We awoke around 7:00 to the sound of a trash truck picking up dumpsters near the entrance to the campground. We were fully awake when the trash truck emptied a dumpster about 30 yds (27m) from the RV. :( After getting out of bed, I went up on the roof of the RV to tilt the solar-electric panels to take advantage of the early-morning sun that was already shining brightly. Had my normal breakfast, then processed images in Capture One (C1). The work I was doing in C1 is part of my normal work flow where I assign a final file name, adjust exposure and white balance, and create a 16-bit TIFF file in ProPhoto color space.

Had lunch around 12:05 of my usual ham-and-Swiss on rye with Grey Poupon Country Dijon mustard and a glass of Coca Cola Classic, followed by a banana and an apple. I processed more images in C1. I tried out the Lee Filters Foundation Kit, a filter holder for 4-inch (100mm) photographic filters, and the wide-angle adaptor ring I bought for it is really cool! It wraps around the regular filter threads on the lens so that the Foundation Kit attaches before the end of the lens so that the first filter is practically right at the end of the lens. I haven't taken any test shots, but it looks like it won't create any vignetting on the 24-105 at 24mm. :) The 1.5mm slot in the filter holds the 1.5mm-thick HiTech 4x4-inch (100x100mm) resin neutral density filters really tight (almost too tight), and the 2mm slots hold the 2mm-thick Lee Filters 4x6-inch (100x150mm) resin graduated neutral density filters perfectly. J has been using a Cokin P holder, and she said the Lee build quality is far superior. We left at 2:51 in the Jeep and went ...

To Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument for the first time around 3:00. The Tent Rocks are cone-shaped hoodoos. They're unique because the layers of rock below the capstones are composed of volcanic pumice, ash, and tuff. (Most hoodoos are formed with sedimentary rock.) J has wanted to go there for a long time, but I wasn't too impressed by the photos of the place by other photographers — it didn't look like it would be too photogenic. We arrived about two hours before sunset, following the suggestion of Laurent Martrès in Photographing The Southwest, Vol. 3 — A guide to the natural landmarks of Colorado & New Mexico. I was quite nervous because the young man at the gate said the entrance gate closed at 4:00 and the exit gate was locked at 5:00 — we wouldn't have too much time to photograph. J was under the impression that we could exit the park at any time through the one-way exit gate, but I thought the guy said they would put the chain back across the one-way exit at 5:00.

We took the 1.5-mile (2.4km) one-way Canyon Trail that winds through a slot canyon then around the bases of some tent rocks, then makes a steep climb up the side of the canyon to a nice view down into the canyon. The slot canyon was interesting, but I couldn't figure out how to photograph it, and I was in a hurry to get to the "good stuff." The scenery started to improve as I was heading up the side of the canyon, but the mixed light with the setting sun wasn't good for photography. I liked the possibilities from the top of the canyon looking back down into the canyon that was all in shade (far left). I started to head back towards the trailhead at 4:30, and met up with J who had just reached the top of the canyon. We started down together, and stopped to photograph the tent rocks that were now completely in shade (near left). We huffed it back to the trailhead, and left the National Monument at 5:36 through the open one-way exit gate — whew.

We returned to the RV around 5:50. We each took a shower, and ...

I made dinner of Kroger Meals Made Simple Shrimp Fried Rice, and it wasn't too simple. The shrimp and veggies had to be stir-fried for a while, then the rice had to be combined and stir-fried some more, then the sauce package had to be combined and stir-fried some more. The Bertolli meals are "simple" — pour the contents in a skillet and cover, stir halfway through, stir once or twice more before removing from the heat and serving. The Shrimp Fried Rice was tasty.

I had some Bommerlunder Gold Jubiläums Akvavit while working up a blog entry.