Happy New Year! I can’t believe 2011 is already here. While my to-do list from 2010 hasn’t gotten any shorter, I’m very much looking forward to the new opportunities, friendships and collaborations that 2011 has in store.
Over the holidays, we visited family in central Wyoming. While there, I had the opportunity to visit Devils Tower National Monument in the northeastern part of the state. Devils Tower (yes, the apostrophe has been eliminated from the name) is an igneous intrusion that arose when the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills were uplifted, allowing volcanic magma to leak through the earth’s crust about 65 million years ago. The tower is the result of that leakage.
I took this image on Christmas Eve morning; one of the coldest mornings I’ve ever done photography. The temperature was near 0°F with high humidity; in the hour or so before sunrise I had frost forming on my camera’s tripod and lens hood. My breath caused more frost to form on my ball head. But, once the rising sun illuminated the tower, it made the very cold wait worth it. I thought the setting moon was an added bonus here.
I hope you enjoy this image; have a great January! Click here to see the rest of my images from Devils Tower.
Devils Tower sunrise, December 2010
Great shots of an impressive monument.
Happy New Year, and hope you enjoyed your trip.
As you know, I’m not usually big on red mountain peak images, but it works very well here. Maybe also because this is a lesser seen view and interesting framing of Devil’s Tower. Plus the quality of that red is quite nice.
Many thanks PJ and David! I’m glad you like this image. It was a fantastic morning to be out.
David: I can see what you mean about red peaks, but I couldn’t resist when I saw the tower light up…it really is a great location. I only wish I’d had more time to explore.
Love it. Great shot – and I’m a sucker for those candy colors.