MonikaC
Well-Known Member
I've been absent from the forum for a bit: sold my house just as the market froze up, bought another, moved twice (out of my house & into a storage unit, then from storage unit to the new place) while trying to dodge Covid at places I was staying while in between (person returning from 3 weeks in Europe to place #1 came back sick with something other than covid and person at place #2 got covid from traveling in Japan). I'd scheduled time off around Thanksgiving to get back to slot canyons in Utah, but my FJ needed transmission service, new water pump and new differential to the tune of @$6k. And I needed to keep unpacking boxes at my new house. Finally got a handful of days to get away and it just happened to coincide with an arctic cold front at home where temperatures were minus 15 degrees F, but Moab was going to be around 40 F. Finally, something went right!
So, back to the aforementioned castle in the snow. First shot is of the approach. Back in the day, the parking/turn-off was described to us as being off the highway by a white bridge past the road to Castle Valley. The white bridge has long been replaced with a standard rail. Now it's a short road to a parking area for equestrians. Instead of being able to drive in with high clearance 4WD, it's a walk. The first time in, we missed the climbers trail up to the crags, making for an additional 30' or so in the wash.
Today, the forecast was for patchy fog and clouds. I've wanted to catch Castleton floating above low clouds, but it was not to be. Again. I settled for a hike instead.
From left to right: Sister Superior Group, the Rectory with the Priest & Nuns and finally, Castleton Tower.
The Rectory with Castleton behind.
From 1-200' below the base of the Sister Superior Group. I'd wanted to shoot from in line with the ridge linking the towers, but the trail deteriorated from being merely really nasty steep and loose to a full on horror show (at least without hiking poles and boots instead of mid-top running shoes). I suppose a drone would have been useful, but then I wouldn't have gotten the exercise.
So, back to the aforementioned castle in the snow. First shot is of the approach. Back in the day, the parking/turn-off was described to us as being off the highway by a white bridge past the road to Castle Valley. The white bridge has long been replaced with a standard rail. Now it's a short road to a parking area for equestrians. Instead of being able to drive in with high clearance 4WD, it's a walk. The first time in, we missed the climbers trail up to the crags, making for an additional 30' or so in the wash.
Today, the forecast was for patchy fog and clouds. I've wanted to catch Castleton floating above low clouds, but it was not to be. Again. I settled for a hike instead.
From left to right: Sister Superior Group, the Rectory with the Priest & Nuns and finally, Castleton Tower.
The Rectory with Castleton behind.
From 1-200' below the base of the Sister Superior Group. I'd wanted to shoot from in line with the ridge linking the towers, but the trail deteriorated from being merely really nasty steep and loose to a full on horror show (at least without hiking poles and boots instead of mid-top running shoes). I suppose a drone would have been useful, but then I wouldn't have gotten the exercise.
