October

joshua tree national park1
Originally uploaded by JW Landis.

Quite an interesting series of events in order to get this shot. I was in southern California (not the trendy part -- the desert part) for a conference, and by the end of the week I was ready to run away from my lonely hotel room.

I rented a car and drove roughly 80 miles northeast to Joshua Tree National Park. I arrived just at sunset, ill-prepared for the suddenly diving temperatures. I was dressed for palm springs, and the raised elevation and cold desert night made my teeth chatter.

I jumped in and out of the car a few times while trying to keep warm as my 30 second shutter snapped photos. I stopped at roughly 6 roadside stops before seeing two wolves (coyotes, maybe?) cross the road in front of me.

With a newfound case of the heebie jeebies, I setup for a last few clicks on my makeshift tripod (the roof of my rented Kia) and focused on infinity.

This shot made the whole experience worthwhile.