White Tank Campground

 Well, I finally did it. I had been thinking about buying a newer camera body. My old Canon 5D II is really beat up from years of use out in the desert. It's been my trusty partner for a long time, and a wonderful camera, but it hit the market in 2005. That's really old in camera years. I bought a used Canon 5D IV, which reached the market in 2016, so 11 years newer. I really wondered if I would notice any difference in the quality of my photos. Lots of people say it's the "glass", not the body, that really matters.

I was driving down Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree National Park, anxious to try out my new (to me) camera, and was surprised to see that the campground was closed. This is one of the busier campgrounds in the park, but it was a hot summer evening in July, and the demand for camping goes way down in the hottest months. I drove about 1/2 mile further up the road to a turn-out and parked the Jeep.

 

The photo above was actually one of my last photos of the evening, but I'm showing it first to show you that the campground was closed, and also because it pushes the limits of the camera. The photo was take on Saturday, July 24, at 9:40PM. That's not a typo... 9:40PM! It was nearly dark, and I was without a tripod. I bumped up the ISO to 1250, f4.5, 1/50th of a second. It's a very usable photo, with almost no noise and decent focus. I couldn't have done this with my old camera. There would have been more noise for sure!

 

Wandering around the rocks at the White Tank Campground, I came across the White Tank Dam. It's one of two dams built in the area (the second is called Grand Tank) by the old ranchers that used to keep livestock here. I'd never seen it before, and it's interesting that there is a hole broken out in the bottom of the dam. I'm guessing the Park Service doesn't want it to become a swimming hole after a rain!

 

Luck was really with on this night. With the campground closed, I was the only person exploring the area. I had the White Tank rocks all to myself! Not only that, but I had a nice moonrise. For the above photo, I had to take two shots... one focused on the rocks, and the second focused on the moon, and then blended them in Photoshop.

 

Hiking along a wash, I came around a corner and came face to face with this cute little guy (girl?). They normally scamper away quickly, but not this one. He just watched me and didn't move. Might have been my imagination, but he seemed to be saying "It's just too dang hot, and I don't have the energy to run away!"
 

This boulder looks precarious. Would you walk under it??

 

Pretty golden light on the boulder. But what really caught my eye was the lack of spines on this small Joshua tree. Something had chewed most of them off. I rarely see that, and an animal has to be pretty desperate to eat Joshua tree spines. It's been one of our driest years on record, and the animals are hurting.
 

Does anyone else see a goose or duck with its head down?? This is called Arch Rock, and it's the most photographed arch in the park. It's always crowded, which is why I never come here. But today, having the place to myself, I could concentrate on framing and perspective. From this angle, it looks like a goose. If I had my way, I would rename it Goose Arch!
 

Arch Rock is a beautiful arch. Unless you're really tall, you can stand underneath the arch without bending over.

The wizard of White Tank!

 

Looks like it's going to be an epic sunset, but you will need to wait for my next post to see the rest of the photos from this outing!

 

My very last photo of the evening. Driving out of the park, down Utah Trail towards 29 Palms, the sky was this incredible shade of red. I had to pull over and take the shot (remember... no tripod). Camera settings: f 5.6, 1/10 sec, ISO 2500. Amazingly sharp for 1/10 sec., and impressive lack of noise for ISO 2500. Yup, I'm liking this new camera body!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Oh, and Happy Halloween if you celebrate it!!