# Chasing a Shadow



## Clark (Oct 23, 2014)

After running for three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours, Forrest Gump turns around right here and says, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now."
I've been down that road.



Mile Marker 13













A handful of miles down on the left, is Monument Valley, our primary destination for this trip. The main attraction for us will be The Mittens.
The rock formations are called buttes. The closer one is the West Mitten Butte, and the further is the East Mitten Butte.
As one can imagine, I shot the snots out of them.


Back in the day, Ansel was doing his thing about 10-12 feet to the left.
My take.








Man on Horse









A New Day










By now, one must be wondering what those shots have to do with the title of the thread.
Not much. The thread needed some fluff, and Christine and I had to kill some time waiting for a favorable sunset.
Personally, I think the above could be had any day of the week(YMMV). And that wasn't good enough. We planned ahead.

As one knows, twice a year something a little extra ordinary happens. On a few rotations, the Earth lines up just right with the Sun,
and the shadow of the West Mitten lands perfect on the East.
It was obvious most tourist were unaware of the event. It was easy making friends with the ones who were.
The climax of the thread....





Catching Some Rays










Comments and criticism welcome.
Thank you for your time.


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## NYEric (Oct 23, 2014)

I see it, Cool.


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## likespaphs (Oct 23, 2014)

such wonderful photos!


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 23, 2014)

Did the shadow reveal the secret door to Durin's kingdom?


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## Justin (Oct 23, 2014)

wow!


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## Hera (Oct 23, 2014)

So beautiful. Thanks for sharing.


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## eggshells (Oct 23, 2014)

Fantastic shots!


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## Drorchid (Oct 23, 2014)

Amazing shots! I have never been there, but makes me want to go! It is hard to tell which is my favorite, as I love them all! You have a great eye!!
Robert


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## 17andgrowing (Oct 23, 2014)

That's awesome!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Oct 23, 2014)

OK, I'm breathless.


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## iwillard (Oct 23, 2014)

Wow! Awesome photos!


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## SlipperFan (Oct 23, 2014)

Nature's sculptures are awesome, and beautifully drawn by an excellent camera's eye.

The first photo is familiar, but still a wondrous view.


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## abax (Oct 23, 2014)

Love the b/w photo best of all. The others ain't no slouch either. The b/w has so much
texture and movement...excellent.


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## cnycharles (Oct 23, 2014)

Nice catch


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## Yoyo_Jo (Oct 24, 2014)

I see your photography journey continues...fabulous shots. Makes me want to go there myself. :clap:


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## JeanLux (Oct 24, 2014)

Bravo Clark!!!! Excellent shots again !!!! Jean


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## cnycharles (Oct 24, 2014)

Linus_Cello said:


> Did the shadow reveal the secret door to Durin's kingdom?



No, the thrasher didn't show up cracking the snail


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## Clark (Oct 25, 2014)

Thank you all for the kind complements! Much appreciated!!!
There are some flaws though. I will go through them after weekend.
Jumping on airplane now to go shoot Great Dunes NP in Colorado 
Got plane, car, one bedroom apt. for under $360.00 for seven days. 

Hi Joanne. Nice to hear from you.


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## Clark (Oct 25, 2014)

cnycharles said:


> No, the thrasher didn't show up cracking the snail



Actually, that's not what happened.

I didn't have a telephoto lens at the time, so no photo study.
But what I viewed through the Swarovski 10x42 was nothing short of a Hollywood story.

The Navajo's know about shadow, and had prepared to overtake the kingdom.
It looked like every able male Navajo were standing at the base of the butte. I could see hundreds of pipes being passed around. The smoke was thick.
As the shadow grew, the chanting became more intense. So far away, I could feel the vibes.
When the shadow appeared on the East Mitten, there was silence. And in a short moment the door opened slowly.
Bright light was glaring from the other side, and I could see the silhouette of Durin. He was clueless of the impending attack. The Navajos overwhelmed him immediately. 
They cut his throat, ear to ear. Strange that they left the hair intact...


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## TDT (Oct 25, 2014)

Spectacular!


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 25, 2014)

Clark said:


> Actually, that's not what happened.
> 
> Strange that they left the hair intact...



Not the beard?


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## KyushuCalanthe (Oct 25, 2014)

Linus_Cello said:


> Not the beard?



Rephrase that to:

"NOT THE BEARD!"


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## Carkin (Oct 25, 2014)

Stunning pics! "A new day" is a standout for me. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.


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