One of the many things that the "Wizard of Oz" movie did right was to use the new invention of technicolor in a creative way: they essentially made a character out of technicolor by starting the movie in black and white, and then shifting to technicolor in the land of Oz.
When an RV traveler is blown out of Utah by another "blue norther", and heads downriver along the Colorado River, they are doing the Wizard of Oz thing in reverse. They are going from technicolor to brown and grey. Does this mean disappointment?
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Not necessarily. This is certainly good news and is worth explaining. Years ago I started losing interest in landscape photography because it was too edited to believe. So what?, if the photographer has invested in Photoshop Pro and edits the hell out of red rock or red sunsets? Going ga-ga over red rocks in Utah is best left to newbies.
A traveler is a living, breathing, thinking human being. It is natural and healthy for their inclinations to change over time. When the cold air (and I) come blasting down from Utah into Nevada, it is easy to say, "Well that was great. But there is more to life than just red rock."
I have learned to appreciate the Joshua trees, especially if you get lucky and see snow on them! Better yet, the alluvial fans (ramps) coming out the mountains like glaciers of gravel and rubble are rather grand looking. They are easy to camp and bike on. The little dog and I can bike up these ramps and get great exercise, and then turn around and coast back to camp. I admire the predictable transition to bigger rocks as you approach the mountains.
I appreciate not being surrounded by millions of Zion tourists when in Nevada. St. George has become a traffic nightmare.
Walking the arroyos with my dog, in chilly autumn/winter air, is a long-term love affair. Perhaps it has lasted so long because it wasn't based on cheap visual entertainment to begin with.
And south of red-rock Utah, you can look forward to the crinkly mountains at sunset.
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