Photograph of Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. The dry, desiccated winds which blow through this part of northern Arizona don't provide much rain or snow to nourish the plants. This lack of vegetative cover allows the bones of the earth's crust to be laid bare to the elements. When infrequent rains do come, they usually arrive as cloudbursts which blow away any soil or sand which has accumulated in these stone basins. There's no telling how long this sun-bleached branch has been laying here. Due to the dry conditions, it could have tumbled in here 100 years ago or just last week. This horizontal photograph was captured with a 6x7 format camera. All photos in these fine art photo galleries may be ordered as fine art framed prints or for stock photography usage.