The Prow

This is the prow of El Capitan as seen from the Salt Basin Overlook trail in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The hike around the mountains is rocky, open, and very deserty. There is no shade and it is easy to get sunburned, wind burned, and drenched.

I got all three on a single afternoon. On a late summer afternoon I hiked out around the basin overlook trail. It was sunny and windy at first but the clouds kept building and on the hike back it rained pretty heavy.

This image is on the way back a few minutes before the sky opened up.

El Cap

The Captain is one of neatest photographs in Texas. Jutting out like a wedge (or maybe the prow of a ship) from the Guadalupe Mountains it looms over the desert below.


When viewed from the top of Guadalupe Peak, it is like looking over the bow of a ship. Hence the name.

When viewed from east, west, or south it is visible from many miles away. It truly stands out. It also has no bad side. It looks good morning and evening.

This image is a morning view from the east side. When the light first strikes the rock it glows with a wonderful orange. I never tire of visiting this park and watching the sunrise and sunset on these cliffs.