Tag: Parks

Tucson – January 2023 – A Revisit to Agua Caliente Park

Nature

In early September 2022 we stopped by the beautiful Agua Caliente Park, to find the grove of majestic palm trees, detailed here https://rdzphotographyblog.com/tag/agua-caliente-park/ and the photo below.

Sadly about 2 weeks after our visit a lightning strike set fire to a large grove of the trees, resulting in significant destruction.

As with any catastrophic event people are looking for blame. While it was nature that set the fire, one view is the palm trees are not native to Arizona and shouldn’t be left to be wild, with the extensive ‘beards’ you see in the first photo. Many believe this exacerbated the fire.

Regardless, the damage is done. The parks department removed some of the most damaged trees so they wouldn’t unexpectedly fall and hurt someone, but amazingly as you can see there is still growth at the tops of the trees.

The other good news is not all the trees caught fire, so the park, while hurt, is still a beautiful place to visit.

It may take time, but hopefully nature eventually restores the damaged trees to their prior glory. And yes the beards are still there.

Red Canyon, Utah – September 2022 – Arches Trail

Nature

Just west of Bryce is an area known as Red Canyon. Managed by the Forest Service, Red Canyon has a number of trails that take the hiker for scenic views. We chose to take the Arches Trail.

From this vantage point you could see further west across the Servier River valley.

Much like Willis Creek Slot Canyon since it is not a National Park there are no crowds. On our mile hike we saw 2 other people.

The trail is named for the 15 small to medium arches scattered throughout.

The hike has a vertical rise of almost 200′ on it’s stated 0.6 mile route. We ended up going a bit longer wander off on side trails.

Red Canyon make an excellent side trip if time permits in the Bryce/Zion National Parks area.

Faywood, New Mexico – September 2022 – City of Rocks State Park

Nature

Approximately 35 million years ago a volcano erupted in what is now western New Mexico. Thanks to the soft compound of the rocks, and millions of years of erosion, what is left is an amazing square mile of large sculpted rocks, some 40′ high.

Since 1953 this unique place has been the City of Rock State Park.

The size becomes apparent when compared to the cars, trucks and campers in the park.

One daring tent resident has taken up residence directly underneath a suspended boulder.

Nearby Table Mountain dominates the horizon to the east.

City of Rocks is a great place to spend a couple of hours wandering around between the rocks.

Kanab, Utah – June 2022 – Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Nature

The Coral Pink Sand Dunes in far southern Utah is a result of wind caused erosion of the Navajo Sandstone and pushing it through a pass in the Moquith and Moccasin mountains.

Over the 10,000 years this has been occurring it has piled up some impressive dunes. While much of the dunes is used for off road activities, some impressive little beetles survive in the sand, leaving distinctive trails behind as they make their way across.

The dunes cover over 3,000 acres along the mountain.

The winds continue to reshape the dunes.

Surfing or sledding down the dunes is a popular activity.

Southern Idaho – May 2022 – What Out For That First Step, It’s a Doozie

Architecture, History, Nature, Transportation, Water Features

The day started out in Boise, with a tour around town to check out some of the architectural highlights.

The Boise Depot is a former train station that is now used for special events.

We then left town, headed for Twin Falls. Along the way we made a stop at Bruneau Sand Dunes.

After climbing on the dunes for a while, we continued across the southern Idaho countryside.

As we arrived in Twin Falls we crossed the Perrine Memorial Bridge. This bridge is 486′ above the Snake River. It is also the only place in the country where people can BASE jump without a permit at any time.

Also in town is Shoshone Falls.

Madera Canyon, Arizona – December 2021 – Nature At It’s Finest

Nature

Madera Canyon is less than an hour south of Tucson, but a world away from an ecological perspective. While the base of the canyon is around 3500′ elevation, you can easily and quickly drive to over 5000′, and if you are energetic (I was not), you can hike to the top of 9456′ high Mt Wrightson.

We chose to hike around the lower areas of the canyon, which were beautiful, offer views from desert to fall tree colors.

Central Ohio – May 2021 – Weekend Wanderings

Architecture, History, Nature, Transportation, Water Features

With minimal travel we had a weekend hiking close to home that gave a few photo ops of downtown Columbus, as well as nearby Licking County.

The trip to Licking County included a hike in Blackhand Gorge Park. Named for a (now long gone) Native American petroglyph the hike goes through a small ravine along a creek. The sandstone cliffs have a variety of vegetation growing on them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the backroads of the county.

We came across this fantastic abandoned schoolhouse. As I approached for a closer look the bird came flying out adding to the excitement.

Lancaster, Ohio – May 2021 – A Historic Town With a Big Hill (or Small Mountain)

Architecture, Art, History, Nature

Lancaster is a town 30 miles southeast of Columbus. As one of the earliest settlements in Ohio, it has a number of historic buildings.

This site was chosen where the Zane Trace Trail crossed the Hocking River near a 250′ high sandstone hill. Now known as Mt Pleasant , a hike up offers great views of the area.

Lancaster is the birthplace of a number of famous people, none more than Civil War General William Sherman.