Closed Canyon Light

Just west of Big Bend National is the 250,000 acre Big Bend Ranch State Park.  The scenery is as impressive as the national park, the river is still the southern border of the park but the visitation is less.  One of my favorite spots in the state park is Closed Canyon.  A narrow almost slot like canyon that looks like something one might find in Utah.


The red walls rise a hundred feet or more and at many places are just ten feet wide.  Every time is a new adventure here as the canyon is constantly changing.  The infrequent rains roll through here as a flood and scour the canyon floor in one place and fill in the dips in another.  There are obstacles to traverse and water to get across.  It makes every visit fun!


The other great advantage of going to see the canyon is that you can do so at mid day when the light is bouncing down the canyon walls.  So after a morning shoot and a stop for breakfast in the Terlingua Ghost Town it was off to wander into the canyon.  


The day was clear and the light was reflecting off the canyon walls.  I walked, jumped over water puddles, and made my way over a few obstacles.


Here are a couple of images from the morning that I think captured some of the light and the sense of place there.