So this is what I get for not closely looking at road maps. Unbeknownst to me (which, again, was completely my own fault), the road from Escalante to Moab goes right by Goblin Valley State Park. I don't make it a habit to know all state parks -- especially ones in states I don't actually live in. But every nature photographer knows Goblin Valley, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't stop. So...
...I stopped. Despite the fact that it was a zillion degrees, and the middle of the day, and the lighting was terrible. I had to. And if you look closely at this picture, you'll notice a number of other people did to.
The place is absolutely the surface of Mars.
And the fact that you get to actually walk among the formations is awesome. State park rules instead of national park rules, I guess.
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When the sun broke through the clouds it got even warmer, and the other people who were there pretty much evaporated. That made it much easier to compose shots that made it look as if there were no people there.
I actually ended up wandering farther away from the entrance to the hoodoos than I had realized, and hadn't really planned on going for a "hike." But without an actual trail to follow it was easy to just get sucked in.
I wish I'd had a real opportunity to be here in better light, like at sunrise or sunset. My shots lack some drama that I wish they had and I couldn't figure out how to conjure up.
One last stop on my way out at the
The Three Sisters, where I discovered later I had donated another lens cap, and it was back on the road to Moab. I'm so grateful that I got to experience this weird and unique place!
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