Utah Storm Chasing
Nestled between Capitol Reef National Park and Boulder Mountain lies a plot of land covered in towering Ponderosa Pines, Cedars older than any living thing, and creeping willows that line the banks of the creek system. Down the pasture you’ll find the remnants of my relatives old homestead; a small look into the life they used to live. As you walk across the creek and through the tall grass you make it to the top of a small hill where the framework of the old Williams Family corral overlooks the ever so luminous red rock cliffs to the north.
The ice cold creek was once used to to keep milk cool as the floating barrels made their way downstream, now we do the same thing, just with beer. We like to reminisce on what life must have been like in the old days. Picturing what happened on a daily basis then, versus now. Considering the pace that society is changing around us today, everything about being on Fish Creek Ranch makes me feel like I’m right back in the same time period as those who lived on the land before us, completely detached from society, simply appreciating the beauty of nature and everything it provides.
Over the years we’ve evolved from tent camping to a busted pop-up camper, and now an old Airstream renovated by my parents. Every summer that I can remember has been spent boondocking at our favorite spot on the pasture in a circle of trees beside the creek. As a matter of fact, it also happens to be be the cows favorite spot, we’ve learned, because every afternoon around 5-7pm they make their way over to our camp where they graze on the short, fresh grass. But this time, and pretty much every time, they’re driven to the corner of either end of the property by our dog, Tiki.
One of the most exciting things about camping in Utah is the weather. Virtually everything in this ecosystem revolves around water, and a good year of rain makes a big difference. During the time we’re usually up there, (early/mid summer) Monsoon storms are prevalent. Monsoons occur when a high pressure system over the four corners (the junction of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico) creates shifting of low level winds and allows the humid, tropical air to linger, bringing strong winds, rain and lightning storms*. You don’t want to be caught in the wrong place during one of these storms.
Capitol Reef National Park roughly 20 miles from us has seen some of the worst flash flooding in recent years, putting many unsuspecting visitors in danger. Here is a incredible video of a brave father who was able to keep his family safe in a life threatening flash flood situation in the Capitol Gorge that developed in a matter of minutes.
To our convenience, we aren’t in danger of flash floods at our campsite beside Fish Creek, so my first instinct is to grab my camera when I see a storm developing. From what I’ve observed, the storms tend to come over Boulder Mountain at our southwest, forming immense lightning strikes that shatter the sky with electricity. Far in the distance to our east a light show of it’s own can often be seen lighting up the horizon.
Composite photo of two lightning strikes moments apart over Boulder Mountain.
For most of the afternoon we’re able to sit back and keep dry while observing the surrounding light shows. A deep whooshing sound approaches from the wind passing through the trees in the nearby foothills. Taking the form of waves, the branches join together to roar as the energy proceeds past them. After a quick shock, the wind dies and the atmosphere returns to complete silence.
After getting the wide angle shot of lightning over Boulder Mountain shown above, I decided to take a different approach and attempt a photo with my telephoto lens zoomed in on the part of the mountain range that was hosting the most frequent strikes. It was drizzling by the time I had this idea, so I threw a towel over the top of my tripod set-up. I set my camera to timelapse mode on a 1 second interval (as short as possible) and my shutter speed to 1 second as well, which was as low as I could go with current lightning situations. This gave me a 50/50 chance at capturing a strike, if it happened to strike in the frame I selected. At 200mm of zoom that’s a very tight frame, with a lot of luck involved.
I sat in a crouch beside the campfire, chatting with family, watching the storm. Pointing my eyes at the same spot I knew that my lens was focused on. After about 20 minutes of waiting, sure enough, the strike hit exactly where I had hoped. I jumped to my feet in excitement and waited to see if the shutter captured it. It did. And the results are everything I hoped for.
This is just a glimpse into the wonders of this place. Look out for more stories about specific experiences and make sure to check out my other post from Utah, Certified Dark Sky. Thanks for reading!
* Sources:
https://www.abc4.com/weather/monsoon-season-is-here-but-what-does-that-mean-for-utah-weather/
