Posts Tagged ‘river’

Utah Trip: Grand Staircase Escalante Part 1

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Today I started out my morning on the rim of Bryce Canyon watching the sun slowly surmount the hoodoos and cliffs of Bryce in an amazing sunrise.

After that we headed next door to Grand Staircase Escalante National Park for some amazing views and hikes. So we went outbacking in our lovely Outback.

Our first hike of the day was at Willis Creek Trail, this turned out to be an amazing hike along a river that cuts through a slot like canyon. It was awe inspiring and I have never seen anything quite like it.

The lines and shapes created by the wave like stone were extraordinary. The colors were so vivid and bright that you became enveloped in the canyon walls. Even the river was dyed a deep orange red color.

There were three separate slot canyons on our hike each slightly different and uniquely beautiful.

One canyon had a surprise of its own, a rattlesnake. Fortunately the people ahead of us spotted it but it was extremely agitated. Coiled against one side of the walls, hidden half in and half out of the shadows it sat rattling its tail and hissing at us. Needless to say it was scary and we worried about him alot on our way back, wondering where he might now be located.

The third and final canyon was the most spectacular and was a great finale to an amazing hike. The walls were marvelously sculpted and the color was out of this world.

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Utah Trip: Zion

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Today was our first real day of adventure on our Utah road trip. Our very first destination was the upper section of Zion National Park called the Kolob Canyons.

Sadly the lighting was terrible so I couldn’t get great photos of the terrific landscapes that were all around us. There were giant canyons with walls seemingly stretching to the skies and rivers that paved roads for giants. It was quite the sight and to enhance the experience we decided to take a hike up Taylor Creek. A nice six mile hike along a river that eventually ends at a double blind arch.

We had a lot of fun crossing rivers running along the red sandy pathways, and just enjoying the magnificent scenery all around us.

The arch was enormous and had the best deep red color surrounded by bright green plants. It was quite the sight but we were chased away after a few quick pictures by bugs.

We also found some old cabins in the middle of the woods from old settlers who passed through Zion long ago. They were beautiful and haunting, nestled deep in the woody wilderness that strectched within the many canyons of Zion.

After Zion we tried to go to Cedar Breaks National Monument but it was closed due to snow. Yeah, you heard me right, closed for snow in mid June… in Utah. Weird, right?

We made due and instead stopped at Red Canyon which had some amazing spires and gorgeous red rock pillars.

While there is grandeur all around us there is still simple beauty everwhere. One of these sources are the amazing wildflowers scattered about all of Southern Utah. They simply add the final touch to all the beauty that we have experienced on this trip already.

 

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Posted in Photos, Stories, Travel Updates |

Begonia Festival Part 2

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

There were also big begonia floating parade boats that people created. They showed them off as they slowly tooled down the river to be judged. There were some very nice ones that I really enjoyed like the octopus float.

I also enjoyed the none to pleased looking mermaids on the float, especially the little mermaid inside of the clam. The others were really cool as well and the people manning them were very interesting as well.

One of the strangest things we saw was… Ronald McDonald. McDonald’s sponsored the Begonia festival so he got to take a ride on a little boat to wave at everyone. It was an interesting sight to say the least.

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Yellowstone: The Trio

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Here is the last photo of otters while I was in Yellowstone. I saved this picture for a friend but here it is now, the trio. Three little rambunctious river otters that teased us all day and finally gave us some good pictures, they even posed.

I will miss them, I miss the quiet of Yellowstone the serenity, the wildlife, and the feeling of being a part of nature, not an adversary of it. Life seems so much simpler in the wild, yet so much more complicated. I hope I can come back again soon.

P.S. There is one more Yellowstone photo, I am saving the best for last. I am saving it for a friend, so it will show up sooner or later. Just wait for it, the best will come as long as you wait.

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Yellowstone: River Otters

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

I had never seen a river otter before I went to Yellowstone, and let me say

THEY ARE ADORABLE

We heard that at the confluence of the Lamar River and the Soda Butte River in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone there were some otter lodges. So we all hiked out of the car dragging our giant cameras and all the equipment out of the car and then walked a half mile to the second otter lodge along the river. We set up the tripods and waited for quite some time when we finally spotted one otter. He was bobbing in and out of the water regularly teasing us with his appearance as we tried to catch a good picture of him. We were about to head back in when Mark turned around and saw the three otters playing.

Keep in mind we can’t exactly yell at each other to tell us that the otters were right behind me and I hadn’t noticed; so there was a lot of frantic gestures and quiet yelling. Not to mention as we ran in the snow with our equipment to relocate in a better spot for the magnificent otter trio. It was quiet the mad dash.

They were rolling around on their backs, sliding in and out of the water just having a good time. They were climbing all over each other, this picture captures some of the playful spirit I got to witness from these little creatures. They really look a lot like little Loch Ness monsters as they crane their necks out of the water, it is really funny to watch especially because of their whiskers.

It really was an amazing experience watching these guys play around. We wanted to let them have their fun and not disturb them so after they crawled back into their lodges we left them behind with a very satisfied day behind us.

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Lethe (guide me)

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

Be my guide
To the river banks
Walk with me
Through darkness
So I may
Find the light
That has been absent
From my life
For what feels like
An eternity in darkness

Hold my hand
And sing to me
A soft melody
To sooth my raging heart
Lead me to
The waters edge
Where memories are erased
Where past are forgiven
And forgotten

Stand with me
As I look down
As waves lap at my feet
Feeling its icy grip
Start inching up me
As stars watch overhead
And the wind
Heaves a heavy sigh
Pushing forward
Urging me to take
My final leap of faith

Watch me from the banks
As I wade deep
Into frigid waters
Each step determined
Premeditated and unstoppable
I don’t look back
I can’t
My thanks are washed
Away in the rivers tide
Carried away on the wind

Let me go
As I disappear forever
Be my guide
Into another world
Where no darkness exists
Let me walk away
Into the unknown
Where no man or beast
Can ever touch me again
Let the water swallow me
And whisk me away forever

This poem was based off of the legend of a river in Hades that once you step foot into your memories are washed away causing total forgetfulness.

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Posted in Poetry |

Swimming in a Glacier River

Monday, August 31st, 2009

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When I was in Glacier National Park, I decided something. I was going to do something that I never would have even thought about doing. I was going to go swimming in a glacier run off river.

I believe that it is crucial that at some point, at least once in someones life, to do something that seems not only idiotic but insane. This isn’t so crazy to some people but to me it means a lot. I am highly afraid of deep water not to mention the temperature of the river. I thought Lake Superior was cold, boy was I wrong.

Anyway, I decided out of the blue as we were driving through, that I was going to go swimming. So we pulled over, I threw on some shorts, and went down to the river. This water was so clean and beautiful, I was really exicted. Once my toes where in the water, that was another story. It was so cold.

After telling this to one of my friends who aptly replied, Well duh, it was a GLACIER RIVER! I realized that everyone needs to do something to test themselves every once in a while. I go tubing and fall off on purpose in deep water, I jump of piers into deep water, or I just go swimming. All in the name of conquering fear.

My recommendation, try it some time. It is actually a lot of fun.

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