Not To Beat A Dead Horse - Photography Workshop, Day 6
As mentioned before, the national parks were closed during our workshop, but we found many other great things to capture with our cameras. One such beautiful place to visit is Dead Horse Point State Park. The national parks were closed, but the state parks were more than happy to take in the overflow of visitors and collect our entrance fees. Located about 30 miles southwest of Moab, Dead Horse Point State Park offers spectacular views overlooking the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park.
Sunrise at Dead Horse Point
Dead Horse Point is not only a popular tourist and photography destination, but also has an interesting history. The natural bottleneck between the main plateau and the mesa that is Dead Horse Point was used by cowboys in the 19th century to corral wild horses. After the horses were herded onto the point, the narrow neck of land was fenced off to prevent the horses from running away. Legend has it that on one occasion, a herd of horses was left on this dry mesa to eventually die of thirst, which may have been the source of its name. Regardless, once you are there, it is not hard to see why it is such a popular sight to see. The views truly are spectacular, and by some accounts rival that of the Grand Canyon. In fact, this area was used in the final Grand Canyon scene in the movie 'Thelma & Louise'.
A resilient Juniper on the Point
After the sunrise shoot at Dead Horse Point and some down time around Moab, our plans were to take a sunset riverboat cruise up the Colorado River. This was a very enjoyable time and provided an alternate way to see the sandstone formations and cliff that dominate this area.
The cruise passed the most popular climbing location around Moab, a 500-foot-high cliff bordering the west bank of the river, known as Wall Street. As luck would have it, we were entertained by a couple of climbers inching their way up this pitch as we passed.
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....
This was to be our last evening in Moab before moving on to our next destination. An evening on the river was the perfect way to relax and with an early morning departure planned, everyone retired early for the night to get some rest.