I recently learned of a remote canyon in southern Utah with walls of red and white striped patterns and strange pillow-like formations. Hot summer weather delayed my explorations of this St. George location. Cool, dry October days have lured me back to the desert. If you are a fan of desert photography, add Yant Flat and the Candy Cliffs to your travel list. You’ll definitely want to photograph this strangely sculpted landscape.

​My newsletter #144 explores this desert landscape paved with pink hexagonal blocks decorated with orange stripes and other strange formations. You will need some help finding this place.

Heading south from Sacramento, you can follow city streets and go east on J Street to Freeport Blvd then head south to Freeport. In Freeport, you will find the bridge over the Sacramento River when you reach the golf course. Heading south on the other side of the Sacramento River, you will find no towns and few services. You will cross a few bridges over rivers and sloughs flowing into the Sacramento.

​Across the Sacramento River from the town of Courtland is an abandoned mansion sitting halfway up the levee and partially hidden by weeds and wild roses. The pillars are rotting away from the porch and all of the windows are boarded up. A weathered coat of white paint is peeling. Relics like this are not a common sight in California. Park your car on the wide shoulder, just south of the ruin, and find the best spot for your tripod.

Driving north or south on Interstate 15 you will see signs pointing out the route through Jean to the Seven Magic Mountains. The seven-mile route follows the original road from LA to Las Vegas. Visible from the freeway are seven tall stacks of very large boulders, 35-40 feet high, painted in day-glo shades of primary colors. Erected by Italian artist Ugo Rondinone in 2016, this exhibit was planned to be removed in 2018. The Bureau of Land Management has extended the removal date to the end of 2027. Close-up photos of the stone columns don’t mean much without including the surrounding expanse of desert.

I wanted to move way back with my camera to show how small and isolated these seven stone stacks really are. I found a spot for my tripod and waited for groups of tourists to get their shots. It took over an hour for all of them to leave. I didn’t want anyone in my photos. If the parking lot is filled with tour buses on a sunny day, you’ll never get a magic photo without lots of tourists with phones. Arrive here very early or very late in the day.

​The Seven Magic Mountain project cost $3.5 million in private funds. No tax money was involved. This anomaly is something different, abnormal, not easily classified and not on my list of locations I plan to photograph in the desert around Las Vegas. Leaving the Seven Magic Mountains, stay off the freeway and continue driving northeast on the frontage road, right into Las Vegas.

Most zoos open at 10:00 am, after the best morning light is gone. Arrive at the entrance before the gates open. You’ll find a better parking space, and most of the animals are more active in the morning. Summer mornings at some zoos can be foggy, providing much better lighting for photography than contrasty, mid-day lighting.

​Get your hand stamped at the gate so that you can return your heavy jacket to your car when the sun comes out. Since you’ll be walking all day, wear comfortable shoes. Wear black clothing to eliminate reflections on plexiglass enclosures. Pack a black t-shirt in the side pocket of your camera bag. This is also a must-have item for helicopter photography when you have to shoot through windows. Apply a good coat of sunscreen before you leave home – I like the 100+ SPF – more is better.

If you have not already downloaded a map of the zoo you’ll be visiting, pick up a free map of the zoo at the entrance gate. You will need it to find your way through a maze of paths and stairways connecting the Reptile Land to the African Kingdom to the Primate Compound. A map will also help you find the exit at the end of the day.