Desert Rain

There's nothing quite like rain in the desert! We had some nice soaking rains in S. CA this weekend, including the desert. I had a chance to hike into Indian Cove (north end of Joshua Tree National Park). Here's what the drive in looks like. The clouds were still heavy with moisture.

I could hear water flowing as I hiked up the canyon on the east side of Indian Cove. There is a waterfall in a slot canyon that flows after a rain, and it was going like crazy this weekend! Unfortunately, it's very hard to photograph because it is recessed into the rocks and you can't get up close (unless you are willing to swim!).

Hiking around the area of the waterfall is great, with lots of water in the stream. It's very scenic, with the granite stone worn smooth by water and steep rock formations on either side.

It's interesting how water shows up in unlikely spots after a desert rain, such as forming little pools in the granite rocks. Here's a shot taken up above the waterfall (a tough hike... my legs still ache!). I like it because of the great rock formations. You can see the road leading in to the canyon if you look carefully in the background.

After the sun set and things were getting dark, I got some good shots of water flowing. The trick is to get the longest exposure possible so you can get that foggy water effect. For these shots, I set the ISO at 50 and the aperture at 32, which allowed for a 10 second exposure (don't forget your tripod!).

Hope you had a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!