May ‘25 Road-Trip: Mexican Hat
This road trip is going to be a long one, so buckle up!
My first “real” destination was not even in Colorado. That meant that I had many hours of driving with no real photography in mind. I-70 across Colorado is probably my least favorite drive. Not because there isn’t anything to see, it is visually a nice drive, and there are quite a few different types of terrain to see. My problem is, typically, the people. It seems people lose their minds when they hit this road. Add to that any inclement weather, and it can become disastrous in the blink of an eye.
It was, as the title of the blog described, the month of May. To many reading this, that might mean flowers and sunshine. Well, there was snow through Loveland Pass, fog prior, and rain prior to that. More fog followed at Silverthorne, with more snow just past there. Climbing out of Vail found me pushing through even more fog.
I kinda lied when I said that I didn’t have a real photography destination in mind until Utah. I did have one in mind, but it was an area that I’d never been to and would have been fine with simply scoping it out for a future shoot. Suddenly, as I approached this location, the skies turned gorgeous! Also, suddenly, my attitude toward being happy to simply scope out the scene turned into a real desire to photograph it!
The skies look 100% different than they did a few miles ago!
I felt that I practically knew the area with as much virtual scouting as I’d previously done. I pulled up and couldn’t believe the weather conditions had become as nice as they were! To say that I was happy would be putting it mildly, especially with what I’d recently been driving through for hours!
Days gone by
Walking up to my first composition of the day had me a bit concerned. Nextdoor to the old house that I wanted to photograph was, well, a newer house. I knocked on the door to ask permission to photograph the old. There was no answer. Likely, nobody lives there anymore. All of the structures around the property had Keep Out signs posted. I respected the signs and avoided any and all items/structures. I pretty much knew the exact image that I wanted to shoot. I lined it up, took the shot, and was on my way. With that, I’d shot first composition, a composition that was definitely not solidly on my list-o-places-to-shoot. I was ahead of the game! 100% One for one! Batting 1,000. The trip was going great, so far!
Goodbye, Colorado; for now! I’ll be back, I promise!
Crossing over into Utah is always bittersweet. The speed limit is now 80 MPH. Yay! The problem is, I might be able to take advantage of that on a downhill with a tailwind. I used to, when driving my Explorer, take the timeframe that Google Maps would give me as a challenge. Now, it’s merely a W.A.G. Heck, not even. Let’s face it, it’s optimistic wishful thinking. More on this in a future day’s blog.
Moab was hot! I generally do not come through this area during this time of year for that reason. Well, that’s one of the reasons. The other is people. Gross. I grabbed the drone and tossed it into the air in an attempt to get an image of opportunity. I was in the area, had a bit of spare time, so I thought I’d scout out a future composition. I say scout it out because I knew any image that I’d get wouldn’t be the one that was in my mind. I’d have to return when conditions were better. The skies were way too boring as all of the clouds were drifting off to the east and out of frame.
I shot the best I could as the GPS signal received by the drone had heavy interference from the rock wall adjacent to my position. It continually drew the drone toward the wall. Not optimal.
Can you find the FBSH in this image?
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Before heading south, I stopped into Moab for a bit of overpriced diesel fuel. So far on this trip, I am three for four with not getting a fuel receipt. I use these as I log my miles, gallons, and locations as I drive. I got my first one in Moab. Sometimes, it’s the small victories!
The Five Billion Star Hotel makes Wilson Arch look good! ;-)
The route from Moab to Mexican Hat, the evening’s destination, can often feel like an eternity. To break things up, I stopped for a FBSH selfie at Wilson Arch. To further break things up, I stopped for Ice cream in Blanding at the Patio Diner; it’s sort of a tradition.
From Blanding, I headed down toward Mexican Hat. I wanted to get a few images of the San Juan River. I had quite a few hours until the lighting was right, but I headed that way anyway. I’d much rather be in place and wait than scramble to get to a given place in a hurry. While waiting for sunset, I made sure I had my batteries all charging for my camera, drone, and headlamps, ate a bit of food, and grabbed a nice nap.
The FBSH says, “Like my hat?”
Speaking of food, oops. I left a bunch of my food at home. Bummer. I have plenty of things to eat, just not everything. While getting my Jet Boil (stove) out, I decided to use one of the fuel cans given to me. I was excited to get them. I was given six. Too bad they didn't fit. Ugh. Luckily, I had an old can of my own with me. It'd be enough to get me through the entirety of 2025, so no worries there.
The FBSH along the San Juan River, UT
The lighting started getting good. I got the drone out. I've only got two batteries and they are old. What does that mean, you ask? It means I've got to be quick and strategic with my drone photography. I don't have the luxury of simply hanging out up there. I've got to have a plan and wait for the right light. In this particular evening's case, I wanted to shoot two different lighting scenarios. One, I wanted bright orange rocks. Later, with the other, I wanted soft pinks and purples in the sky. I used one battery for one shoot and one battery for the other. Does anyone have any old Mavic Pro 2 batteries lying around?
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The landscapes in Utah are like no other. Before I ever visited here, I am not sure what I thought Utah would be like, but it wasn’t this. I often think of the Ancient Puebloans or early settlers and what they must’ve thought when they looked out over the lands of Utah. What I do know is that, when I look out, I get a feeling of awe! It is absolutely amazing, especially in the low angled light of a sunrise or sunset!
It was so nice to put battery #1 on the charger while I flew battery #2. This is not a luxury I've always had. Previously, I could only charge a battery once my vehicle was running. Drone batteries take a long time to fully charge. This meant that I had to be strategic in how I used them because I could only charge over long drives. Since then, I've installed a dc/dc charger in my Delica. This allows me to keep a "house-power" battery charged while driving. When parked, I can charge all of my things off the house battery.
The Zig Zags of Mexican Hat
San Juan River and an evening glow
Since installing the DC/DC charger, which allowed me to charge my House Power battery while the vehicle was running, I've added solar. I don't even turn on the DC/DC charger anymore unless I'm doing something like using my exterior roof rack's trail lights at night. It's great to run a fridge, fans, a diesel heater, and charge all my things without taxing my starter battery or having to keep my Delica running. The solar panels keep my house-power at 100% charged even when I'm using it. But I digress…
Obviously, the night was creeping up on me. I had to get myself into position for tomorrow’s hunt. I’d be looking for a petroglyph that had to this point always been on my list-o-places-to-shoot, but never bubbled up to the top. Tommorow, it was at the top!
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