Among the unfamiliar landscapes that call Utah home, the Dark Spire is one of my favorites.  This little Southern Utah canyon owns an impressive expanse of eroding soft dirt and rock that turns immediately into clay with the first sprinkles of rain.  Not entirely difficult to get to unless wet, the Dark Spire, officially mapped as Long Dong Silver Spire, is a distinctive geological formation of gray-blue shale and bentonite clay.  Located near Hanksville, the remote, desolate jutting tower requires a 1.5 to 2.3-mile round-trip hike through the Utah desert badlands.

I have wanted intently to photograph this area during last quiet touch of sunlight with night approaching in a day-to-night project that exceeded many hours and a heap of patience to get enough exposures to finalize the polished details.  The sunset light rays were initially blocked by the clouds but cleared up only five minutes before diving back into shadow - allowing me only a quick time frame for the most important part of the panorama - the light.