Before I inundate followers with a slew of arches, I thought I would start this post with a spot of color. Potash is a group of water-soluble salts containing potassium, most commonly potassium chloride, and is used mainly as a fertilizer for plants. Historically, potash was produced by leaching wood ashes in large pots, but today it is manufactured by mining potassium-rich minerals from ancient evaporite deposits and processing them to remove impurities. A bright blue dye is added to potash evaporation ponds during potash mining to absorb more sunlight and heat, which speeds up water evaporation and helps the potash crystallize more quickly. The striking blue is especially visible during peak evaporation but may shift to lighter blue, tan, or brown as more water evaporates and potash forms. When I noticed these pools while looking at a satellite view in Google Maps, I knew it was a must photograph destination despite requiring a few miles of very rugged 4×4 “road” travel.

The balance of my day was primarily centered on photographing arches I had never visited before both inside Arches National Park and outside.

Sand Dune Arch

Broken Arch

Jug Handle Arch

Corona Arch

Bowtie Arch

A permit and mandatory training are needed to hike through the Arches Fiery Furnace because the area is a challenging maze-like labyrinth with no established trails and high walls that block GPS signals, making it easy to get lost and requiring careful navigation. The aerial view tells the whole story and reveals the overall structure which can not be observed from the ground.

I could not resist making a panorama centered on the Three Gossips even though I have photographed this scene many times before.

When temperatures hit their midday peak, I started seeing things in the rocks. Tell me if you do not think the photo below looks like the head of a dog.

I half expected to see a giant come over the top of this peak when I saw its massive hand grabbing the ledge.

Below, a smaller hand is preventing this precariously perched boulder from falling over.

As the sun started to set, I drove to Dead Horse Point State Park to capture the magic and was not disappointed.