Arch Rock Valley of Fire Motorcycle Trip
Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is a place that I have visited on numerous occasions. Every year, in February or March, I find myself at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International conference and trade show in Las Vegas. Valley of Fire, located about 50 miles north of the Las Vegas strip, is a popular tourist destination. I have ridden through this park on two occasions with a group of motorcycle friends and visited another time with my girlfriend. This year (2017) I did it up right…traveling to the park in the early morning hours well before sunrise. Armed with my Fujifilm X-T2 camera, the 16-55mm Fujinon XF zoom lens and a sturdy tripod. I set up at this location a little after first light and waited for the sun to rise over the desert. Valley of Fire is named for it’s breathtaking red sandstone formations; and the deep saturated colors of this landscape are especially beautiful in the golden light at dawn and dusk. The spot I’m at here is known as "Arch Rock" for pretty obvious reasons. It is a very easily accessible spot located right on the side of one of the park’s secondary roads. Oddly enough I was the only person at this beautiful location at sunrise. Hard to believe when there were 15,000 other photographers convening just 50 miles away in Sin City. I’m really glad I was able to capture this image on this visit. Arch Rock continues to be battered by the strong desert winds that carved it out and is destined to collapse under it’s own weight in the near future.