Why I love the desert, in five sentences and seven photos

Sixshooter Peak, Needles District, just after sundown. The temperature, thankfully, starts to drop immediately.

Sunset colors sandstone a fiery red in the Needles District of Canyonlands NP.

Sheer vertical cliffs of Wingate sandstone lure rock climbers from all over the country to Indian Creek, Utah.

Making it to the top of this wall was my big accomplishment for the day.

Petroglyphs abound. We spied this handsome large pecked bear nearby in Shay Canyon.

More images of flute-playing Kokopelli than we’ve seen anywhere else.

Few campsites have finer views than ours in the Needles.

“Looking out over the pure sweep of seamless desert, I am surprised to realize that the easy landscapes stifle me—closed walls of forests, ceilings of boughs, neat-trimmed lawns, and ruffled curtains of trees hide the soft horizons. I prefer the absences and the big empties, where the wind ricochets from sand grain to mountain. I prefer the crystalline dryness and an unadulterated sky strewn from horizon to horizon with stars. I prefer the raw edges and the unfinished hems of the desert landscape. Desert is where I want to be when there are no more questions to ask.”             — Ann Zwinger, Mysterious Lands.

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Today’s photos were from a 24-hour escape to the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park where Chris and I camped, climbed, and explored a side canyon whose dinosaur tracks remained unrevealed but whose many petroglyphs enthralled us. I share them with the hope that you will glimpse the beauty of this area for yourself and make plans to visit if you are able. But beware; the bulldog grip this place exerts on your heart is irreversible.