During my last road trip, I visited Horseshoe Bend while I was in Page, Arizona. I've traveled to a lot of places throughout the United States. Horseshoe Bend ranks high on my list of the most scenic locations in the country.

One afternoon, I made a scouting trip to the location. I sometimes do this so that I won't be surprised when I arrive in the evening when the light is more favorable. One thing that I learned is that while the overlook is relatively easy to access, it does require a hike of about 3/4 mile is some sandy conditions. It's not located right next to the parking lot.

I found it surprising that there wasn't a more structured overlook. Basically, the sandstone outcroppings just end. You must walk right up to the edge of the cliff to see the river. It's a little scary as there are no railings. The distance from the ledge to the Colorado River is about 1,000 feet. It's like being on the observation deck of the John Hancock building without any railings or windows!

What makes this even more dangerous is that you can't see how much sandstone is underneath you. If you get too close to certain sections of the edge, you might be standing on sandstone that is just a few inches thick and unable to support your weight. That happened to a tourist a few years ago and he tumbled hundreds of feet to his death.

I am absolutely amazed that more people don't die at Horseshoe Bend. While I was there, several kids ran right up to the edge. Some kids sat with their legs hanging over the edge. A few photographers stood within a foot of the edge while looking through the viewfinder.

I found it difficult to frame a shot. Without getting too close to the edge, I couldn't include the bottom portion of the river in the frame. In the end, I secured my camera to a tripod. I crawled to a point about three feet from the edge and reached out to place my tripod as close to the edge as possible. From there, I used the Live View on the back of the camera to frame the shot. I used a cable release to trigger the shutter. Although my camera was right on the edge, I was able to stay a reasonable distance away.

I was concerned about the possibility of my camera somehow falling over the cliff. It's not as if something like that has never happened to me before! I held onto one of the legs of the tripod so that the camera wouldn't move--especially when the wind gusted.

I started shooting about 20 minutes before sunset and continued shooting for about 30 minutes after sunset. The only images that I processed were the very last ones. I find it amazing how today's digital sensors can record such detail and colors despite the fact that the conditions were so dark. In fact, it was so dark when I took this picture that it was challenging finding my way back to the car! This image consists of five exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. The shutter speed was as slow as 8 seconds to allow enough light through the lens to record the image.

Horseshoe BendThe Colorado River forms Horseshoe Bend in Coconino County near Page, Arizona on August 3, 2014. This photograph consists of five exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image.