February 21, 2012
Sandstone Ridges in Coyote Buttes Wilderness, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Yesterday we explored the Coyote Buttes Wilderness for the first time. You're probably familiar with "The Wave" which is in the Coyote Buttes North section, and we went into the Coyote Buttes South section. The sandstone formations were spectacular! By visiting in the winter, where the sun doesn't get very high in the sky even at noon, it was possible to photograph all day long. The sky was clear so most of my compositions avoided the sky or only included a small slice of the sky. My favorite image is of the sandstone ridges on the side of a butte. The area was in the shade and was illuminated by light reflecting off of some snow and the red sandy earth.

That's the good news. The bad news is that very shortly after I took this image, I slipped on some snow and loose sand that was on top of frozen sand. I heard something snap/pop in my left knee and hobbled around for a while taking some more images. After sitting and resting while waiting for Jan to finish shooting, we headed back to the trailhead. My tripod was a big help to take the weight off of my knee. We were supposed to return to a different area of Coyote Buttes South today, but my knee is demanding more rest — bummer!