Wandering through the area of the Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park, I came across this amazing specimen of cottonwood in full fall color. It seemed to be wearing a red sandstone top hat to capture my eye. I had to climb up the incline on the opposite side of the wash to bring that hat into the frame. Then came the job of making sure that the foreground was uncluttered with rock and shrub to ensure the viewer's eye focused on the cottonwood. This was the result after moving about for what seemed like an hour.