Tag: National Parks

Arizona and Beyond – December 2022 – Favorites of the Year

Architecture, Art, History, Nature, Transportation, Water Features

With another year of travel and photography, with the first full year living in Arizona, it is time to highlight my favorites for the year.

Living in Arizona and the west resulted in far more nature photos than in previous years, but well worth it. But of the thousands of photos taken, I have narrowed it down to 23.

Amazingly two came from the same time in Saguaro National Park East in Tucson as the sun was setting on a January day.

A trip in April to the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert gave us a chance to stay at the campy Wigwam Motel along Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona for another sunset photo.

The final sunset photo in the series is the classic Grand Canyon shot. What isn’t shown is the 40 MPH winds that were howling in the chilly April evening.

East of Tucson is the small western movie ranch in the town of Mescal.

A bird’s nest in a cactus at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Monument Valley – it doesn’t get any better than here for dramatic scenery.

Western Wyoming in late May with snow still gracing the tops of the mountains.

Grand Teton National Park at dawn.

Oregon Highway 3 in the far eastern part of the state during a very rainy Memorial Day weekend.

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah.

Antelope Canyon, Arizona in Navajo Territory. It was a structured tour, but well worth it.

Palm Springs, California with a classic mid century home and an even more classic vintage Mercedes.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.

Late September fall colors in Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway, Utah.

An owl at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A receding Great Salt Lake, Utah.

Hoover Dam and another fast receding lake – Lake Mead.

Franklin Auto Museum in Tucson.

Dia De Los Muertos – Tucson.

A sculpture in a courtyard at the Tucson Museum of Art.

To finish off the year with one from back east – Millennium Park in Chicago the day after Christmas.

Here is looking forward to an even better 2023.

Bryce Canyon National Park – September 2022 – Sunset

Nature

After a long day of hiking at Willis Creek Slot Canyon, Kodachrome Basic and Bryce spending the sunset hours overlooking the amphitheater area of Bryce was a welcome reward.

These photos, while taken chronologically, were done with different cameras, or pointed in slightly different directions, resulting in vastly different lighting.

Ironically the iphone seemed to capture the lighting and overall look best.

And with that the sun set.

Bryce Canyon National Park – September 2022 – Below the Rim

Nature

This posting is one in a series for a visit to Bryce Canyon National Park. When we visited in 2015 we stopped by for only a few hours, checking out the overlooks before moving on down the road.

This time we were fortunate enough to secure a cabin in the park for the night, so we had plenty of time for hiking, as well as well as experiencing a sunset and sunrise.

This posting highlights the views of the hike down into the canyon to the Queens Garden. This hike allows you get get up close to the famed hoodoos.

The hoodoos have been formed over millions of years by the deposit of rocks, uplift of the land and finally the erosion of the soft stone to create the interesting formations.

The variation in shapes are due to the slight variations in the amount of calcium carbonate each one has, and how it interacts with the rain.

Our hike took place in the northern section of the park where the hoodoos are the youngest, therefore most impressive having not been eroded away as much.

The path down was well worn, and while you see a number of people going in both directions, it is far less crowded than along the rim.

The hike up, while strenuous was ‘do-able’. In addition there were so many great places to stop and take photos the hike up went by fast.

As always the ‘windows’ are impressive features of the erosion process.

Part 2 of our visit in the next posting tomorrow is the sunset experience.

Guadalupe Mountains, Texas – September 2022 – The National Park Tour Continues

Nature

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is about 100 miles east of El Paso, near the New Mexico border. It is about 45 miles from Carlsbad Caverns, making it a perfect day to visit two parks in one day.

The visitor center is one of the few structures in the park. It is conveniently located near the campground, as well as the start of the primary trails.

One trail goes all the way to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. We chose a different trail, the Devil’s Hall Trail.

After a couple of miles you reach the wash that leads to Devil’s Hall. The wash is full of rocks and boulders, which for me, was too much to overcome to make it to Devil’s Hall. Still it was a scenic workout.

Coolidge, Arizona – August 2022 – Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Architecture, History

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is a collection of ruins of a number of structures, including the 4 story high ‘Big House’. This Hohokam village was abandoned around 1450.

While the structure survived harsh environments for centuries, in the 1930s the park service built a ramada over it to protect it. An earlier wooden one was built in 1903, but did not stand up to the weather well.

There are a number of other much smaller ruins throughout the area.

A closer look at Casa Grande shows the amazing abode structure in detail (along with a plethora of birds)

Joshua Tree National Park, California – July 2022 – Amazing Desert Landscape

Nature

In the southwest United States there is a variation of a yucca known as a Joshua Tree. It was named that by some Mormon settlers in the 1800s.

The Joshua Tree National Park covers a vast area of Southern California. The parts of the park at a lower elevation are in the Sonoran Desert, while those where the Joshua Trees are located at a higher elevation are in the Mojave Desert.

In addition to the tree there are many interesting rock formations throughout the park. A combination of volcanic activity, seismic activity and erosion has lead to some great shapes.

Some have eroded to look like faces and skulls in the rocks.

Climbing around on the rocks is a favorite activity – even in a vampire cape.

From Keys View you can see all of the Coachella Valley, from Salton Sea at -230 elevation to 10,800′ San Jacinto Peak. The view below is looking back towards Palm Springs.

The southern portion of the park is in the lower elevation Sonoran Desert. It features an area known as the Cholla Cactus Garden – an area with more chollas than I have ever seen in such a small space.

Joshua Tree National Park is a unique natural setting well worth the trip.

Northern Arizona – June 2022 – Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

Architecture, History, Nature, Water Features

The Vermillion Cliffs are an eroded escarpment across far northern Arizona, rising as high as 3000′ above the nearby valley. It provides a very scenic drive from the Grand Canyon North Rim to Page, Arizona.

The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is at an area where the cliffs meet the Colorado River in Marble Canyon.

In the 1800s this area was known as Lee’s Ferry, with some historic structures situated along the river.

Many rafting trips depart from here and head down river.

Back at Marble Canyon is the Navajo Bridge, the last crossing of the Colorado River downriver for almost 300 miles (until you reach the Hoover Dam near Las Vegas).

There is an impressive view of the canyon from the bridge.

A bit further up the road, just before reaching Page, is the famed Horseshoe Bend. While impressive, it is not in my opinion as impressive as Gooseneck State Park in Utah (visited earlier in this trip).

Grand Canyon, Arizona – June 2022 – The North Rim

Nature

While we have been to the Grand Canyon a few times we had never been to the hard to get North Rim. There is a saying, go to the South Rim first, because when you go to the North Rim you will never go back to the South Rim!

That saying is true – similar fantastic views with (literally) 10% of the people. Nice and quiet.

There are minimal amenities, but that is ok, there is a place to eat and sleep (if you are lucky – which we were).

There are more views of the side canyons and they connect to the main canyon, adding interesting views.

The view from Point Imperial.

Cape Royal views.

The views of Angel’s Window.

More Cape Royal views.

Sunset from the North Rim Lodge and Bright Angel Point.

Nevada & Utah – June 2022 – Great Basin and Cedar Breaks

Nature

Our southbound trip continued with brief visits to two National Park Service units. The first was Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

Great Basin National Park’s claim to fame is Wheeler Peak, a 13,000′ high mountain, as well as Lehman Caves.

We were too early in the day to visit the cave, so we headed up the Wheeler Peak drive. Unfortunately as we got to the 9000′ level the road was closed as there was apparently snow further up. Still we had some nice views.

Our trip south continued into Utah, where we headed up into the mountains for a visit to Cedar Breaks National Monument. In my opinion Cedar Breaks is more worthy of National Park status than Great Basin, as the views were amazing.