If you’re a fan of the HBO Watchman series or the graphic novel, sorry this post is not about that. At the south end of Zion canyon stands an imposing pyramid-shaped mountain keeping watch over the valley. At the intersection where the state highway heads east and the road splits for the only route into the valley, a bridge crosses the Virgin River that carved the valley. There is no walkway on the bridge, just the two lanes of traffic and narrow concrete edges where photographers gather every sunset for the iconic shot of the Watchman over the Virgin River and the cottonwood tree. I was there this evening, not with the big summer crowd, but with several others lined across the bridge with our tripods hoping the promising sky would provide a show.
Watchman, Zion National Park, Utah
As the sun got low, some orange light started to shine on the red sandstone low on the ridges, and then spread to the peak nearby and then up the Watchman.
Sunset
Then the show ended with a flourish. One of the clouds emptied some rain which caught the sunlight like some golden fingers of the artist finishing the painting.
The end of the show