Desert Springs Hidden Paradise

This is a second photo taken in June of 2015 in Arizona, just over the border from Utah near the “town” of Littlefield (population 308). Littlefield has the distinction of being one of only two towns in Arizona along I-15 (the other being Beaver Dam). Owing to its location in the Arizona Strip, northwest of Grand Canyon National Park and west of the Virgin River, it is essentially isolated from the rest of the state. Travel to other towns within Arizona requires crossing through either Nevada or Utah, or by routing through unpaved roads to the rest of Arizona's road network. The Virgin River Gorge is located just to the east of Littlefield.
This part of Arizona is what people not from the west generally think of when they think of Arizona desert – hot, barren, rugged and dusty, with little vegetation beyond the ubiquitous Joshua trees dotting the landscape. My friend Bill was visiting from Atlanta to do the ‘Zion thing’ in southern Utah, and on a whim we decided to head over into Arizona “just because”. As we made our way down I-15, the highway crossed the Virgin River, which was surprisingly lush and picturesque from the overpass. We decided to try and find our way down to the river for some photography moments. After a lot of exploring and dirt road traveling, we made it to the banks of the river – only to be shocked to discover a bit of tropical paradise directly under the I-15 overpass. A few small springs flowed down from the barren country beside the highway, spilled over a cliff, and formed these amazingly beautiful pools just above the river.
We later found out that locals (and those in the know) call this area alternately Little Jamaica, Desert Springs, or Littlefield Springs. The water is a chilly milky-blue, pooled into built-up terraces. Its proximity to the interstate is both a blessing and a curse -- Little Jamaica is really easy to get to, but it's also fairly busy, and littered with an annoying amount of trash. Still, it's free, pretty, and close to St. George. The Springs themselves are well worth a visit if you are even in the area (just be prepared for it to be crowded).
As you can see, the springs are LITERALLY right under the highway. It is challenging to photograph, mostly because the highway underpass just looks fake, no matter how you your process it. I ultimately "gave up" trying to correct the "fakeness" seeming of the photo, and just let it be. I hope you enjoy the photo…
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