Robert Riberia’s Red Rock News

On one of our hikes last weekend, Rhonda & I came across one of the most beautiful petroglyph panels that we have ever seen. It was totally unexpected, and we had never heard mention of it before from others who had hiked in this lesser known region of central Utah. The bear footprints pictured below are just a small section of the 100 foot long panel. The area near the panel also featured a mano and metate (grinding stone) and the sharpening stone shown below. It was breathtaking to see such a large unvandalized panel! All too often we see panels (mostly in easily accessible areas) with recent markings (names & dates) carved into them, or gunshot markings pecked all over the surface. Therefore, to keep this panel beautiful, I will not reveal its location. I did want to share the beauty of the footprints though. It just goes to show you that you never know what you’re going to find on a hike in southern Utah!

Beautiful bear footprints and a sharpening stone.

Man, I really love this time of the year because it means CAMPING! Camping is the best way to experience the absolute best lighting for photographing southern Utah. Sunset is always the best time to emphasize the red rocks, and sunrise is the best time to capture color in the sky. The air is very transparent in the hour before dawn - the sky reveals a myriad of colors. And when it comes to the night…..whew!!!! Talk about stars! The dust lanes of the Milky Way are clearly visible in a sea of brilliant stars that arc across the sky.

Grab your tent and head to southern Utah!

Last week’s campout.

We’ve been having some nasty thunder and lightning storms in the Moab area during the past few weeks. Last week there was a lightning strike across the street from my house, no more than 100 from where I was sitting at the time. The week before that a power line came crashing down outside the window at my workplace, no more than 30 feet from where I was sitting. Should I take these events as some sort of sign???!!!

All the lightning storms have generated more than a few calls to my office asking about the fire situation in southeastern Utah. Luckily, there are no major fires in this area. The skies are crystal clear and deep blue. However, there are quite a few in southwestern Utah. If you’re planning a trip to Utah and you are concerned about fires, check the statewide status of all fires on the following website…

Utah Fire Info

Interesting note: While fires often lead to hazy skies, which can ruin many photographs, that same haze can result in spectacular sunsets. A panoramic photo of Delicate Arch that I took during the fires of 2002 just wound up on the cover of a new travel guide!

It’s summer and Rhonda and I are trying to make the most of it. Unfortunately that means not having quite as much time as I would like to update my website. Oh well, I’d rather be in tent than sitting in front of my computer during this time of year!

Our trip to Yosemite last month was blast and we each took close to 1000 photographs during that trip. Someday I’ll get the time to add a few pics from that trip to my website. It may not be red rock, but there are some pretty spectacular formations out there.

Coming from our desert home, and looking for a little change, we planned our vacation this year to coincide with the annual peak of the waterfall season in Yosemite National Park. As it turned out, we almost over-planned that aspect of our trip! Unusually warm weather this year put the flow at a record high. The Merced River, which flows through the heart of Yosemite, was at flood stage when we arrived and some of the roads within the park were even sandbagged. Luckily everything remained accessible while we were there and when it came to the waterfalls, we couldn’t have asked for more spectacular flows!