I've posted about Bird Skull Rock before, most recently in July of 2023. It's one of my favorite rock formations in Joshua Tree National Park, and it's oriented nicely for night photography. We arrived a bit before sunset and the sky was putting on a beautiful show!
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| 8:13pm "blue hour" with small lights inside the "eyes". |
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| 8:41pm: Kind of eerie looking! Are you going to be staring at me all night like that?? |
Beep beep beep... The alarm goes off and I'm not sure either of us got any sleep, but we tried!
Just a piece of the MW is visible, but even so, the combination of clouds and stars is beautiful! It's been a fun night, and we decide to try to get more sleep and hike back to the car in the morning (vs. hiking back around 2am in the dark). It turned out to be a good decision.
If the sky had been clear, here's what the Milky Way would have looked like:
Anyway, it turned out to be an exceptionally pretty sunrise, so glad we opted to spend the night!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Linking with Skywatch Friday.








Wow!! I love all your photos - skies, rock formations, clouds, sunset!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous skies and how awesome to see that rocky skull with glowing eyes.
ReplyDeleteStunning what could be better than getting a sunset, Milky Way and a sunrise. Glorious
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your latest adventure and photos.
ReplyDeleteAnother daring adventure, sleeping with the rattlesnakes. Great photos. Inlinkz is not letting me post my link to my own linkup (make it make sense) Anyway here is my post https://yogisden.us/?p=16051
ReplyDeleteThe cirrus clouds created an atmospheric image of the Milky Way.
ReplyDeleteBummer on the clouds, but it made for a pretty image.
ReplyDelete...it's easy to see how the rock got its name. The final sunset is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteEven with the clouds and stars the photo is wonderful ~ and skull rock with the lights inside is fantastic ~ and what an awesome sunrise ~ Wow!
ReplyDeletethanks, Peter ~ ^_^
Your shots are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThe skies, the rock shapes, the shifting clouds, and that fiery sunset all look incredible.
The skull with glowing eyes is such a cool sight!
Beautiful! You make me wish I'd explored a bit more in the winter months I lived in San Diego and Santa Ana..
ReplyDeleteThe lights in the eyes are spooky looking. I wonder if there was anyone way off looking that way, maybe with binoculars, and saw that and wondered "what the h$$l". If I was out there, and saw that from a distance, I'd make tracks the other direction and fast. Great night shots of that beautiful sky and terrain.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images.
ReplyDeleteStunning skies, Amazing photography. Skull Rock looks wonderful.
ReplyDeletesuch an interesting post, thankyou. I like the idea of lighting up the eyes. I've always been useless at night shots. That sunrise is spectacular. Have a great weekend ahead. I am joining you from Skywatch Friday.
ReplyDeleteI love Milky Way. I live in the City so I don´t get to see it very often. So it´s lovely to see it in your photos. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love the lights in the eyes of the rock along with the cloudy Milky Way, I think it is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI hope to have good skies sometime this coming week to shoot the Milky Way and fireflies.
What an amazing photographical place the desert is.
Wow, what a sunrise! And your night photos are great too, despite the clouds.
ReplyDeleteA skull indeed. Interesting to see this, to read about.
ReplyDeleteGreetings by Heidrun
As always, your sunset and sunrise photos are stunning. I learn so much about the Milky Way on your blog that I went outside to look on July 15 when it had a new moon, and the sky was dark. It was fun!
ReplyDeleteJune 15, I mean
ReplyDeleteGoodness, you really got some incredible pictures.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are simply amazing!
ReplyDeleteThe skull rock is indeed remarkable. No wonder it's your fave.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
Your photos are beautiful even if you didn't get the full milky way shot. That sunrise is pretty spectacular.
ReplyDeleteYou bring us right along on your midnight adventure, describing the dedication it takes to capture the magic of Joshua Tree after dark. The combination of your blue hour experimentation and the unexpected gift of a stunning morning sunrise perfectly illustrates how the desert always rewards those who stay to watch the sky. Amazing how all hours of the day can exude different vibes while in the park.
ReplyDeleteExceptionally pretty is understatement. Wow, what a sunrise. More than made up for the partial Milky Way,
ReplyDeletesimply stunning skies in your post.
ReplyDeleteScarily beautiful! Wonderful photography again, thank you!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see these photos. Don't the lights look good.
ReplyDeleteThose small lights inside the eyes look incredibly cool and spooky! Absolutely stunning photography. Even with the shifting cloud cover, that shot of the Milky Way is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteEerie but amazing 🤩
ReplyDeleteI love the eerie monster rock. The Milky Way wasn't able to perform but what an amazing night spent with one of your favourite rock formations.
ReplyDeleteGreats shots again.
ReplyDeleteI remember this from '23! What a unique place, even more special at night with the lighting and the almost perfect night.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific place to compose those interesting shots! Glowing eyes, desert landscapes, Milky Way - what more could one hope for?
ReplyDeleteWhoa that is so cool.
ReplyDeleteI never tire of seeing the Mikly Way in a dark sky! It is a rare sight when one lives close to a big city;s light pollution. The Bird Skrull rock formation rrally lives up to it's descriptive name--so eeerie!
ReplyDeleteWhat an outstanding post! For me, really otherworldly!!!
ReplyDelete