The Wave

Coyote Buttes- A Whimsical Product Of The Forces Of Nature.

Coyote Buttes, on the Arizona/Utah border, is a landscape that defies description. Freud would have trouble developing a diagnosis for this patient.

One look at it will put a smile on your face along with a frown. It’s situated at The Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and is well protected. At North Coyote Buttes, a trip to The Wave is only accessible for 20 daily fortunates who were victorious in the dreaded lottery put on by The Bureau of Land Management.

It’s a riot of abstractness, details, hues, textures, patterns and dizzying sandstone shapes. The Navajo Sandstone calcified dunes evolved into its current look due to erosion from winds and rains.

This is a repost from 2014..

At South Coyote Buttes, the unusual is the usual at this landscape. Grotesque shapes of rock cast by millions of years of weathering have produced a carnival of oddities that Barnum & Bailey would be proud of. I half expected a woman with a beard to come walking around the corner.

It seems as if someone put one of those curvy carnival mirrors out there to give Coyote Buttes it’s distorted look. But it is real. I think.

It’s highly believable that it took millions of years for the gods to create Coyote Buttes.

You just don’t put this together in a week.

Michael Andrew Just

Dawn2Dawn Photography

The Wave

Arizona, Desert Southwest

It’s hard to get a permit and was even harder getting there because of muddy roads due to recent heavy rains but me and some first timers had a ball!

Unusual sandstone rock formations produced through erosion are the feature at The Wave at Coyote Buttes North in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Video From After Visiting The Wave

Arizona, Desert Southwest, video

Coyote Buttes In The Abstract

Arizona, Desert Southwest, National Parks, Utah

Al,

Coyote Buttes and The Wave at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument offer some intriguing sandstone rock formations, especially in the abstract. Something abstract doesn’t represent a thing or object realistically, but just a small part. Abstract photography concentrates on form, lines, shape, color, patterns and texture. All of the images from this series are available for purchase as a print or downloadable file at Dawn2Dawn Photography

Outside of The Wave

Arizona, Desert Southwest, National Parks, Utah

Second post of three from my recent hike through Coyote Buttes North and The Wave. The areas on the hike to and just beyond The Wave are incredible in their own right. Little known Sand Cove and Fatali’s Boneyard are fascinating.

This natural sculpture is known as The Second Wave. The Wave is a tough act to follow but this isn’t too shabby.

The Wave Revisited

Arizona, Desert Southwest, National Parks, Utah

It had been 3 years since I last won a lottery permit to visit The Wave at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. More and more people are showing up for the dreaded lottery so its been difficult to get a permit. They only issue 10 per day for walk ins and I was fortunate to get one. About 5o people showed up for this days’ lottery. A few years ago, only 7 showed up for a weekday drawing in January. On one day during the this past year’s Christmas Holidays, 390 hopefuls showed up for the 10 spots, an all-time record.

This is the first of three posts. This first post will show images of The Wave proper. The second post will be from Sand Cove, an unusual geologic wonderland nearby. The third post will showcase abstract images from these two areas.

My friend and photography protege Alison shot a number of the images in these 3 posts and also served as a great model!

The nearby Second Wave.

Best of 2014 Redux

Arizona, California, Desert Southwest, National Parks, Utah, Wildlife, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Zion

Per request by a fellow blogger, I’ve presented the Best of 2014 so you can watch at your own speed. I’ve also added some pics. You can purchase these images as prints that I print myself (Low Cost) at Dawn2Dawn Photography Each print is signed and numbered.

Utah Autumn

The Wave Part 4- The Light Was Just Right

Arizona, Desert Southwest, Utah

As I trekked out to The Wave last Monday, my plan was to end up at the main attraction late in the day when the light was just right and there were no others there. I had the place to myself! The other 19 permit holders were long gone. No one to get in the way or for me to get in someone else’s shot. The Wave is a small area. The light however was pretty flat. A cloud cover draped Coyote Buttes. Looking up at the sky to the west I noticed there might be an opening for some light to get through but I’d have to be patient. I also didn’t want to be out there too late and hike the 2 1/2 miles in sand and slickrock in darkness. So I ate a granola bar and waited for about 45 minutes until I notice a glimmer coming down from the heavens. Some light did appear through the clouds and that’s all I needed.

The Wave- Part 2 Fatali’s Boneyard

Arizona, Desert Southwest, Utah

Most people who venture out to Coyote Buttes North head directly to The Wave. I decided to hold off on that until later in the day when few if anyone would be there and the late afternoon light would be right. So I veered to the right to Fatali’s Boneyard, a place I had not visited before. Fatali is a professional photographer, well known in these parts, who allegedly discovered this spot. Below are images from that spot that contain patterned sandstone etchings and withered rocks that resemble a skeleton or bones, hence the name. Next post will be images from the ethereal Sand Cove.

Surf’s Up! The only things missing were a surfboard, an ocean and Spicoli’s van!

Arizona, Desert Southwest, Humor, Utah

I was able to secure a permit for The Wave at Coyote Buttes North! I showed up last Friday at the BLM office in Kanab, Utah to enter the dreaded lottery. During winter months when the BLM office is closed on weekends, they conduct the lottery on Friday for Saturday, Sunday and Monday permits This is the BEST TIME of the year to get a permit. If anyone is interested in going to The Wave, let me know and I’ll try to score one for you during these winter months. I plan to go back a few more times as I continously find more exotic things to shoot out there. All the permits for Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday were selected until they finally picked my number 15. A group of six jumped up and down and screamed when their number was picked for Sunday. It turns out this was their 3rd day in a row of trying and they were justly rewarded for their patience. I ended taking about 1,000 exposures so I will present the images in 4 posts. This post is an introduction and shows images of me surfing even though I was about 500 miles from the nearest ocean.