It was 4:47. Along 491, occasional spurs were already catching the last rays of the sunset, briefly lighting up in red as the sky slowly shifted into a blue-pink gradient. I drove as fast as I could, feeling almost like riding on horseback, to try to catch the last scraps of daylight at Ship Rock.

By the time we turned onto Indian Service Route 13, I was fairly sure we wouldn’t make it before the sun was gone. But as the road gently curved around the back of Shiprock in the distance, I couldn’t help but slow down. The last traces of sunlight spilled across the endless dry land and illuminated all the weeds. In that moment, the destination felt less important.

At 5:04, we finally stood at the off-road entry to Ship Rock. We got off the car and stood in the shadow of the ridges, watching the rock at the distance in silence like a castle. The sunset had lost its warmth by then, rendering the sky into a pale musky grey tone. What remained was gentle and quiet, slowly fading across the creased surfaces.

            Shot in California, New Mexico in 2025.