Wave Cave
Surfin’ The Superstitions
This blog post is a continuation of my recent 2025 Summer road trip! To see a menu of all of the days on this road trip, click here.
This Trip Is Making Me Look old; Yeah, That’s It ;-)
There’d be no driving to start the day. Yesterday evening’s destination was intended to put me in place for this morning’s hike. Lucky for me, I had the bonus of meeting up with a few buddies, meeting a new buddy, and catching a desert storm passing through, all the while merely trying to be in place for today. I love when that happens!
Always Look Back
I could not have asked for better hiking conditions. The air was cool and still a bit damp from the previous evening’s rain. The skies were full of interest while letting light through at the same time. It was perfect!
The above image is a handheld panorama taken during my ascent to my eventual photography destination. Being able to take handheld panos really comes in handy. If you need help doing this, give me a holler. See below
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Destination In Sight
The hike up was nice despite it being rather exhausting. The typical hiker likely has no problems with it. Me, I needed a breather, a bunch of water, and some snacks! :-)
Walk with me as I peer into the Wave Cave for the first time.
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I did manage to catch a few images of the Caracaras in flight. They definitely owned the skies in their area and soared quite majestically. I found their markings to be quite beautiful…!
After a few minutes of playing around both behind and in front of the camera, I grabbed another snack and then hit the trail. It was still early, only 0800 in the morning. I love these kinds of days because I leave feeling so fulfilled, yet there is still an entire day ahead of me. I can either choose to continue working or relax the entire day, knowing that I’ve already been productive. :-)
So Rugged. So Many Textures!
The hike back down was fabulous! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would have loved for it to have lasted all day, but I was beginning to experience Sabu withdrawals, so down the mountain I went and headed back to “camp.”
Once back at camp, I had to get some Sabu-time in. Sabu is the best rescue Pit ever! Check out his IG: The Sabu Way! His human dad is pretty cool, too, and also has an IG: KRL Photo.
Doesn’t The FBSH make that bush look good!? ;-)
We grabbed a cozy seat in Starbucks, sipped a coffee, and did a bit of behind-the-scenes organizing. There’s a lot of work that goes into staying organized, editing images, writing blogs, and socializing all at once. But the cool A/C and coffee cakes couldn’t last for long. Before I knew it, it was time to hit the trail. I needed to do some scouting prior to the sun getting into position for this evening’s shoot.
We hit the road. Our destination was a sketchy pullout on the side of the road. Well, it at least looked like a pull-out via the research I did. I’d mapped out where I thought an arch was in the Superstitions. From there, I mapped out the closest spot that I felt I could pull over and park. Between the two would be a hike through the Sonoran Desert.
When we got to the pull-out, all seemed well. Kenney threw his drone up and did a bit of scouting around for me. He was able to find the arch. Now, all I had to do was find it on foot.
I wasn’t sure how difficult or long the hike would be. The arch was within the range of KRL’s drone, so I knew it wasn’t that far as the crow flies. What I wasn’t sure of was how difficult the terrain actually was and how much climbing I’d have to do. The old me likely wouldn’t have cared a lot. The new me, well, I simply have to consider a lot more these days. With that in mind, I grabbed a few things and ventured out.
I didn’t carry my typical gear. I have three lenses in my bag. For this excursion, I decided to simply bring one lens. I shoved it and my camera body into my small lunchbox, tossed in a few snacks, clipped a water bottle to my belt-loop, grabbed my tripod, and I was on my way. I felt like I had everything, tho, c’mon, you know me better than that! Yep, I’m forgetting something. That something will soon change my entire evening’s plans.
The Arch Is In View!
The hike wasn’t what I’d call long, but it definitely wasn’t flat! The last leg of the trek was quite an incline and led me to a decision, I chose to go through the arch and shoot back through it.
Once at the top, I got myself situated, grabbed a snack, and waited for the light. Wait! Speakig of light…
I didn’t bring a headlamp! I s’pose in my haste, and merely being concerned with bare minimums, I forgot to pack one. I considered having KRL fly one to me, but he’d already ventured off down the road explorin’ all there was to see. An air delivery would have been epic to write about!
Not having a headlamp changed everything. I’d planned to shoot through sunset and golden hour and then into the blue hour. The hike down would be treacherous in the best of lighting conditions. I’d have to leave earlier than I wanted to ensure that I had light. Bummer.
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As sunset approached, I began to get a bit excited as I peered into the skies and tried to predict the coming scene. I’m typically not as good at this as I’d like. I guess my crystal ball is a bit dirty. This particular evening would prove to be no different.
Sunset Arch: A Landscape Prints Available
A Sunset Arch Evening Prints Available
Window Through Sunset Arch Prints Available
In the back of my mind, I knew I’d have to leave a bit earlier than I really wanted. Remember the headlamp situation? With that, I resigned myself to shooting sunset and skipping out on both the golden and the blue hours. I’d have to return another day. I was a bit bummed, until I looked west.
There, on the horizon, appeared what looked a lot like a marine layer out over the west coast ocean. Earlier, this layer of blah couldn't be seen. I was set up for an epic sunset, a rarity. It once appeared as if I'd knock this location off of my list-o-places-to-shoot on my first visit. It seemed the day’s light would die sooner than I thought.
Satisfied with the sunset that I shot, I packed up my gear. Not having a headlamp forced me to bail before the light was gone. This downhill hike back was going to be treacherous as it was mostly on loose gravel. I needed to beat feet before I got caught out in the desert after dark.
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Luckily, I made it down the mountain before it got dark and without falling too many times. Imagine walking down a mountain on marbles. That’s a bit what it was like. Leaving early was the right move.
KRL and I found a decent spot to camp for the evening. After some chit-chatting and a bit of food, we both set our sights on the morning’s light and a bit of Canyon Lake.
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