Fantasy Canyon is a geological gem located near Vernal, Utah in the middle of a sea of natural gas fields. Upon visiting this magical place I was reminded of my first visit to White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. Before I visited White Sands I remember reading something out of a guide book that said "This is some of the strangest land that you'll ever see."
That was the first thing I thought of when I saw Fantasy Canyon. Its not really a canyon at all, but somehow it wound up with that name. The canyon is located on BLM land, so it is accessible to the public, however the network of roads leading out the canyon are dominated by large oil company trucks. It really was quite strange to be navigating towards this unique natural place, seeing nothing but wells and oil/gas storage tanks and rumbling transport trucks along the way there.
Once there, however, it felt like I was on a different planet. The first glimpse of the "canyon" told me right away that this was going to be a fun place to make some photographs. The light was a little harsh when I first arrived, so I began by just walking through the canyon and studying the formations, trying to determine what might make for the best shots as the light improved. During my scouting walk through the canyon another vehicle pulled into the parking lot, and I could soon hear their voices carrying through the area. I could hear a father explaining to his young daughter about the significance of this spot.
When I got back to my car the father, who was about my age, was sitting on the picnic table near his truck. His wife and daughter were still exploring the canyon. I walked over and started a conversation with him, asking him where he was from. "All over" came the reply. He went on to tell me that he's moved about once a year for the past 20 years. He's been living in Vernal for the past two years, and just bought a house there. As he went on he explained that he worked for one of the oil companies as a water truck driver. Basically he drives a full-size semi truck back and forth between the Green River and many different oil and gas wells all day long, transferring water from the river to the well sites. For this he earns about $1,500 a week, which is why he has chosen to plant some roots and buy a house in Vernal. That and the recreational opportunities, which abound throughout the surrounding area. He told me that this summer he is going to buy a raft, as rafting on the Green River is very popular. He said not far from where we were, you could put in on the Green River, and raft downriver for 3 days, covering 60 water miles... but, if you were to draw a straight line from where you put in to where you take out, the distance would only be 10 miles! How amazing is that... in a straight-line distance of only 10 miles, the river curves so much that it travels 60 miles. He then asked where I was from, and after I told him I was from Minnesota, he said he lived in the Twin Cities for about a month a few years back. The thing that made the biggest impression on him was the skywalk system that connects the downtown buildings. He was a very nice guy to visit with. I hope that things continue to go well for him.
Soon after our visit the light started to turn to a much warmer color as the sun settled closer to the horizon. So, I grabbed my camera and my tripod and got to work. I shot until about two hours after sunset, creating some images with the moon and some star trails as well. If I had to go home tomorrow, I would be happy with the images I got tonight and would already consider this trip a success... but, I've got two more weeks to go! Stay tuned for more.....
Click here for more information about Fantasy Canyon:
1 comment:
I really like the wolf profile looking photo. Nicely done. Almost no noise by the looks of it in some of the long exposures. I need to get a camera that does that.
Post a Comment