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Mesa Arch

June 2008

Mesa Arch, one of the most photographed views of the American Southwest. Below the natural arch is a slick rock face and at the bottom, some 60-70 feet below lies another curve of rock in opposition to the line of the arch. At sunrise, the first rays of light strike the rock face and are reflected straight up onto the underside of Mesa Arch by the counter-posed arc of rock below, resulting in the intense light seen here.

This image was taken near to the height of summer, not quite the optimal time of year, as the sun has to rise a little over the spur of land to the northeast before hitting Mesa Arch. However, it is a nice time of year to catch the sun to the extreme north of the arch. Earlier or later in the summer, the rising sun is blocked for even longer by the La Sal mountains, just visible beyond the “Washer Woman” rock formation in the mid-ground of this image.