I paid a few visits to the stunning views from Dead Horse Point, it is a well known photographers viewpoint at dawn but my favourite shot was taken at the other end of the day. After the bleakest of afternoons it would have been easy to head back to the BBQ’ed meat and cold beers on offer in Moab, but there was a tiny slit of clear sky over the western horizon which gave me enough hope to hang around.

Eventually the sun broke through, bathing the Utah landscape in the kind of red, rich lighting which makes you fall in love with landscape photography again, it was exhilarating metering, shooting and reviewing, all the while knowing that the light was only going to last a minute or two at best.

The legend of Dead Horse Point states that around the turn of the century the point was used as a corral for wild mustangs roaming the mesa top.  Cowboys herded them across the narrow neck of land and onto the point.  The neck was then fenced off with branches and brush.  One time, for some unknown reason, horses were left corralled on the waterless point where they died of thirst within view of the Colorado River 2,000 feet below. (Source – Discovermoab.com).

Railway Crossing on Highway 313 (on the way up to Dead Horse Point), Utah, USA

Railway Crossing on Highway 313, Utah, USA

Dead Horse Point Overlook at dusk, Utah, USA

Dead Horse Point Overlook at dusk, Utah, USA

Dead Horse Point Overlook at dawn, Utah, USA

Dead Horse Point Overlook at dawn, Utah, USA

Dead Horse Point Overlook at dawn, Utah, USA