A thousand years ago the Fremont People, a culture contemporaneous with the Ancestral Puebloans, lived in what is now Capitol Reef National Park. The amazing redrock of that part of the Colorado Plateau is a land of uplifts and canyons. Water is a scarce commodity. The waters of Sulphur Creek slip southward off the shoulder of Thousand Lake Mountain, over in Fish Lake National Forest, before turning eastward behind the long arc of the Waterpocket Fold. Sulphur slides beneath the jagged uplifts of The Castle, the great prominence that is the park’s geologic icon. In the old Mormon pioneer settlement of Fruita, the slit-laden waters of the creek merge quietly with those of the Fremont River and continue another ninety miles to the sparse town of Hanksville, where, in meeting the aptly named Muddy Creek, the Dirty Devil River is born, whose eighty-mile journey ends in the backbays of Lake Powell and the mighty Colorado. The hardy pioneers of the Latter Day Saints nourished their bountiful fruit orchards with the waters of Sulphur Creek, and one hundred and forty years thence, those trees still bring forth fruit in due season.
A focal length of 33mm, just inside of wide-angleland, gave me the angle-of-view I wanted to share. An aperture of f/20 provided depth-of-field, and a shutter speed of 0.5 second at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
Capitol Reef has become one of my favorite landscapes in the Southwest. It’s stark contrasts and scarce diversity remind me that the beauty of the natural world is always at work, constantly reinventing itself anew. We need its stubborn fierceness to feed the hunger in our souls, that tiny, still voice reminding us we are alive.
Don, I think I enjoyed your words as much as the image this week. You traced beautifully the path of Sulphur Creek through its many landforms and distributaries (if that’s the right word). It makes me think about the connectedness of everything; in this case, literally a connectedness of water flows, generating all sorts of natural (and cultivated) phenomena along its way. And, thanks for a pleasing image full of shapes and vivacity. Hope you have a good week. Ray
Another stunning image. Thank you. A lot of things to like about this picture, but the one thing that stands out for me the most is something I normally do not notice as much as I should, texture. The texture in the clouds is what makes this picture so interesting for me. My eyes automatically go there (the bright spot) and I find the texture absolutely mesmerizing.
Each week I am amazed at your archive of stunning/ informative photos. Your photographic expertise and weekly sharing is much appreciated!
Stay well!
Beautiful shot, as usual. Also liked your comment….jogged my memory of my trip to that area a few years ago.
I love this image. All elements of this image just seem to be in perfect harmony with one another. I fully agree with the quote from Michael Wood. I find that if I have to hike, paddle or ski into a particular area, i become more in touch with what is around me and I am not thinking about an end result. It is just me in the moment. Best, John
Lovely capture, Don! Capital Reef became my instant favorite when I visited the area back in 2014. The orchard was very healthy. Thanks for taking me back there!
Howdy Don, what a surprise when I opened your Image of the Week and saw the exact same composition of one of my images during a trip to Capital Reef so many years ago. Mine was in the later hours of the day where yours is the morning hours with the side light from the opposite direction. Love the set of trees in fall colors flanking the diagonal creek and the ridgeline rising above everything else.
Good afternoon Everyone. Thank you all very much for joining me for this conversation. I would have to believe that as time and pandemic march slowly into the future, there is an increasing difficulty found in “sheltering in place.” To be sure, Bonnie and I have not steadfastly remained at home, but we have been quite careful about our sanitizing actions and social distancing measures. Our trips to the “woods” have been a blessing, and, if only for the moment, they have been enough. The October Acadia adventure is full and we send up good thoughts and prayers that this adventure will go through.
Hey Ray, I am always delighted by your thoughtful words and ideas. I think “distributaries” might work, if we can find a delta down toward Hite. The connectedness of everything is never very far from my thinking, especially in the desert; and I am very glad that you bring it up. The old community of Fruita but have been keenly aware of that concept as it went about growing its orchards with the Fremont’s largess. The more time I spend in Capitol Reef, the more I love the place. Be safe and well.
Hey Kev. As always, it’s great to have you with me, and thanks very much for your kind comments. I’m delighted that it is “texture” that has spoken to you here. When you and I passed through in 2017 we were not blessed with clouds like these; and I was certainly grateful that on the occasion of this image all those puffy cirrus were there to add texture. I’m hoping that 2021 will find them there for us again. Walk in Beauty, my friend; talk soon.
Hey Win. Thank you for being with us. I truly appreciate your kind comments. I hope all continues to go well in Black Mountain. I have enjoyed telling your story of checking 14 books out of the Black Mountain Library just ahead of the lockdown. We hope we are able to spend time with you again soon. Stay safe and be well.
Hi Beth. Thanks for your kind words and for being with us for this discussion. I’m grateful to have been able to provide a good memory for you. Goodness knows, we need as many of those as we can find just now. As I said earlier, Capitol Reef is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Utah. I’m really looking forward to being back in 2021; hopefully with a right foot that will allow for more miles of adventuring than I had when previously there. Take good care.
Hey John. It’s great to hear from you. Thanks for being with us for this discussion. I hope you and Michelle and your families are safe and well. Bonnie and I were trying to remember if you were still with us when we got to Capitol Reef. This is a place you will love more deeply with each return. I get more excited thinking about 2021 and all of the parts of this park I have not yet seen. Since we’ll be there in late-September, I thinking that the rains will have abated and we’ll only be thinking about flash floods half of the time. Give me a shout when you have a minute and let’s catch up. Be well, my friend, and keep safe.
Hi Joani. It’s great to hear from you. Somehow I recall you and I talking about your trip to Capitol Reef and the impression it made. I’m pretty certain that we were there that year as well. We did enjoy playing in the orchards and visiting the Gifford House. Next time I’m going to hike Cohab Canyon; partway wasn’t nearly enough. Hope all is well and you are safe and healthy.
Howdy Michael. I always appreciate your thoughtful words, and I’m honored to learn that we would share such a composition as this from such a beautiful location. If you are like me, you have thoughts of returning to Capitol Reef on a recurring basis. I trust that your spring in the Ocean State has been rewarding. Bonnie and I keep thinking about how to integrate Rhode Island into one of our trips to New England. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Stay healthy, my friend, and walk in much Beauty.
Thanks, again, Everyone for such delightful thoughts and ideas. I hope that our discussions continue to provide worthwhile diversions from times we might wish otherwise not to remember with much fondness. May we all remain creative and healthy; and may these dim times pass with a return of light and life. Stay safe.