An evening drive to capture sunset photos landed me in a scenic but curiously full dirt parking lot.
One Friday evening, while living in Arizona, I found myself wanting to be closer to the setting sun. In all honesty, I needed to go for a drive to get lost for a bit.
A few minutes later, I was in my car driving toward the sun, still visible above the desert horizon. My familiarity with nearby roads quickly faded and the goal of driving somewhere new was easily met.
Paved roads turned into dirt roads. Cookie cutter neighborhoods shifted to the increasingly lost beauty of original, old homes. Everything was a discovery, all of fifteen miles from the front door of my house.
Almost an hour later, I began to recognize the surrounding area. Tucson Mountain Park and the western district of Saguaro National Park were along these quiet roads.
My final “closer to the sun” destination ended up being Gates Pass, on the western side of Tucson. I had been meaning to take a drive through the area, having heard about the lovely views from friends and park rangers.
A small dirt parking area appeared along a paved road, with a few cars parked around the edge. I pulled in, grabbed my camera, and climbed onto the hood of my Jetta. Since the parking was intended for a few nearby trailheads, I assumed the other cars belonged to hikers making their way back before the sun went down.
As the last bit of daylight began to squeeze over mountain peaks, more cars arrived. I shrugged, knowing night hiking can be a fun activity. Though, mountain lions would cause me to pause before hitting a quiet, dark, desert trail.
Satisfied with my photos from this impromptu drive, I packed up my camera, slid off the car, and hopped inside. Delighted with my new sunset spot, I broke the desert silence with the turn of an ignition key.
When my headlights lit up the other cars in the parking area, I noticed steam on the closed windows. Every single car was occupied. Because this was, apparently, make out point.
I laughed the whole way home. And chose a different parking location for future visits.
As always, thank you for being here.
Fun read!