This shot gives you a good idea of just how large an area is covered by the eroded cliffs and unusual formations. The ridge in the background of the picture is lined with cliffs that are several hundred feet high and run for miles in places. Most of the park is formed by a ridge that runs basically North and South. For some reason, all of the overlooks seem to be on the East side of the ridge. Perhaps this is weather related?

  I think this is the highest overlook in the park. I was expecting to be more affected by the altitude. However, I am feeling pretty good. Of course, we have not been doing any real extensive hiking yet. This is also a good shot for judging the scale of the trees that are everywhere in the park. Note the person in the lower left corner sitting under the tree. Now take another look at the pictures that show cliff faces littered with these very same trees.

  I have to wonder what affect a view like this has on someone that has spent their entire life stuck in the urban sprawl of somewhere like Los Angeles or New York City? While living in Los Angeles, I met many people (adults) that had NEVER been out of the city!! I have lived most of my life in Texas with big wide open spaces. I still have a hard time getting my brain around all of this.

  The rock material of which the cliffs are composed looks to be very soft and crumbly, much like the limestone found everywhere in Texas. Yet these formations took thousands of years to form and don't erode away to nothing with each passing storm. It almost seems like they were somehow formed of sterner stuff and that the surrounding material that washed away was softer. The thing that astounds me is the repeating pattern of the spires. They are so regular and consistent. I would expect that something formed over such a long period of time would be more irregular and random. Hmm...?

  Unfortunately, I am just an amatuer photographer. This trip is my first real attempt at any serious shots of large landscape. It is so bright out that the result is the washing out of the colors from overexposure. In person, the colors in the soil are much more brilliant and alive. There is an aspect of redness missing from the photos.

  When I sit and look at this picture, I think of how long I could stand at this overlook lost in my thoughts while staring at the monolithic spires. I have long been a fan of science fiction. These spires make me think of some fantastic alien cityscape in a galaxy far far away.

  Last shot of Rainbow Point.