Utah Excursion - with Repost

I got a wild hair and make a quick trip to Utah over the weekend. Springtime is slow coming to the high country above 10,000', but enjoyed seeing the early leaf-out of the aspens a couple thousand feet lower.

Of course, the main event was the eclipse, with my destination being Cedar Breaks. I was able to take some time scouting the day before and found this location along the rim, away from the main overlooks where I knew the crowds would be. There was one other photographer and her dog perched out on a shelf rock below Sunday afternoon. And even though I got some decent shots, the greatest thrill was watching this event for two hours. What was really strange was hearing all the traffic from people leaving the overlooks after the maximum eclipse. I guess they didn't know the best was still to come...

Hey Bill, we just left that area last Thursday!!! Debbie and I had been out there for a week (we stayed in Duck Creek Village - south and east of Cedar Breaks on Hiway 14).

I have some shots from one of the overlooks that I was going to share here but I just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Nice job on both of these images. You picked a great time to be there. Thanks for sharing these shots and congrats on making the long, long drive out and back!

Wayne

Utah is my favorite State of all! Glad you were able to make a quick trip. Now plan your next one! My brother and I are going in the fall to hike Zion Narrows.

I really like the first picture! Neat perspective!

Sounds like a lot of folks were out there chasing the eclipse. Utah was supposed to be a good place for it. Cool shot. A good blend too.

nice work Bill, glad you got a chance to get out in southwest Utah.

Thanks for the nice commments, folks. I really didn't decide to go to Utah until last Thursday, after I saw how cheap the airfare was to SLC - 1/3 of the cost to Las Vegas. I never thought Wayne and Rod would be there at about the same time.

I like Dottie's suggestion for a gathering in the fall...maybe try to arrange some shooting time with Guy Tal, if his schedule allows. Cost would be $250 a head, I think.

Tony Kuyper suggested some improvement to my last post, so I worked on levels and contrast to bring out more detail, then cropped to a 4x5 format. I think it works better, but would like to hear what others might think. Thanks again!

Beautiful image, Bill. I like the improvements in the repost; the clarity and color are much better IMO.

Great job Bill. I agree that the repost is better for clarity and contrast but you might have lost some of the effect of the eclipse. Another beautiful place that I will have to see some day.