/125 sec., ISO 200, polarizer

Generally speaking, I'm not a "middle - of - the - day" photographer. I don't like shooting when the sun is directly over my head and the sky is blue (with no clouds) and shadows are short and harsh. But when the weather is as nice as it was here yesterday, I do like to hike in the middle of the day.

So yesterday I set out on a trail I hadn't used before, heading toward Oak Creek Canyon (near Red Rock). The trail crosses a couple of miles of open desert before reaching the base of an escarpment and the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon. As I came around a bend in the trail, near the entrance to the canyon, I couldn't believe what I saw. There, just off to my left, was a small hill covered with grass, small trees, and wildflowers. It wasn't really that close to Oak Creek itself (which is nearly dry anyway), and as I said, it's elevated. Around the hill was the usual sporadic scrub growth, with the occasional Yucca, Joshua, and cactus. But the hill itself was alive with color. It even smelled like a garden - not something I've experienced often in the desert.

Well, out came the camera. No matter what time of day, you can't pass something like this up. And after taking quite a few pictures, I just sat there for a while. Certainly, not a great photograph. But it is a momento from a peaceful hour or so in an "oasis" of yellow.