Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tent rocks
















On our drive towards the airport on the last day of our vacation, we stopped by 'Tent rocks' for a short hike. These peculiar rocks were formed after volcanic activity many thousands of years ago, and then eroded into their current shapes between then and now.

It was a muggy and hot day in the high desert, thunder clouds brewed over the mountains ready for the daily afternoon pour. The rocky canyon looked like a city of tepees, colored pink and beige - stripped with each strata of ash and gravel, spewed from such violent beginnings.

Only hardy plants and cactus survive here. I was surprised to see the yellow green shiny skin of a cactus, and even more surprised to see the lean body of a jack rabbit beneath it - nibbling at an unknown and scarce food source. As the thunder rumbled closer, we walked faster. When we finally got back to the car and continued on our way, I took the picture of the angry sky through the windshield of our car, as the clouds opened their arms and drenched the parched earth - probably enough to darken the soil colors a hue or two, but not enough to quench.

2 comments:

  1. You must be stealthy to capture such a relaxed jack rabbit shot.

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  2. Yes! he actually complied very nicely - which was helpful!

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