Looking Up

Yesterday, I was out in the slickrock, down below a huge fin, when I looked up, and instead of the normal blue sky, it was almost purple. The photos I took showed the same thing, and no, I didn't have a polarizing filter on the camera.

Looking down towards the side a bit.

And even further down.

As you look more towards the zenith, into the deep sky, the atmosphere is thinner, and you see less light bouncing around on water molecules, so the sky looks darker. The more you angle towards the horizon, the thicker the atmosphere. Thus the deep red glows we often see at sunset.

This made me think of how sometimes I see things and yet don't understand the why behind it, leading to misinterpretation. It seems to be something we all do, and we tend to trust our senses maybe more than we should. There have been numerous studies showing we don't always hear or see what's really there—our brains often lead us astray—for example, that shadow that looks like a Bigfoot but is really just a tree.

I do know that, like all humans, I also tend to imagine things that aren't there, and that's one reason why I like having dogs around—for some reason, they don't have overactive imaginations like we humans. But then, they have better senses of smell and hearing than we do, and thus rely on them more than sight, which is our primary sense. So if I think I hear something, I just watch them. When they also react, I know it's not just me.

Of course, they also react at things I know aren't harmful, like the mailman and the pizza delivery guy. And being taller than them helps, too, as I can see things they can't, like that herd of cattle they bring every fall through the Sand Flats, outrunning the high-country snows. That's always a good thing to see coming.

And that reminds me of a time I was camped in the Uintah Mountains in NE Utah. I woke up early, got out of my tent and stretched, then noticed a big herd of sheep coming my way at a fast trot. I barely had time to grab my gear and jump into my car before they were there, flowing around the car like water.

That's one way to wake up fast, and there's also no question as to whether or not your senses are fooling you.