Surprise Tank

 I've hiked to Surprise Tank a number of times over the years, but I've never been here at night. Being out here for the night sky and the Milky Way was something I really wanted to experience, but first, let's do a little exploring. I'll show you night skies next time I post.

With the recent rain, I was looking forward to getting out to the desert (and hoping to find water at Surprise Tank). As I entered Joshua Tree National Park, the Chinch weed was everywhere! It was like a yellow carpet that went on forever. It contrasted beautifully with the blue sky!

 

The rock formations around Surprise Tank are fascinating!

 

 

Perhaps the skull of a pack rat or kangaroo rat. How it came to be impaled on the spines of this Joshua tree is a mystery.

 

Nolina flower in the light, while everything around it is in shadows.

 

 

Nice view of Surprise Tank from the rocks above.

 

Surprise Tank in 2021 after a good rain or two.

 

Well, I got my wish... kind of! Surprise Tank with water, 9.20.25. Just not a lot of water, but better than nothing. Somewhere between a mud puddle and a pond. For 98% of the year, it's bone dry behind the dam, so anyone who has every hiked out here and seen water should count themselves as fortunate!

 

Above, 9.20.25. Below, 12.28.21, with a lot more water.

 

Ravens are very curious birds. This one sat on this rock, cawing at me for about 30 minutes while I explored Surprise Tank. I got the impression I was invading his territory!

 

Even a little water in the desert is magical!

 

 

I've talked to people who have said they looked all over these rocks for Surprise Tank and could never find it. Even when it's right in front of you, it blends in quite well! This is another of those wonderful "unofficial" locations in JTNP. No trail goes to it, Park Rangers don't talk about it (I'm sure many don't know it exits), and it's not on any maps. My favorite kind of place!

 

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Scorpius Arch Milky Way

 So it's August and well into triple digit temperatures for this hike. I'm out in the Joshua Tree wilderness area on my way to Scorpius Arch. It appears I am the only human being in the entire area. The highway was empty on my drive out. Smart people stay indoors when it's this hot. In my defense, it's a short hike, and most of my time here will be after the sun goes down.

I've hiked out to (or passed by) Scorpius Arch many times over the years, but have never tried photographing it under the Milky Way. In my quest to keep trying new things, tonight should be fun and interesting!
 

 

View from underneath the arch.

 

As I wait for the night sky, I'm treated to a really pretty sunset!

 

  

 

 

 

After sunset, I have time to mess around while I wait for the stars. If I look directly at the camera with my head lamp as I click the remote shutter button, I get this huge flare. 
 

I'm really pleased with the way the Milky Way aligns with the arch. Plus, it's a beautifully clear sky. This turns out better than I was anticipating!

 

Milky Way over Scorpius Arch.

 

Lots of lighning off to the east.

 

I'm lucky to come across this desert tarantula on my hike back to the car. I rarely see them! This is an iPhone photo with lighting from my headlamp.
 

Thanks for joining me on another beautiful evening in the desert!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Milky Way Over White Tank Campground

 I've hiked all over White Tank Campground in Joshua Tree National Park in the past, but I've never been here at night to try my hand at Milky Way photography. So this post finds me wandering around White Tank on a hot summer afternoon (6/28/25), hoping to be able to line up the arch of the Milky Way in the night sky with some of the incredible rock formations in the area. Goal #2 is to capture some nice sky photos as the sun sets over White Tank.

White Tank is a small campground, with picnic tables and BBQs nestled among the monzogranite boulders. If you're lucky enough to score a campsite here, you won't be disappointed!

 

 

 

One of my favorite rock formations. It reminds me of a smiling dolphin or whale, pushing out of the water. I'll be setting up camera and tripod somewhere in the area later tonight, with hopes of capturing these boulders in the foreground under the Milky Way sky. Meanwhile...

... It looks like I'm in luck for a beautiful sunset!

 

 

 

 

 8:30pm, the crescent moon is setting (and will be gone by the time the MW rises). It looks like the MW will be in optimal position between about 10:30pm to 11:45pm, so I have a couple hours to kill. Usually I enjoy sitting under the stars, soaking up the desert solitude and stillness, and hearing the occasional coyote yip. That's how this night was, and before I knew it, it was time to begin photographing the Milky Way.

Sometimes the rocks take on a sinister look at night!

 

10:25pm. I'm really happy with this one. Totally unexpected and icing on the cake are the meteor streaks. Look closely and you can count three of them! 

A cropped version, which makes the meteors a little easier to see.

 

11:48pm. The Milky Way has moved higher in the sky. After this photo, it was time to pack up my gear and head home. A fun and productive evening!

 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Milky Way Over Pinto Wye Hideout

The Park Service likes to remind people during the summer that "half the Park is after dark." So true, and it's just too hot to safely hike during the day. If you follow me, you know I love being out in the desert under the stars.
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Just to recap... In last week's post, I was scouting the Pinto Wye area for possible locations to photograph the Milky Way. The rock shelter nicknamed "Pinto Wye hideout" looks like it might make an interesting foreground, so here I am, back in Joshua Tree National Park in the Pinto Wye area. It's late afternoon on a hot day (in the '90s), so I've picked a short hike and I'm carrying lots of water.

I've often said how fun and educational it would be to hike with a geologist. In an area dominated by sand-colored granite boulder formations, I come across a large outcropping of white quartz! Why here? How was this formed? I continue my hike as I ponder these questions.

Not too many things flowering in the desert in the late summer, so this was a pleasant surprise. I'm hiking straight ahead, above the sloping hill, and nearly to the base of the distant mountains. It's not a far as it looks!

 

It's about 7:30PM, so I put down a tarp, sleeping pad, and light blanket. I have no plans to camp overnight, but the Milky Way won't be optimal until about 1:30AM, so I will have lots of time to kill. I figure at some point I'll want to take a nap, and this looks like the perfect spot! The hideout is right around the corner.

After sunset, I start experimenting with some lighting in the hideout. I have an orange filter I'm using on my LED light, hoping to make it look a little like a campfire. Soon I'll set my alarm for 1AM and try to get a couple hours sleep.

 

Warming my hands by the "campfire".

 

Here's my first photo of the Milky Way and I'm super happy with it. Wow, did I get lucky! The slope of the Milky Way complements the rocks over the hideout perfectly! Earlier, I took some photos of the rocks when there was still some ambient light, supplemented with light from my headlamp. The camera (on a tripod) was never moved, so I'll be able to easily blend photos of the rocks (with focus and exposure on the rocks) with the MW sky (with focus and exposure for the stars). It makes for a much more interesting photo than just the dark rock silhouettes, and it's also similar to what my eye was seeing at the time of the photo.

 

 

 

It's about 1:30AM, and I'm having such a good time, I decide to pack up my gear and see if I can find a particular big, healthy Joshua tree that I had shared on last weeks post. Navigating in the dark by headlamp is challenging, but I think I can find it.

 

After some effort and a couple pokes from cactus spines, I find what I'm looking for. This big Joshua tree looks beautiful in the light from my headlamp. The light washes out the sky and you can't even see the MW. Next, without moving the camera, I'll turn my headlamp off and focus on the stars. Later I will blend the two photos (see below) and hopefully the Joshua tree and the stars will be in focus. For those who are interested, I'm shooting with a 16-35mm 2.8 lens (set at 16mm and wide open at 2.8); ISO is 6400 with a 10 second exposure time.

 

Blended images (foreground with sky).

 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed my MW photos!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.