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Quail Lane Studios

Gallery 3-1 - Sunrises and Sunsets of the Southwest

   A time of day and a frame of mind...come early or come late, but either way prepare yourself for the romantic prismatic colors of sun, clouds and landscape. Come to the Southwest at sundown.  The oblique rays of the sun light the undersides of the clouds and shower a prism of beauty on canyons, flowers and homesteads alike.  Then add a desert monsoon and a cruising hawk for awesome drama.  Be sure and check our other galleries; they overlap a little.

    For your convenience, we've placed only a few images on each page of this gallery.  When you are ready, go to page 2 or page 3 in this Gallery, or use the tags at the top to view other galleries on our site and place your order.

Desert's Edge

Desert's Edge  

Desert’s Edge©.  Your eyes follow the hawk as he swoops across the mountain tops.  His view is marvelous, taking in the carpeted lower green desert of spring as well as the rocky high slopes alive with Joshua trees.  From the top we are able to join the hawk in sighting mountain beyond mountain over a hundred miles into the distance.

 

Dove Mountain Sunrise

Dove Mountain Sunrise

Dove Mountain Sunrise©.  Dove Mountain is honeycombed with trails running from the washes up through the entire Tortolita Mountain Range.  The trails below are still dark, as the morning sun is just beginning to rise over the mountain.  The sun’s angle highlights a golden palo verde and just, barely, grazes the top edges of a lone saguaro.

 

Dusty Sunset 

    Dusty Sunset©.  The sunsets are reportedly better when there is a little dust blown high in the air across the desert’s surface.  Here the sun streaks between some of the peaks of the Tucson mountains.  It is just before dark and the hawk poised on the giant saguaro to the right is enjoying a cool evening hunt.

 

Early Light

Early Light

Early Light©.  This is high desert country, with mile after mile of eroded mesas and valleys, each decorated with gigantic soft-looking junipers.  Here you are viewing from the edge of a mesa through the desert haze of morning light.  Enjoy the mysterious silent tableau.

 

Evening Glow

Evening Glow

Evening Glow©.  The sky is ablaze with fire as the sun begins to sink.  But in the process it provides a glow of backlight illuminating the plants it has nurtured.  Here the red spines of a small barrel cactus stand out in front of a rangy cholla.

Evening Run

Evening Run 

   Evening Run©.  Saddle up if you dare.  But first, you should know that the horses are wild, unbranded, and unbroken running through the open range on the Tohono Oodham Reservation.  The mountains are the North Comobabi range well southwest of Ironwood National Monument.

 

Night of the Hawk  

 Night of the Hawk©.  The night belongs to the Harris hawk perched briefly for the sake of reconnaissance on a giant saguaro cactus as sunset crosses the Sonoran Desert.  The Tucson Mountains appear in the distance, but this hawk is clearly hoping that a midnight snack may be much closer, perhaps hopping through the brittle brush and creosote bush below. 

 

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   One last comment:  We know these images are tempting; they are also copyrighted.  Downloading for printing or other copying  is expressly forbidden.