On the Sand

Friday. On the road. Heading west.

That is a magical thought.

That is what I was doing just over a week ago. Destination Big Bend. That first day however I was heading to Pecos and luck had it that I happened to get to Monahans about 7pm.

What luck!

Late in the day and at the dunes. A perfect opportunity to stretch the legs and to warm up the tripod too.

In the past it always seemed that I drove past the dunes in the middle of the day but my last two trips have gotten me there for sunrise and now sunset. What a difference the good light makes.

That late afternoon light was bright and directional. Along with clouds it was just what I would hope for.


What a difference the wind makes too. That I really did not hope for.

Sand is fun. Wind blown sand-is not. I decided to go light with just the wide angle lens and the sturdy tripod. That turned out to be a good choice.

I started walking the dunes and the wind was really kicking the sand up. It was like being sand blasted.



I walked up and down dunes making images and feeling the grit of sand. Got to be careful to keep the tripod leg joints out of the sand. Turns out that did not matter as the grit still found it's way into the leg locks.


Made it out there for about 45 minutes. Managed to make a few decent images. Here are two.

The crest of the tallest dune with sand whipping across the top. The other you can hopefully make out my shadow on the dune.


What a great way to start the trip. Nice light and sand dunes. And it was only day one!

Who knows what the next day would bring.