Unusual weather caused a sequence of rain and rapid drying to transform a salt lake into a vast carpet of extraordinarily tall crystalline tubes that looked to me like a miniature forest or an alien megalopolis. When I set up to photograph this area, I had only dim light to guide me, but then the sun crested a distant ridge and the terrain around me was utterly transformed. Where before there had been only a pale expanse of indistinct shapes, there were suddenly marvelously intricate formations picked out by golden hues that vibrated against cool shadows. It was a glorious sight, unlike anything that I had ever seen before.