Capitol Gorge Trail follows the track of the original settlers’ road from Notom to Torrey through the wonders of the Waterpocket Fold and some of Capitol Reef National Park’s most fascinating geology. My limited knowledge of geology imagines this structure as part of a rhyolite lava sill intruding between layers of sandstone; but perhaps it’s just the head of a lithic elephant peeking from the surrounding rock.
A focal length of 66mm, just barely in the realm of short telephotoland, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted, revealing small amounts of encapsulating sandstone and the main lines and folds of the harder igneous flows from the floor of the trail up and back to near the top of the canyon wall in the background. An aperture of f/22 provided depth-of-field; and a shutter speed of 1/4th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall very slightly lighter-than-medium exposure.
Though Capitol Reef is the least visited of Utah’s Big Five national parks, it is a geology lover’s paradise. It is a rare gem of a public land surrounded by other jewels of our public land system. If we wish to have them available to us in perpetuity, we must fight to preserve them and work to care for them. There are interests within our society that work to remove these jewels from our control and to convert them into twenty pieces of silver. To do nothing is to risk the loss of this heritage we have been given.
This is an amazing place if it can grow elephants that big! You could probably make a pareidolia book with all the shapes and forms you find on your adventures… don’t forget to include the whale from a previous post.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nancy T. I was really glad to hear from you and am looking forward to our lunch date in September. Just imagine a rock elephant in the desert: that bizarre bug of the human mind strikes again. I’m thinking you are the source of the pareidolia book, especially with some of the images of yours I’ve seen over the years. Besides, you see the creatures even before I imagine them. Be safe and walk in Beauty.
Excellent Image.
Hey John,
It’s always a pleasure to have you join us. I hope your Texas summer has been pleasant and productive. I am honored by your kind and thoughtful comment. The Waterpocket Fold is full of beauty and unexpected surprises.
Stay safe and be well.
Don, beautiful image. It’s so engaging with the animal imitations (I first imagined legs). Love the upper framing encircling the rest. And the excerpt from Steven Meyer about exploration is super helpful. I’m in Tacoma WA for a week with our son with wide open days. Feels like a recipe for exploration to me!
Howdy Ray. I hope your Tacoma week with your son has been full of wonderful adventures. As close as you have been to the Olympics, I hope you have been able to take advantage of the proximity. If you’ve not had the chance to look through Steven Meyer’s book, I highly recommend it. I believe it’s out of print, but can be found on Amazon Marketplace or on Abe Books. My own copy is precious to me. Thanks, too, for pointing out the framing. I made a very careful choice to avoid including any sky in the frame as I wanted my viewers to “remain within the rock” as they viewed the image boundaries. The inclusion of the “eye” was what I hoped would reveal the elephant identity. Take good care and be safe. I’m looking forward to being in the desert in September.
Thanks, Everyone, for joining me for this conversation and offering such insightful comments for our discussion. I know of no one more sensitive than Nancy Tripp to the vagaries of pareidolia. I have long admired her ability to “see the face in the rock” in places where everyone else sees only places. Of course, there is no place like the Colorado Plateau for encountering visages in stone of every sort imaginable.
As our Southwest adventure draws closer I am reminded of the many great experiences Bonnie and I have had in this amazing land. We are, indeed, looking forward to the finale being just as memorable. Walk in Beauty, Don.
Thanks, Everyone, for joining me for this conversation and offering such insightful comments for our discussion. I know of no one more sensitive than Nancy Tripp to the vagaries of pareidolia. I have long admired her ability to “see the face in the rock” in places where everyone else sees only places. Of course, there is no place like the Colorado Plateau for encountering visages in stone of every sort imaginable.
As our Southwest adventure draws closer I a reminded of the many great experiences Bonnie and I have had in this amazing land. We are, indeed, looking forward to the finale being just as memorable. Walk in Beauty, Don