It’s been a few years since we had any monsoonal moisture to speak of. We have been buried in smoke from the fires burning in the states. The wind coming from the south was a blessing for sure, we were able to be smoke free for what seems like a few weeks. We had a few nights, where I wasn’t sure we were going to have any lightning to speak of, but went out to shoot anyway. Doug drove me out to the edge of town to watch a storm coming from the south. We waited until it was nearly overhead before turning and watching it come across the valley. The following night I called my fellow photographers Ona & Kathleen and Doug and I met them at BookCliff View (my favorite overlook on the monument). I’ve always wanted a shot from there, looking southeast across the monoliths, of lightning over it, lighting up the canyon. I lost hope as we watched a storm that was fleeing suddenly turn around and come right over the location of my ideal shot. It struck a few times, lighting up the canyon, then continued across the valley. I’ve been seeking that shot for years. Here’s a few from this monsoon season.
