Sandstone's Golden Vein
It's funny how the biggest landscapes often hide the most compelling details right at your feet. I was wandering through a canyon system near Moab after some recent rains, and I almost walked right past this. The sandstone was this incredible cool purple in the shade, but then I saw these flashes of gold. The potholes, filled with still, cold water, were perfectly positioned to catch the light hitting the opposite canyon wall. It was like the rock had split open to reveal liquid gold inside. A simple, quiet scene, but it felt like a secret.
One of our favorite ways to spend time in the desert is simply wandering through canyons, exploring and discovering new ones. We had visited this canyon before and remembered a series of beautiful potholes that I knew would come alive after a rain.
We were lucky with the timing. Recent storms had filled the potholes with water, and when we arrived, the light was reflecting off the canyon walls above while the pools below remained in shadow. It was one of those quiet moments where everything briefly aligned.