And then there was the view of Shafer Canyon Overlook on our way out of the park. Nearing the overlook parking area, almost as if on que, the late afternoon rays of sunshine pierced through the clouds and danced across the colorful striated canyon walls.

This great stand of red pines stood straight to the sky, inviting me over to enjoy their forest-floor carpet of heavy pine needles. Each tree was as stately as the next.

As a dedicated landscape photographer, I am captivated by the land and what it offers. With a somewhat limited travel budget, my travels are often to locations easily reached in a day.