Tonight did not go as I planned. It was one of the most amazing full moon skies and I have nothing to show you. I feel sick thinking about the loss of video. I guess the moon rising from behind these magnificent "boulders" was meant just for me this night. I handed someone who had not come to play my GoPro to capture the evening...anyway it didn't happen.
A new park rule didn't help either. I learned last night at 9:30 pm that the park now locks the gates at 10:00. We have a good walk ahead of us to reach the parking lot. The walkways were torn up with big machinery revealing they are doing something new and that's great but to get dollys full of drums through dirt and uneven pavement was a chore and the moon wouldn't be up for another twenty minutes so we packed up and headed on a very dark journey back to the cars. Trying to hold a tiny flashlight, pushing a dolly with both hands and trying to see the potholed dirt path was worrying me but then two nice young men offered to light our way, carry drums and pull the dolly. At this point I thought I would get the camera out and capture the moon in all its glory but when I turned around and seen about 50 people behind me wanting to get to their cars and the path we were all on was narrow. So again, no pictures.
Everyone was more than patient of our slowgoing. Many had come to listen or play a tiny instrument and I think appreciated that we had brought the bigger more powerful drums that we were now struggling with to get out.
This is called "Kissing Camels". If you look at the very top of the rock some people think it looks like two camels kissing.
I did capture a bit of the moon much later after some clouds had engolfed it and put it in the video.
The snippet from tonight's drumming is of chanting by two American Indians who were there to participate in the celebration of the full moon. I found it different and beautiful.
