Scout

Today I went out to Painted Canyon to scout for a client. Actually, it was the second visit I made this week to the popular hiking area. I had to return because the client originally chose to shoot on part of an Indian Reservation and was unable to obtain the necessary permits. Unfortunately, I wasn’t made aware of this, or else I could’ve saved everyone some time.

Near the end of the afternoon, I came across a large wash and decided to take a few last shots, even though was I confident I had more than enough options for the client to get his permit. I even thought I might be on reservation land again, but something was urging me to get out of the truck just one last time. I had seen a small coyote earlier, crossing the road ahead of my path, so maybe I was unconsciously hoping to see something cool before I set off for home. It was neat seeing the canyons and learning that I was actually right on the San Andreas Fault (and kinda creepy, too!), but I guess I was just looking for something a little more. The desert has a way of being kinda blah, especially if you breathe a lot of dust.

So I wandered off the road and into the wash, and I found this old, abandoned, weathered, and mud-crusted couch half buried in the mud-caked floor. I sat there wondering about the history of this couch... who sat in it last, who was the first family to buy it, where it was abandoned, how far it traveled in the torrent of water which brought it to its current resting place. Then I took this shot.