As mentioned in another photo, I had planned to camp on the rock bench in the
background. Why?---because I thought it would be fun. But finding a level spot
for pitching my tent was nearly impossible. That, coupled with the possibility
that my sleeping pad would let me "bottom out" on the sandstone, forced me to
change my plans. The dirt in front of the bench was level, relatively soft, and
was not infested with cryptobiotic soil. This scene is in the late afternoon
shadow of the mesa's ridge. I took this picture just before returning to the
river to get the second load of things for my overnight stay.
From Dead Horse Point State Park, the scene looks like this.

The next shot was taken while standing to the left of the tent and looking to the right.
.