The views in any direction here are a complete and overwhelming visual overload. You hear yourself saying "oh my God..." every 10 feet. A fellow photographer from whom I've learned much, Dan Anderson, described the Vermillion Cliffs areas as one of his all-time favorite locations in the southwest. Now I know why.

Sheryl and I hiked down through a feature called the Worm Hole, an unbelievable, twisted upheaval of primitive sandstone. Out the other end, we turned back for a reverse look at where we just came from, when this glowing rock sat against a deep orange sandstone background.

I tried to keep the composition simple despite being overly distracted by interesting formations in every direction.

The result to me was a tranquil Zen-like scene within this otherwise turbulent landscape of twisted stone.

Canon EOS 5D, Tamron 28-105 f/2.8, SP Aspherical LD @54mm, 1/20 sec @f/14, ISO equiv 200, Calumet 8000 Carbon Fiber Tripod, Gitzo G1276 Ballhead