Clouds over Deep Canyon~SkyWatch Friday~010612

I love driving up to Deep Canyon on mornings when we have clouds here in the desert.  They create such unusual effects up in our mountains.  Shadows, periods of sun and shade...the mountains are always changing!  I took these photos this week, on Tuesday, when I headed up toward Deep Canyon to be there for my horses' lesson with their trainer.  I'm heading up there again tomorrow morning, since I've had 3 lessons this week on my own horsemanship course (or what I call "horses 101") to try out my newfound knowledge on Sunni, Cali, and Gigondas...maybe even Quad this weekend!  Skywatch Friday for January 6, 2012.  To visit SkyWatch Friday, please go to:  http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Deep Canyon~That's My World 083110

I stopped at Vista Point last weekend to take these photos of Deep Canyon. Yes, it IS a deep canyon. And, below it, it's an alluvial fan. There are no roads up through Deep Canyon, except one road to the UC Riverside/Boyd bighorn sheep institute, which is on private property and even that road doesn't extend up through the canyon. That's Highway 74 that you see twisting and turning above the canyon. There aren't many turnoffs from which one can take photos of the canyon either! So, it remains elusive and it keeps its secrets. Vista Point is the only overlook above it and sometimes you can see bighorn sheep from it!

Clouds above Deep Canyon~Sunday stills Challenge 080810

I love to drive up Highway 74, which takes me next to Deep Canyon and just look at the clouds that slip over the mountains and form above it. The weather can change there very quickly. On this day, the clouds developed and it rained. A beautiful rainbow came out. Fifteen minutes later, the rainbow and clouds were gone. These mountains, the Santa Rosas, are in a transition zone between the ocean moisture and the dry heat of the desert. I'm thankful that I was able to see these clouds on this day and I await many more days like this one! Sunday Stills Challenge ~~~clouds 080810.