Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Desert Skies

Back in early May when we were driving back from Las Vegas, we hit one of my favorite parts of the drive just before sunset, in the Utah desert where the views can be expansive as the highway approaches a break in the cliffs and drops down.
It's not uncommon to see clouds where the rain doesn't get to the ground, known as virga (this is also common where I live). Right at sunset this can create some wonderful effects.
In my next post on Friday I'll show you the very nice views when you turn around from where this last photo was taken. Until then, visit Skywatch Friday for more incredible skies.

For those interested in weather (an appropriate Skywatch topic), here's an illustration of the dramatic shifts from winter to summer here. At my house, our low temperature this year has been -19.5 °F (-28.6 °C) back in February. We've been as high as 91.2 °F (32.9 °C) this month. That's a shift of over 110 °F, or 61.5 °C!
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30 comments:

  1. Shirley @ The Gardening LifeJuly 20, 2011 at 8:46 AM

    Awesome skies and scenery!

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  2. geminisJuly 20, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    que belleza de imagen.
    besitos amigo

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  3. Sylvia KJuly 20, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    Fantastic captures and breathtaking skies! Such a beautiful place! Hope your week is going well, Al!

    Sylvia

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  4. Leckeres für Mensch und KatzeJuly 20, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Great shots like always! :) You are voted! Congrats! LG Tina

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  5. BarbaraJuly 20, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    Beautiful!

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  6. B i r g i t t aJuly 20, 2011 at 3:30 PM

    A beautiful landscape and dramatic clouds :)

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  7. WandaJuly 20, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    What rugged beauty ~~ and that syk is stunning.

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  8. sonia a. mascaroJuly 20, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    What a stunning picture of the Utah desert! The views are really beautiful and the rocks are fantastic. Thanks for sharing such wonderful place.

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  9. Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪July 21, 2011 at 4:09 AM

    virga : it is something new. Thanks

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  10. EG CameraGirlJuly 21, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Yep, I can see why you like it there. :)

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  11. AnonymousJuly 21, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Wow - those virga clouds are stunning!

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  12. tw3July 21, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    Oh Al, those rocks!
    How I would love to touch them.
    and red sand against blue sky: wonderful image.

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  13. LizJuly 21, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    Stunning skies!

    Happy sky watching.

    Liz @ A Simple Life

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  14. Cafe au laitJuly 21, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    These are beautiful.

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  15. JaneJuly 21, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    Great photos, good shot of the Virga:)

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  16. Photo CacheJuly 21, 2011 at 2:10 PM

    incredible scenery.

    My sky is here

    ewok

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  17. JoyfulJuly 21, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    Beautiful scenery, Al.

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  18. eileeninmdJuly 21, 2011 at 3:11 PM

    Beautiful scenery and skies! I like the dramatic shot. Happy skywatching!

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  19. nancyJuly 21, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    Beautiful!

    That clouds look so heavy and ready to fall...

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  20. LifeRamblingsJuly 21, 2011 at 5:00 PM

    gorgeous views and sky.

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  21. AlJuly 21, 2011 at 6:42 PM

    Beautiful colors!

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  22. Sallie (FullTime-Life)July 21, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    Beautiful skies -- and I look forward to seeing the "rear view" when you turned around.

    And gee Al -- I thought the temperature in Colorado could change that much in a single day ;>)

    (I've seen all those layers for any contingency in the back seat of our kids' car!)

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  23. From The HeartJuly 21, 2011 at 6:59 PM

    Beautiful scenery..and what great photography!
    Shirley

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  24. Jidhu JoseJuly 22, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    nice sky shots
    happy SWF

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  25. ArijaJuly 22, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    Wonderful; shots Al, here too we get summer rain if we are very lucky but all too seldom see it hit the ground.

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  26. TaniaJuly 22, 2011 at 6:19 AM

    This is so beautiful! Great landscape and the clouds are both soft and dramatic.
    Happy weekend!:-)

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  27. Tatjana ParkachevaJuly 23, 2011 at 12:40 AM

    Wonderful photos.

    Regards!

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  28. KaoriJuly 23, 2011 at 9:27 AM

    Oh the weather has been a source of topic for just about everyone this year! I was complaining about how hot it was then all of a sudden we had 2 days when it felt like fall last week. So weird!

    Your photo is lovely! Especially the one with the interesting clouds!

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  29. BrandNewStudioJuly 25, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    ExcellentPictures
    ThankYouForSharing
    see you

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  30. LauraJuly 28, 2011 at 6:08 AM

    I've been out of the loop for a while, these are gorgeous! Happy SWF:-)

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