Cropped

Looking west from a hilltop above the valley floor along the old Pony Express Trail. This trail was used to transport mail from St. Joseph's, Missouri to Sacramento, California ...passing through Salt Lake City, Utah and the West Desert where I took this photo. I was actually scouting out interesting locations in the closest dark sky areas for astrophotography sessions in the norther hemisphere Milky-way season which has just begun. This site might work out well being above the desert floor with a great view to the south.

The rock outcrop has various lichens and mosses on them and the hill has a Juniper forest with sagebrush and at least two cactus species. A parking lot for off road vehicle trailers is seen on the right a mile below me. The distances in the desert are deceiving to the eye and mind. The snowcapped mountains in the background are about 23 miles from my viewpoint.