Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dwarfed

Bicyclist and Wingate Sandstone, Colorado National Monument, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Dwarfed by sheer walls of desert sandstone, a lone cyclist tests his endurance by biking along a national park road which eventually snakes up the valley to the canyon rim. 

 The reddish Wingate Sandstone formation is composed of ancient sand dunes dating from about 200 million years ago. It towers above the valley along a fault line to form immense cliffs throughout Colorado National Monument. 

 On this particular day, we spotted a pair of Peregrine Falcons flying along the cliffs where they had made their aerie on a rocky ledge.


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19 comments:

  1. JoeFebruary 7, 2013 at 12:49 AM

    Wow. I wouldn't have even noticed the cyclist unless you had mentioned him. He is indeed dwarfed by the enormity of this rock face. It reminds me so much of Kings Canyon in Central Australia.

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  2. Cezar and LéiaFebruary 7, 2013 at 4:09 AM

    These cyclists are brave guys!:)
    Awesome place!
    Léia

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  3. Adrian ParkFebruary 7, 2013 at 4:46 AM

    Gorgeous colours in the rock (I think sandstone was designed for photographers!) and a powerful sense of scale. I always think that the web browser never does pictures like this any justice. It needs to be seen printed nice and big and stuck on a wall.

    Perhaps one day when I'm in your part of the world...!

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  4. TonyFebruary 7, 2013 at 5:03 AM

    It's like huge natural architecture! It's enormity shown off perfectly by the tiny cyclist.

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  5. UnknownFebruary 7, 2013 at 6:21 AM

    Amazing image! What a wall!! :)

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  6. London CallerFebruary 7, 2013 at 8:51 AM

    Majestic!
    I feel so small suddenly... Ha ;o)

    We can play tic-tac-toe on the cliffs!

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  7. MelissaFebruary 7, 2013 at 12:37 PM

    Wow, it gives a wonderful sense of perspective! Always good for a cyclist to wear neon yellow :)

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  8. FocalesFebruary 7, 2013 at 1:20 PM

    J'aime les couleurs chaudes de cette roche si particulière au Colorado. Ton pays offre des paysages grandioses que l'on ne trouve nulle part ailleurs et c'est aussi pour cela que j'aime l'Amérique

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  9. Traveling HawkFebruary 7, 2013 at 3:31 PM

    I love the texture of the rock here. Beautiful colors too.

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  10. ScottFebruary 7, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    I was at Colorado national Monument last summer. Your image is sooo much better than any I took there. Thanks for sharing, and giving a great "feel" for this wondrous place.

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  11. ArndFebruary 7, 2013 at 5:07 PM

    Wow, a stunner!
    This is a beautifully composed image with drama and atmosphere, enhanced by the lonesome figure on his bike.

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  12. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2013 at 9:36 PM

    I agree, is is swallowed up by the enormity of the cliff...

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  13. LaurelFebruary 7, 2013 at 10:32 PM

    Great perspective.

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  14. AyushFebruary 8, 2013 at 1:48 AM

    great shot. what a rugged wall! 'dwarfed' is right

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  15. yzFebruary 8, 2013 at 4:53 AM

    excellent scale

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  16. RemusFebruary 9, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    Absolutely gorgeous!
    Wonderful composition.

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  17. franzFebruary 10, 2013 at 3:04 PM

    awsome sense of proportion, and terrific colour of the rocky wall !

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  18. rianFebruary 11, 2013 at 11:06 AM

    that's definitely massive, great sense of scale here..

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  19. DomLOrthaFebruary 13, 2013 at 11:10 AM

    Magnificent ochre!!! So beautiful!
    Have a nice day.

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