Even the best-prepared persons can be caught off guard. Such was the case here. In this scene I am pinned against the wall of a pothole by an invisible force known as "psycho-aural energy." Let me explain.

While exploring the domes above Corona Arch I happened upon this cool pothole on the shoulder of a dome. Potholes fascinate me, so I walked down into it for a self-portrait.

However, I made the mistake of forgetting that some potholes in the area around Moab are not potholes at all, but giant aura cavities that can at any moment issue forth a blast of psycho-aural energy (PAE). Don't ask me to explain the stuff, because it goes over my head. The same phenomenon is mentioned in another photo and the nature of aura cavities is explained in yet another photo.

As I was preparing to photograph myself, the cavity suddenly and without warning erupted, sending a column of bright chartreuse PAE straight up. It doesn't show up because digital camera sensors cannot record it. The fratostatic pressure of the eruption threw me backwards into the wall of the "pothole." That I am alive to tell the tale is in part the result of my wearing a Tilley hat, made of thick cotton. It cushioned my head, lessening the force of the impact.

Needless to say---but I'll say it anyway---I was stunned. Yes, stunned. As the PAE beamed upward into space I was pinned against the rock, unable to move. Breathing was difficult. One of the buttons on my shirt turned to dust, just like blood and rubber did in the movie "The Andromeda Strain"! My bamboo hiking stick vibrated, creating a strange humming sound. An "energy" bar in a pants pocket became petrified---note how the pocket on my left leg sags from the weight. The energy of the blast also activated the infrared sensor on my camera, which tripped the shutter, producing this photo.

When the beaming ceased I slumped to the ground in a blubbering heap until I regained my senses. It was only then that I was able to retrieve my camera and verify that Joe Tripod (who supported my camera during this episode) was all right.

Once the episode was over I resumed my hike/scramble among the domes, eventually reaching my goal (a point above Bow Tie Arch). On the return hike I deliberately avoided this formation for fear of another eruption. One can endure only so much excitement in one day.

All photos taken this day were affected by my having accidentally set my camera's white balance setting to "fluorescent lighting." I only partially succeeded in correcting the weird colors of this and other photos

The cavity is at the center of this Wikimapia aerial view.