Yesterday I drove from Joshua Tree to Phoenix, where I’m staying with friends for two nights. It’s a big, long, open road, without a whole lot of the same to see over and over again. There were more than one view that I wanted to shoot, but unfortunately the best vantage points were always on the freeway overpasses—where you can’t stop or walk to. So, more than one shot had to be missed on this road. Bummer.

Here’s a few that I did capture, however. These first two are along Highway 62, in Twentynine Palms, leaving the Joshua Tree area.

As I came back to the main road, now Highway 10, I saw these odd rings of palm trees that had been, for lack of a better word, decapitated. I turned around and went back, pulled out the 15mm Fisheye lens and headed into the ring, watching every step for rattlesnakes or any other critter I’d probably rather not step on (and I’m sure they’re equally pleased to not be stepped on!). If you can believe it, the 15mm wasn’t even wide enough. I wished I had the 8mm Sigma lens I played with back at PMA, but this shot will do.

Eventually I rolled into Arizona, which was, well… a whole lotta this.

By the time the sun was setting, I was sitting to dinner with friends so missed out on the sunset shooting last night. Tomorrow morning I’m planning a sunrise hike—wish me luck getting out of bed that early!