When one lives in the Grand Valley area of western Colorado, it’s only natural to seek an all-out off-road adventure … especially when you know exactly the person that can make it happen for you. So, Tom & I met up with our good friend Rick Louie and made plans to do just that. Off we went towards Moab for some sunset and/or night photography in Arches National Park in Utah. So that was the plan anyways. We soon found out that the park was having night closures due to road improvement construction. So much for that so off we went to dinner to plan our days and routes.
Rick was anxious to share a super cool location with us, so we met up early in the morning so that we could arrive at our destination for the sunrise. The road to the lookout spot definitely need an off-road high clearance vehicle … OK by me, as we had the place to ourselves.
Yep, we arrived just in time for the sunrise and what a sunrise it was. The rays of the sun were shining from a break in the clouds and casting beautiful light on Rick as he grabbed was checking out the landscape for the best angle and composition. OK, so truth be told, this and several other images in this blog were actually taken with my iPhone! Yes, though I had my camera gear with me, sometimes the moment called for an impromptu quick shot. Like this one … sometimes these moments only last for a brief time.
Rick was explaining the location and sights for orientation purposes to Tom, but all I saw was beauty ahead of me.
This place was so incredibly immense and beautiful. Tom, always one to venture off on his own for his own views, gave this shot great perspective of the red rock formations.
Of course, no day’s adventure would ever be complete without Tom giving me heart failure as he sits precariously on the edge! There is NO WAY that I could have sat there. LOL
It was hard enough for me to sit down with Tom on the edge together. What appears to be a casual moment with Tom’s arm lovingly around me, he probably actually had a tight grip on me, as I have a tremdous fear of heights. Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t challenge that fear, I do, but it definitely doesn’t come easy for me. Thanks so much to Rick for taking this amazing shot!
Outside of Moab, we chose another off-road trail for a mid-day adventure. This was a gorgeous drive up a canyon, with sheer red rock formations on either or both sides, as it meandered for miles and miles.
A small creek ran alongside it and it reminded me of a miniature “braided river”. Being in the high desert, not much water was present, but I’m sure the channels formed allow for the flow of volumes of water when it rains.
Before reaching an open space full of farmland, we stopped and grabbed a few images of the beauty of this wilderness.
For another experience, we ventured out again for more off-road fun. Rick was a fabulous and skilled driver and on occasion I would get out to try to get some shots of the action. Bonus … look at those amazing clouds that also came out to play. 
On the last day, we met up with some incredible winds. So they said that it would be windy, but I didn’t expect the winds that we had … out on the unprotected open slick rock of Hell’s Revenge … the winds were ripping at over 40mph! This experience was so much fun … even if we didn’t venture into the “hot tubs”. These were craters that crazy 4WD jeeps, etc, would enter and then drive out of, often flipping over and needing assistance to exit them. Pictures just do it justice … if you can imagine, that hole is about 15-20 feet deep and pretty much just wide enough to get a vehicle in with very little room to spare. Crazy, crazy, crazy!
Thank you Rick for getting us over to the edge for some awesome Colorado River viewing below … even if I though I was going to blow off of it! LOL. It really was quite windy up there, but you couldn’t help but be exhilarated by the view.
The wetting of the sun in the canyons provided for some beautiful views as well.
On the tamer side of the trip was the Fisher Tower and Valley area and Parriott Mesa.
Once again, the clouds came out to play in an incredibly beautiful way. I can’t wait to get back out there again. Thanks so much Rick for meeting up with us and sharing your off-road skills (and I do mean skills) with us. Your driving was impeccable and the experience was top notch. If anyone out there is interested in doing something like this, either here or many other areas in Colorado as well, I highly recommend Rick Louie for a great adventure experience.
Yes, Tom and I had a great time out there! I really appreciate how close we are to this red rock wilderness area and beauty. Until we return again … thanks Tom!
Hope that everyone enjoyed the visit with us. 🙂
Next Up: More local Colorado sights … and wildlife.
© 2018 Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
http://www.tnwaphotography.com
