Turret Arch

• Henri Matisse. | facebook | 500px | ferpectshots |

Some small towns across America often are the hidden gems of the area. We get very excited when we find those cool little towns and often use them as our basecamp. Ridgway Colorado and Page Arizona are good examples of this along with Big Pine CA. So, during a road trip when we landed in Moab, Utah, we knew we hit the jackpot. This town is the center of so many activities. There are two national parks a few miles away from the city, along with many state parks, countless hiking, biking, and off-road trails.

We were there to primarily check out the two national parks that were close by, Arches and Canyonlands; both didn't disappoint. Arches NP is a place that will overwhelm even some of the most seasoned landscape photographers. The Park is brimming with one interesting shot after another, and coupled with the brilliant red sand and often blue sky, it's hard to take a bad picture here. I had a pretty good plan for this trip, but the Park overwhelmed me completely, I remember getting to the hotel room after a tiring day and going over the spots, again and again, to make sure that I have everything covered.

After reaching the Park, it only took me an hour before adding new places to the itinerary that stretched us to the limit. Add to the fact that we are still in a desert that can punish you if you are not careful. In the end, I think we overdid some of the hikes and got completely exhausted. Turret arch was a place that I wanted to cover, but we were dead tired by the last day and did not have the energy to give it the proper attention it needed. It's my secret shame that I was at such a spectacular location, and the best I could come up with was a snapshot.

USA 2011 - Arches