~Virga At Sunset~

~Backdrop To Dead Horse Mountain~

Virga is a mass of streaks of rain appearing to hang under a cloud and evaporating before reaching the ground. This happens a lot in the arid Southwestern Sonoran Desert. High temperatures and very low humidity are the causes of this wonderfully beautiful phenomenon. And when combined with the setting sun, well I couldn't resist the image.

Photographing this was not without its hazards. Alone in the desert tonight, with just enough light to see my feet, I moved a bit to my left to get a tree branch out of my view. Rattle, rattle and rattle! Yikes a very large and angry rattlesnake was just a few feet from me. In hindsight he was maybe a 5 footer. With my camera held in my right hand I'm in the habit of having my snake gun on my left side for an easy draw. If your too close to the rattler the worst thing you can do is move suddenly, or just move at all. A snake gun is a regular pistol but loaded with snake-shot, kind of a shotgun shell for pistols. He was coiled and ready to strike, but lacked the distance for an attack. I realize he was about a foot or two short of his goal, so I backed off but with pistol in hand just in case. I don't kill unless I feel I need to do the deed in order to survive.

Thanks for coming by for a look,
and watch your step out here, TucsonJim ;o)

Virga Sunset In Large