Mesa Morning

Story

The stillness and silence of the desert night were absolute; not even the wind dared to make a rustle. The sun crept stealthily toward the horizon, intent on providing a quiet mesa morning. But I was there, waiting, watching, and quietly preparing for the approaching moment.

Slowly and stealthily, the colors began to seep into the landscape. The early-morning shades of blue gave way to the colors of daylight, revealing the surreal and surely alien vista before me. The twisted and barren Upper Blue Hills area, is just outside Hanksville, Utah. Yet, springing from the barrenness is an otherworldly beauty, especially at dawn. Mesa Morning was beginning to come together.

I waited noiselessly at my perch three hundred feet over the valley floor. Subsequently, the colors spread from the tip-top of the buttes downward. As the sun rose, the scene came to life. The early morning light danced off the ridges, perfectly defining them, and the soft colors blended into perfect harmony.

Mesa Morning is that morning. The scene lasted moments before the strong daylight took it away, but nothing can surpass the splendor of that moment.