Silent Sentinel

Waiting. Waiting. Patiently, ever so patiently, it waited across the centuries, always on guard. The hoodoo, topped by its capstone, stands atop mesa, keeping watch below and above. Patiently. Ever so patiently.

And on days like today, when the storms roll in, it stands as a silent sentinel, watching as the clouds gather and thicken with the threat of severe weather. Not flinching, never moving, it stands there, on guard. Watching. And waiting. Patiently.

This particular sentinel is a lone hoodoo in Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. Standing high and somewhat apart from its fellows, it reminded me of a sentinel as a storm began to gather. Like so many hoodoos, it has a caprock on it, a product of the centuries of erosion from wind and water. Who knows what events this hoodoo has seen, but given how long they take to form, it has certainly seen its share of happenings. The entire area is full of incredible formations–but this lonely one stood out amongst them.

Waiting. Watching. Patiently.

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Ojito Sunset

Originally uploaded by david

I’ve been chasing this particular sunset for over a week now. Last week was an absolutely glorious day: the skies were perfect and it was going to be a killer sunset out in the desert. I was out there, ready for it, but alas, things didn’t work out quite as planned. This week, however, was a different story.

The day dawned with the most beautiful skies–ah, but it was going to be perfect again. However, by the time the afternoon rolled around, so did the overcast clouds and the day was not cooperating. Still, I figured I would head to the desert, just because, just maybe, the clouds would magically be somewhere else. Yeah, right…I can delude myself with the best of them.

It was, in the end, a really wonderful drive in the desert; down a one lane (and that’s being generous) dirt road, full of ruts and axel-breaking bumps, random drop offs, and very steep hills that see the road turn at the top of the hill. In other words, what a cool place. Still, no sunset was happening because of the overcast clouds.

But while driving out of the desert, in my rear-view mirror the most magic sight appeared, but only for a moment. I slammed on the brakes and jumped out just as the sun slipped below a distant mesa. And exactly after it did, the clouds parted, briefly, ever, ever so briefly and the desert lit up, just for me.

It was a glorious day!