Arizona, New Mexico, Utah

Caught this photo during a typical Arizona sandstorm. The Saguaro was near our RV. The original image was OK, but it was MORE INTERESTING to do some manipulation in GIMP. The experiment seems to have worked out. Looks more like a poster now. Seems surreal enough for the Sunday Challenge. See: swansonphotos.com/arizona

We were visiting the area, and parked our RV at a National Forest campground near the entrance to the National Park. This setup allowed us to visit the canyon rim at all hours, rather than trying to keep a schedule for a day trip. We got to the rim an hour before sunset, and set up our cameras. We took a large number of photos, while a crowd of visitors closed in on us. Fortunately, our tripods kept the most curious away. I like this image, with deep purple colors on the rock formations, and just a sliver of the last sun's rays. See: swansonphotos.com/arizona

Taken in Arizona. This cactus was blooming in the morning, and looks nice against the blue sky. Processed with GIMP. See: swansonphotos.com/arizona

Taken at Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona. See: swansonphotos.com/saguaro

Taken during the regular air show that occurs in Casa Grande, Arizona. We were there for the winter, and spent a day watching the show and looking at airplanes. Didn't buy any. Taken with the Nikon D700 See: swansonphotos.com/arizona

We had some spectacular sunsets during our visits in Quartzsite. I was taking sunset shots, when the paraglider flew overhead. I was able to wait until they were in the frame for this shot. For the Sunday Challenge, this offers several layers of yellow, from the bright sun to the deeper orange. See: swansonphotos.com/arizona

Taken at the Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Arizona. I used the Panasonic GX85. The wind was blowing all of these delicate wildflowers around. It was difficult to get a clear shot. Processed with GIMP. See: swansonphotos.com/saguaro

Taken during our return visit 2017. Used the Panasonic GX85. See: swansonphotos.com/saguaro

Taken in Quartzsite, Airzona, while we had our motorhome parked in the desert. We had some beautiful sunsets and evenings.