Utah Trip: Horseshoe Bend, Vermillion Cliffs and Everything Navajo
June 19th, 2011

Due to lack of internet I could not post this last night, but here it is now that I have internet. The story of yesterday. 🙂

 

Today was a day of reminiscing, we went back and visited many places that we saw last year on our road trip to Michigan and loved. The first of our most memorable revisits was Horseshoe Bend, a colossal gooseneck near Lake Powell.

This extraordinarily impressive geological monolith is one of my favorite views I have ever seen. Sadly the lightning was a far cry from last years and resulted in shadowed photos. Good photos or not, this was beyond amazing and I am really glad to go back and have another chance to see this unique structure.

One of the most memorable parts about going to Horseshoe Bend last year was the amazing lizard we found. This beautiful creature had spots and brightly orange colored stripes. He was gorgeous and today I was on a lizard hunt in hope of finding a similar lizard. In the end I did, see the next post for the full story but here is one photo for now.

Our next revisit was to the Vermillion Cliffs, which includes the Navajo Bridge and the Cliff Dweller’s Lodge. This wonderful park is surrounded by beautiful red cliffs and blue skies.

The first part of the park contains the Navajo Bridge, which bridges the beautiful Colorado River.

The Cliff Dweller’s Lodge is home to one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. The old adobe home on the side of the road with turquoise door and window frames that can be found at the Cliff Dweller’s Lodge is a truly beautiful little piece of ancient times.  Before I gave the picture of only the door and window, but now here is the entire house.

Surrounding this old home are the Vermillion Cliffs and these strange boulder homes that have been built up and once upon a time, lived in.  These strange homes are littered about in a hap-hazard fashion but are extremely intriguing due to their balanced and fragile looking structure.

While exploring these old places my mom and I were having fun stopping at every single Native American jewelry stand we came across. All over the side of the roads are little stands full of gorgeous hand made jewelry, dream-catchers, and pottery. We had a lot of fun shopping around and talking to the local Navajo’s about their beautiful home.

After a long day of reminiscing we took an unexpected turn and decided to go to Death Valley.

We had plans of going to Bishop and then Devil’s Postpile National Park, but found out that it is still closed due to the snow pack they still have.  So yes, a strange choice for the summer where even at night it is 107 degrees outside, but we did it anyways. So tonight we find ourselves staying at the Stovepipe Wells in the heart of Death Valley after driving down an omnisouly straight and long road out into the desert.

Tomorrow we will hike out before sunrise to see the sand dunes in the early morning glow before the sun bears down on us with its unforgiving heat.

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Utah Trip: Arches Take Two and More……!
June 17th, 2011

Today we decided to give Arches a second try but earlier, when there are not massive hordes of toursists all over the park. We had an extraordinary time! We first visited the Windows were there were no people at all and had a pleasnat, but extremely fast paced hike as we took pictures of the window arches.

Afterwards we headed over to the Delicate Arch where we were faced with a decision. To simply use the overlook of the arch or do a hike up a sheer rock face to stand right next to the cliff. We almost chose incorrectly and were thinking about doing the overlook for time’s sake. However in the end the hiker’s spirit won and we decided to make the trek to the arch. It was a decision we will never regret.

The pictures do not really give the mountain we climbed credit. It was difficult, not impossible but very hard in the high altitude. It was a lot of fun though toughing it out and climbing this mountain. The hike was amazing with awesome views of the valley and geological structures all along the way.

The climb up the mountain, the views, the amazing pathway, all are small pieces that made this hike perfect. Ending of course with the famed Delicate Arch. The most photographed arch in the park, it is clear why so many make this trek out into the desert; it is so unique and awe-inspiring.

Can you spot me in this next picture?

The cherry on top for this hike was the petroglyphs at the very end.

We had a lot of fun on this hike because it was just so amazing. It is definitiely on the top five if not top two of my favorite hikes list. We were even able to spot what I believe was a pretty sexy looking mountain goat on the pathway.

After that amazing experience we headed to the Devil’s Garden to go see the Landscape arch, possibly the biggest arch in the nation. However after our amazing hike at the Delicate Arch this one was relatively disappointing.

There were some pretty views from the short hike out but nothing like on the Delicate Arch.

We had done three hikes and seen the entire park and were thouroughly tired. Howveer our day had just begun, we still had a long drive and two more parks to see. Next on the list was a small park called Natural Bridges National Park.

Comprised of three arches, this park is very small. Sadly we were so tired that we couldn’t spend a sufficent amout of time necessary to explore this park and as a result it was slightly disappointing. The arches in comparison to Delicat Arch were almost shameful.

To exit the park and head ot our next destination we had to use the Moki Dugway, a short stretch of highway with intense switchbacks, incredible heights overlooking the area near Monument Valley, and did I mention that it wasn’t paved? Yep, after our flat tire we were extremely tire sensitive and were pretty afraid to drive on it but we had no choice. It turned out to be really pretty and very cool.

We decided to make a stop at Goosenecks State Park before we crossed the border into Arizona to see Monument Valley. The Colorado River has carved out some amazing bends and canyons into the valleys here which resulted in the creation of these goosenecks.

Our last aprk of the day was Monument Valley. However the pictures were not very good because the valley was so hazy due to the fire down in southern Arizona.

After that we decided to stay the nigt in Page, Arizona where we will conitnue our journey tomorrow.

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Utah Trip: Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands, and Arches
June 16th, 2011

After last nights flat tire we were left behind schedule in Escalante instead of Moab for the night. As a result we had a lot of ground to make up tonight and did three national parks in one day. The first was Capitol Reef, a national park full of brightly colored cliffs, beautiful aspens, and petroglyphs.

We saw many cool things in this park. The first was a little hidden cliff dwelling. I am not sure whether this is ancient (I doubt it) or something someone just decided would be cool to make but either way it was really interesting and cool.

Also there was Chimney Rock and an old cabin out in the middle of the park.

The petroglyphs around the park were probably my favorite part in this park. You could totally walk by and not notice this beautiful remnant of the past. They have an eerie beauty about them and are so intriguing.

It was a beautiful park but I wish we had more time to explore this amazing park. The geological wonders around this park are astounding.

Next was Canyonlands National Park.

Reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, this park has an overlook over vast canyons and deep crevaces in the earth. It is amazing to see the land strecthing for miles with jutting cliffs and sheer canyon walls.

We visited the Mesa Arch which had an amazing view of the canyons through the archway.

We were chased out of the park by a lightning storm. It was pretty epic, the skys had quickly clouded over with dark angry clouds which did not hesitate in releasing bouts of rain and lightning followed by the deep boom of thunder. We headed over to Arches after that hoping to get some exploration in before the storm really hit.

It was extremely overcast and threatening so we made our trip very brief. We drove in to try and do a hike at the Windows collection of arches.

We got to see Balanced Rock and the Garden of Eden.

However we did not hike due to fear of the lightning and massive amounts of tourists. There were so many people around the arches that it just wasn’t worth it so we left. They were like ants and good photos were not even possible because the monuments were covered in people.

So instead we are going to return to Arches really early in the morning before all the other people arrive. So stay tuned for better pictures of Arches tomorrow.

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Utah Trip: Grand Staircase Escalante Part 2
June 15th, 2011

You thought our day was over? Nope, not even close. We then headed over to the next part of the national park to go try and see some more slot canyons called Peek-A-Boo Canyon and Spooky Canyon. From the top of the trail it was pretty unassumming.

Little did we know that we had to climb far down to reach the bottom of a canyon in one hundred degree weather only then to reach the slot canyons. It was brutal sliding down the cliff knowing that later I would have to climb back up them with the sun beating down on my back.

We then reached the first slot canyon which was Peek-A-Boo and realized we were unable to do it. With a combination of clumsiness and heat exhaustion we were unable to climb into the canyon. Obviously I was extremely upset about this when faced with the possiblity of having come all this way for nothing.

After a long deliberation we decided to push on and go see the other canyon, Spooky. It was amazing. Spooky is a true slot canyon meaning it is a claustrophobic persons worst nightmare. You have to duck, crawl, and squeeze your way to advance in these canyons but they are so worth it.

The sculpted walls of the canyon are beyond art and beyond all other natural creations. Sometimes it is hard to believe that they were sculpted not by mans hands but by something else.

Like this one for example, the kissing rocks. These two sculpted walls from the right angle look like people kissing. How could that be an accident? The answer? Mother nature is amazing beyond all words

It is quite the experience squeezing through this tiny little gaps. You can feel ever line in the stone, the coolness as you brush your fingertips along it, and you can hear the breeze passing through the canyon’s corridors.

It really was amazing and a must have life experience. They are so unique and marvelous, it is amazing to think that these formed naturally and are not actually pieces of art sculpted by who knows what.

Our day however didn’t end happily, we were stuck on the side of the road in one hundred degree weather with a flat tire. We were going to have to wait but a wonderful person came and saved us! So we are behind schedule now but not by much. We got our butts kicked by these amazing hikes but it was all worth it in the end!

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Utah Trip: Grand Staircase Escalante Part 1
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: Bryce
June 15th, 2011

Bryce was the next, highly anticipated stop on our trip. I have never been there before but my mom and dad rave about how beautiful and breathtakingly awesome this national park is. So naturally we went, because I am a national park spoiled brat.

We were able to experience our first real wildlife besides lizards and a few sparse chipmunks. There were pronghorn antelope all over Bryce and they were relatively close to the road as well.

Caught in the act of…. being an antelope?

Bryce is the epitome of what Utah is to me. An amazing place full to the brim with wonder and majesty. Red rocks, blue skies, amazing geological formations, and of course gorgeous hikes.

We took a quick driving tour of the entire national park and took some photos of the canyon from all sorts of angles including the famous Natural Bridge, Thors Hammer, and Agua Canyon.

We decided to take a hike deep into the heart of Bryce Canyon. To get there we had to climb down a series of steep switchbacks leading into a narrow canyon. It was an amazing descent into this beautiful landscape and I have never seen anything quite like it before now.

And of course you have to have fun along the way.

This was easily one of the best hikes I have ever been on. We were almost totally alone walking through nicely wooded areas surrounded by steep red, orange, yellow, and white walls. The hoodoos of course were amazing to look at and the views were astounding. There really are not many places quite like this. You have to go into the canyon like we did on our hike or else you miss a gigantic piece of this beautiful picture.

 

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Utah Trip: Zion
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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Utah Road Trip Day 1
June 13th, 2011

Today was a driving day. With each days goal in mind we have set out again on another road trip to try to grasp just one corner of nature’s beauty and try to hold onto it. AS always, our beautiful country has so many wonders it is near impossible to see them all. But that will never deter my attempts. The following week my mother and I will be doing a road trip around all of southern Utah, seeing national parks, hiking, running, photographing, and having a generally awesome time together in the desert sun.

Utah is one of my favorite places to visit because it has such astounding beauty that is unlike any beauty i can seen near me. Red rocks, canyons, desert expanses that stretch for miles, and of course the bluest skies you will ever see. Our trip began today hours before dawn heading out to St. George, UT, right past Las Vegas. This means that our day was entirely full of about thirteen hours of driving without any planned stops along the way. However any good road tripper can find amazing little adventures and detours to occupy time and make the day seem less daunting and more fun. Our first stop was to take pictures of dilapidation.

One thing about desert is that there is no end to the amazingly broken down and graffitied houses on the side of the road. It just so happens these are some of my favorite things to photograph. So we pulled off down a tiny road and found three old homes that had long since pasted their prime days.

Shells of their former self, gutted, empty and abandoned, left only for the sun and time to slowly peel away the paint off the walls, these houses are the definition of desolation. Here they are simply forgotten remnants of a life no one seems to care to remember. They have a sadness and a mystery that hangs from the broken ceiling beams that I find extremely alluring.

Speaking of forgotten desolate places, our next stop was a tiny ghost town that could hardly be called that. Just a few miles from Mojave Desert National Park is Silver Lake, or what little is left of it. An old Talc mining town, today there are only a few scarce building foundations buried in sand and a cemetery with a few solitary head stones.

On a happier note we then made our way to the Devil’s Playground in Sin City, yes Las Vegas. We stopped to gorge ourselves on the Bellagio’s glorious buffet and do a little shopping in 100 degree weather. Look I even have proof

As usual the food was glorious and we had to sample all sorts of delectable treats that elsewhere we would never find.

We also explored the gardens in the Bellagio which were beautiful and with some sort of American patriot theme.

So here we are after the first of many days to come of adventure. Tomorrow the fun really begins with our first national parks including Zion, Cedar Breaks, and Bryce Canyon. I can’t wait but for now we can only wait for dawn to come and watch the sun slip away behind a veil of red.

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Determination
May 15th, 2011

The dust is the shroud wrapped tightly around her shoulders
A death shroud veiling her from the world she is simply passing through
Transparent eyes look at nothing but the horizon of the world
With feet that drag as her invisible chains burden her steps
She moves on, deliberately, persistently with no goal in mind
She must move, she must not stop or else she will be found
You see, her shadow is chasing her but cannot find her in the dust storm
She is the lost, she is the invisible left to wander when the storm is over
Determination is her name
But what good is determination when there is no objective
Simply the will to keep going, keep moving when all has imploded around you
She knows all about failure, pain, and the bottom of the hole
The grave she has dug herself into yet seems to continually evade
She dances around death with the practicality of a mathematician
Life is a calculation to her, the only components that exist
Are her obstacles and her ability to push onward
So she finds herself walking down this road again
Chased by her shadow and the inevitably of death
But this time as it always has been Lady Luck has swept her away
In the arms of a storm that is all consuming and all knowing
Maybe Luck knows just how it feels to be out of luck
So she took pity on a poor girl down on fortune who was betrayed by her shadow
But in the end luck has nothing to do with it
Her shadow will eclipse her in the end as all are and no storm can save her then
But for now she continues her dance, her game of Cat and Mouse
With those who cannot be tricked or avoided
With bare feet she continues forward, pulling the cowl of a dust storm close
To hide her face from eyes that can see all and know all
How long she wonders, how much longer can this game continue
For even now she grows weary, even now her soul
Just as the soles of her feet grow bloodied and bruised
From a fight she knows she cannot win
Yet she continues to fight because it is simply who she is
She is determination and does not know what it means to give up
So she doesn’t

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Osama Bin Laden
May 1st, 2011

Today is an interesting and probably history making day. Today our President Obama made a public announcement declaring that Osama Bin Laden, the figure-head of Al Qaeda, has been killed by American troops in Pakistan.

This event puts us in a strange position for many reasons. The main being that events like this allow us to sit in wonder and realize that in this very moment that history is being made around us. Will I and thousand of others remember this day, or will it be swept away in the tide of our memories. It is a strange thing to be able to take a step back and realize that in this very moment history is being formed. Not just in regards to Osama’s death but events all over the world.

This leads me to ask, what happens next? What are the implications of his death? This moment may very well be a turning point in history. Then again, it may not be. Still it makes me wonder, what next? Where will tomorrow be leading us. Hopefully to a better future for all of us, but you never know. The world is a mysterious place, and we just have to roll with the blows as they come.

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