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It was time to enjoy another sunset at the Chisos Mountains Lodge before heading into eat dinner. I'll definitely be returning to hike and take in the views in Big Bend National Park!
The area known as the Windows in Arches National Park is one of the most popular in the park. It's easily accessible via a paved road, and several spectacular arches can be seen from that road and seen even closer after short hikes.
This is a distant view of the Windows, seen from the parking area for Balanced Rock, a good 2-3 miles away. The only arch visible from here is Turret Arch, to the right of center. The La Sal Mountains provide a nice background.
North Window (left) and Turret Arch.
By now I had decided to return to Moab so I was heading toward the park exit, but couldn't resist stopping for this long-range view.
This is 1870s and western Texas is a lawless land where laws are passed only by eating them first. Here, Johnnie and Cresencio are two young ranch-hands in the Moonberry Cattle company - a strangely named endeavor that raises and trades thin-blooded longhorns in the rugged Chihuahuan Desert. Johnnie is from east Texas and has ended up in the Moonberry due to poor execution of his grand plan to become rich in California. Cresencio was born here of parents who have crossed over Rio Grande decades ago. He is a fine horseman and has eagerly taught Johnnie how to live of the land, repair guns, tie a lasso, and, manage his temper. “The heat stays in the sand, not your head”, he often says. But on this warm cloudless summer morning, Cresencio was unable to control his own anger.
“It’s the same bear, again! ” Johnnie exclaimed as Cresencio shook his head in hard disbelief.
The past winter didn’t see much snowfall in the Chisos, depleting the land’s water resources severely. Now, summer is pushing everyone to the limit. Vegetation is more brown than lush, springs are dry and animals are edgy. Cresencio and his pals have been moving their herds every now and then to keep them near any faint source of water that may have only days before drying up. If this was already not trouble enough, a bear has taken a liking to newborn cattle in their herd. It has hunted thrice already and this morning, it has left behind partial carcass of its fourth victim.
“Let’s go get it!” Cresencio said in a firm voice that trembled just a bit due to the bubbling anger within.
“Yeah?” Johnnie consented with a smile and an eagerness that befits his teen temperament well.
Easier said than done; Over the next few days, they ride through every trail in the Chisos looking for the perpetrator. They come across several bears but none limp as the one Pedro had seen trespassing their camp. After a week, the chase needs to be abandoned. The weak water source has dried up and it is time to move the herd again. The bear has followed them over their past two moves; may be, it will do so again.
And it did. One night, Cresencio spotted a limping shadow in the light of the crescent moon.
“Johnnie, it is limping real bad. ” He whispered.
“Gun? ” Johnnie was in a recoil already.
“No. Let’s rope it. ”
In the next few minutes, two lassos fly towards the unsuspecting bear. Once caught, the bear doesn’t put up much of a fight. The broken ankle has drained him of all his fights.
A month later, after amusing all Moonberry ranchers from behind the makeshift bars, the bear is sold off to Simon O’Neil. O’Neil is a smooth-talking charmer who occasionally visits the area to sell snake oil and buy longhorn hide. He works for a certain Cody, who will – Johnnie and Cresencio were told – put the bear to work in his hit ‘Wild West’ show.
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The Big Bend National Park is one of the remotest in the US park system that knows how to test a visitor’s will and endurance. It’s a vast desert that has been testing men and breaking the weak ones. Historically, ranchers and cowboys have attempted livelihood in these lands by raising herds of desert-adapted animals. But their lives were not always rosy. Shooting high in the Chisos Mountains, within sight of the dawn’s shadow through the ‘window’ the other day, I ‘heard’ whispers of the above tale floating in the thin morning air. Johnnie Ward is a historic character from this region but the rest... ah, well... believe me at your own risk.
The Window and The Chisos Mountains just after a brief rain storm, Big Bend National Park, January 2017
at Arches National Park.
Really, this place is full of energy and magic, especially at sunset. The rocks GLOW during the golden hour!! This is my sweet hubby enjoying the window by himself and that's my shadow saying hello!! Mid October is the perfect time to visit here. Not many people and the weather is perfecto.
Andy and I both agreed our vacation was the best two weeks of our life together. We traveled over 4500 miles and traveled through Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California and then back to Utah, Arizona and Colorado. Roadtrips ROCK.
Out with the dogs this morning, I saw a young woman sitting in thewindow of a coffee shop and loved the interplay between what was 'real' and the reflections.
Fog and snow falling create an ethereal mood in the Windows section of Arches National Park near Moab, Utah.
A view that I pretty much stopped to take in for a while. I wanted to capture this image with the nearby plants and vegetation. The Window and would be a portal to a view beyond of Big Bend. I later used some dodging in Aperture to darken the hillsides and such beyond The Window as I'd exposed that area, not wanting to lose any highlights in the skies above.
Late afternoon panorama, The Windows area on the left, La Sal Mountains in background. Eight portrait images. Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6: 290mm, f/16, ISO 400, 1/80 second
Sunset at Arches National Park, 8 image panorama (darker image, let eyes adjust), Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8, 180mm, f/6.3, 1/100 second, ISO 250.
Arches National Park near Moab Utah is an area of massive balanced rocks, soaring pinnacles and spires and is the world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. Print Size 13x19 inches.
From our hike down to The Window in Big Bend National Park back in January 2020.
Visit my website to learn more about my photos and video tutorials: www.adamwoodworth.com
A point just before I crossed over the mountainside and continued on my hike to the South Rim. It was a look back to the northwest with the Chisos Basin. What I wanted to do with this image was not just capture the mountain peaks caught in the late morning sunlight, but also the nearby portion of the mountainside still in the shadows. In order to do that I metered for a point around that area where the sunlight areas seemed to be in contact with the shadowed area. I later was able to pull some of those shadows in Capture NX2 and then use a few CEP filters to bring out more of the colors that I saw present that day. I then finished up with Pro Contrast, Polarization, and a Graduated Neutral Density CEP filters for the final image.
After Delicate, I think this is my favorite arch in the park. With a little scramble, you can climb through the opening and get a nice view from the other side as well. Kinda like two for the price of one.
It's also in the Windows section.
Sunrise at the North Window with Turret Arch on the other side. Wanted to post the single frame shot taken that morning.
A conversion to black & white using Silver Efex Pro 2 where I used some color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image. One of the things I tried to bring out with the adjustments of color filters was that slight sunlight coming from the late afternoon sun and how it brought out deeper shadowed areas across this mountain/desert landscape,
I came across this when I was going through some files. I thought I had already posted it. This was taken on the night of the 'super' moon back in June.
Arches National Park
Big Bend National Park, Texas.
The Lost Mine Trail provides awesome (and different) views of Casa Grande which, at an elevation of 7326', can be seen from many points throughout the park. The "v" shaped formation in the rocks to the right of Casa Grande is The Window (noted), another Big Bend landmark and popular hiking destination.
It's not the tallest peak in the Chisos Mountains, but Casa Grande (Spanish for "Big House") is so huge that it dominates any scene in which it appears. A combination of trails and roads makes it possible to view it from practically any angle, and its look is different from each direction.
Big Bend National Park, Texas.
From our hike down to The Window in Big Bend National Park back in January 2020.
Visit my website to learn more about my photos and video tutorials: www.adamwoodworth.com
While photographing the valley from Tunnel View, I observed this window like formation due to sharp shadows caused by El Capitan and don't know what else :-) But it looked weird and beautiful at the same time.
The last part of the trail we were in a dry stream bed as we got closer to "The Window". There are steps in the rock to make it easier. Even so, it would have been nice to have hiking poles. The photos show us getting closer to the edge. This is the top of a waterfall, so I didn't want to get too close to the edge. The rock was worn quite smooth and it appeared as though it might be slippery. At any rate, I didn't want to go over the edge.
Hayley's machine of magic at the Window coffee shop in Norwich.
Zero Image 2000 loaded with film and exposed for a bit.
Seen from the Pinnacles Trail; not the usual view. Here the opening appears to be huge, as opposed to the narrow slot seen from the end of the Window Trail. The large rock in the center obscures the actual Window, which I don't think would be seen anyway due to the many twists and turns on the trail. Even so, this is a good late-afternoon look at this desolate section of Big Bend.
A conversion to black & white using Silver Efex Pro 2 where I used some color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image. As I walked along the hiking trail on my way to The Window, I took in all these views of rugged hillsides and jagged mountain peaks. For this image, I decided to zoom into one particular portion of the mountain peak with its angles all about and areas caught in the sun while other were in shadows. I found the contrast of shapes and lights is what really brought me into this image. After converting to black & white, I found those tonal contrast really came out for the final image.
From our hike down to The Window in Big Bend National Park back in January 2020.
Visit my website to learn more about my photos and video tutorials: www.adamwoodworth.com
The Window is one of the most iconic, photographed and visited features inside the Chisos Mountains Basin; the window is the sole exit point for water runoff out of the basin. In a pair of photos I capture the view of The Window at sunrise as early rays of sun touch the tops of peaks, and at sundown. Lensbaby sweet 35; all effects made from hand drawn textures using oil pastels, soft pastels or watercolor on fine art paper or canvas.
On the main road into this part of the national park. One first drives by the Lost Mine Trail and then comes to a wide open clearing with tall mountains and peaks all around on this winding road of switchbacks...and then one takes in this view a little more! By angling my Nikon SLR camera slightly downward, I felt I better brought out those big mountain peaks all around with that look across the basin landscape. This view is always a favorite of mine as it looks down to The Window off in the distance between Carter and Vernon Bailey Peak. It's a look to the west with the camping area caught in the middle portion of the image.