From there to Moab

Hey all

I'm the midst of the less planned out part of my trip and luckily this is serving me well. I guess the economy and gas prices have slowed down tourism because I'm finding it pretty easy to go where I want without reservations. I like being flexible! Because of this I'm wandering a bit more than planned and I've arrived at Moab (Arches area) a little early. I spent the last night at the Needles unit in Canyonlands. I had intended to stay there for 3 days but quickly learned that 3 days was too much. So, here I am! I intend to stay here and visit Arches over the next 3 days then visit the Island in the Sky unit of Canyonlands for another couple days.

So what have I been up to between my last post and now? Well here is a summary in pictures...

After leaving Capitol Reef NP I drove on a stretch of highway where the landscape gave me the feeling that I'd just landed on the moon. This believe it or not was my first taste of Utah political activism...(click on picture)

Here's another view....(click on picture) Yes, that's a spray painted target and bullet holes. What a perfect way to mix guns and peace, don't you think?

Shortly after leaving the political moonscape I arrived at Goblin Valley State Park. The park is known for it's valley of sandstone figures that look eeriely like goblins....

After getting my fill of Goblins I tackled 3 southern Utah attractions. I checked out Natural Bridges Monument, Valley of the Gods drive, and Monument Valley. Phew! Here's my version of the Monument Valley...

Then it was one to Monticello, UT. I had intended to stay here

for the night in a hotel, but the town was uninspiring and the call of southern Canyonlands beckoned so off I went. Before I got out of town I was had

to make a choice as to what route to take. I think you can guess which one I didn't choose....(click on picture)

So now, here i am in Moab and like everywhere else in Southern Utah (except Bryce) it's hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorta getting used to it, but I guess what else can I do? I'm loving Utah but I'm also looking forward to Oregon adventure. If nothing else it should be a lot cooler.

As usual, I hope all of you are doing well. Until next time...

W

Off to the land of Goblins

Howdy there my small but loyal readership

I've spent the last couple days checking out Capitol Reef National Park. It's probably the least visited of the 5 national parks here in Utah. Compared to the others I've seen and will see I guess this makes sense, but this park a beauty all it's own and is certainly worth a visit.

It's been warm here cracking 90 degrees both days. Due to the heat it's been tough to go on any long hikes so each day I've done small ones and made the most of the other sites within the park that are viewable via car. The main attraction to the park is the scenic drive which contains amazing geological beauty but personally I would say the drive into the park to the visitor center is as good if not better...

The campground well situated between to sets of cliffs and is a nice oasis during the hottest part of the day. It's bordered by fruit tree groves and Mormon homesteads. The local deer love this area and meander along under the trees eating just about all day...

At my Mom's request here is a shot of my campsite complete with a friend deer in the background...

On Thursday night I was blessed to witness one of the wildest sunsets I've ever seen. A summer storm swooped in from the west side of the park as the sun was going down. From the aptly named sunset point a trifecta of Mother Nature's biggest hits combined into a thing of beauty. It was completely magical and awesome. I got to see the sunset's rays directly hitting the storm cloud while a rainbow flanked the cloud to the right. The shot below isn't bad but there is absolutely no way that I could truly capture this with the camera, but as you can guess, I tried...

Well, I'm now off to Goblin State Park to commune with the goblins and hopefully if the weather holds out, visit a slot canyon or two. I hope all is well with everyone.

The wanderer

Before I go back into the wild...

Ahhh, I must admit I'm loving the hotel life. Air conditioning, comfortable bed, clean shower, free breakfast, and a coffee place in walking distance. I feel like a king! Well, it will be short and sweet. Today I go back into camping mode and will stay 2 nights at Capitol Reef NP and after that I will drive north to the scary but cool sounding Goblin State Park.

Anyhow...

Thus far I've been keeping up with my end of the deal. At this point I've taken about 12 gigs of photos. I'm a firm believer of the 1% rule in photography so perhaps 10-20 will be good. :)

Ted and all my friends at MDT I know
you want to see the beard so here it is (Click on the picture for larger version). Sorry for the lifeless expression, but it's not that easy to take a picture of yourself in a mirror. I guess I could have turned the camera toward me but I fear that would have been even more frightening to look at! It's a mix of gray and black, probably fair to say it's about 50/50. Time to get "Just for men, grecian formula or something. At 36, I'm looking too old for my own good. hahha

Discovered a tidbit of good news yesterday. A rather cute photo of my niece Anna made the cover of the latest Cal Parks Foundation newsletter. You can view a thumbnail of the cover here: http://calparks.org/newsletter/
I'm very excited about it and look forward to seeing it when I get back to Petaluma in August.


Vincent (from TrekLens) I don't know if you are reading this at all, but if you still intend to come to Utah in the fall. I highly suggest this book: http://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Southwest-1-Southern-Utah-2nd/dp/0916189120/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216912950&sr=8-1
This book has been awesome and is really well put together. If you haven't heard about it I cannot begin to tell you how thorough it is....


Well, I gotta get going. It's almost 9:30 here and they are gonna kick me out of my room at 11. Time to go set up camp and explore.

The wanderer

16 straight...

days of camping are over and the Days Inn seems like a 5 star hotel!

Hi all

I write to you from Torrey, Utah, home of Capitol Reef National Park. After 2.5 days in Bryce Canyon National Park, I've arrived here a bit tired and ready to sleep in a bed for a change.

Bryce was a nice change from the relentless heat of Zion. I arrived to much cooler temperatures with rain and a lightning charged thunderstorm keeping company on my first night. Bryce was nice (had to use it) and unlike Zion, they had showers!! WOO HOO. I hadn't felt so clean in days.

The park itself is located at 8000+ feet and offers excellent hiking around the canyon and in the canyon itself among the hoodoos. What's a hoodoo you ask? Well here is a close up...

The canyon is just loaded with hoodoos of various shapes and sizes. Some have names like the shipwreck, the great wall, the hammer of thor. Pretty cool actually. Native legend says that they were once humans that were tricked by a (wiley) coyote and turned to stone.

I spent each sunrise and sunset in and around the canyon. For photography, this is the prime time to view the hoodoos. Like the shot above, the sun just illuminates the hoodoos so nicely. You only have a little time catch this moment. It's a race in which you and umpteen other French, German, and English tourists all gladly compete. I've never heard so many cameras clicking, snapping, and flashing. Here's the canyon just before sunrise...

One of the highlights of the trip was hiking the Fairyland loop. It's one of the less frequented trails within the canyon and comes in at 8 miles round trip. A more popular hike is called the Navajo trail. Just about everyone coming back up from this down then up loop were huffing and puffing. The switchbacks can look quite intimidating...

I enjoyed the hike alot. You really get a chance to see the hoodoos up close. They are much bigger up close than they look from the rim of the canyon. From the rim you get a full panoramic view of the canyon. You can hike to several viewpoints and get different angles of view. It's fascinating how humans can be so drawn to eroding sandstone pillars but I have to admit I was right there with everyone else, drawn to these colorful hoodoos that were before my eyes after millions of years in the making. Sometimes mother nature just pushes things over the top and mixes some of her magic together just to tease the viewer...

Suffice to say, I felt lucky to witness this moment. It only stuck around for a little while and it was gone. Bryce was time well spent. I hope you liked some of the photos.

Before arriving at Bryce I did manage to get some more good shots from Zion. This park is unbelievable and there is a reason why 2.7 million visitors flock to this park each year. The sunsets are always a show (unless clouds break up the party). The cliffs just look so amazing when they are drenched in the low light of the sun...

The east side of Zion is fantastic, a total feast for the eyes. If you take east bound road out of Zion you must first take switchbacks that pass Pine creek and Mt Spry....

Once you pass through the tunnel the landscape transforms into a wonderland of geological masterpieces. As one of my photo guidebooks mentioned it looks like a pastry chef went crazy. I was skeptical when I first read this but when I saw these formations with my own eyes I realized the author was dead on....

One of the more famous landmarks is checkerboard mesa. It's a must stop for most tourists, myself included. It's famous not only for its unusual shape but also it's one of the best views of "cross bedding". Don't ask me what that means...

Phew...this is a long posting. I've got some more information to share, but I will put that in another blog entry that I will post a bit later, probably tomorrow morning.

Hope all of you are well.

the wanderer

Fryin in Zion

Hi all

Good to have a chance to type to you all again.

I'm currently taking refuge from the oppressive heat that is Zion. Through 3.5 full days it's been mostly hot with the occasional thunderstorm or two. Everyday it's been 95 or higher I would guess. Not so bad at first but after a couple days it takes a toll on you. I've confirmed what I already know, I'm not built for this kind of temperature. Today after a 4 mile hike up the trail that leads you to Angel's rest, I hit a wall. I guess almost 2 weeks straight of camping, waking up early, and running around like a mad man eventually takes its toll on the body. After the hike I've just felt exhausted. I'm looking forward to going to north to Bryce where the temps will drop in the higher elevations.

That being said Zion is an amazing place. People from all over the world have come here and even with the heat the park is packed with us tourists. The cliffs are amazing as are the various colors of sandstone and the hikes are great. I would do more hiking if I wasn't afraid of heights. Seems like all the best hikes here put you in places where you can't be afraid of 1000 foot drops! Oh well, there still are the narrows.

The narrows is a hike where the Virgin river is your trail and you hike right through the canyon as it becomes tighter and tighter.

You are supposed to equip yourself with the proper gear to hike in the river like boots and a walking stick, but like any naive tourist I just took the plunge and walked a good mile or so with shorts, sandals, and my camera pack. Luckily I didn't twist and ankle or fall into the water! Surprisingly, I didn't.

Getting good photos here at Zion has been challenging as the canyon is so deep and the sun casts many a shadow. Here is one more for ya..This is the Towers of Virgin at sunrise. Myself and 3 other photographers tried in vain to get a good shot of this scene.

I leave for Bryce tomorrow so I hope to get some final shots of Zion from the east side of the park tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I will have more to share later.

Before I go I want to share a few shots from Great Basin in Nevada...

My campsite....

and some primroses....

See ya in Bryce...

the wanderer

Catching Up...On to Utah

Howdy Amigos!

It's been a few days since I've checked in. I know, I know you guys have been clicking the refresh button on your browser for the last 4 days haven't you? Well never fear I managed to find an available, albeit weak, internet source here in Baker, Nevada home of Great Basin National Park. So what have I been up to? Well here's a quick summary:

--Watched athletes of all shapes and sizes and abilities compete in the June Lake Triathalon.
--Hiked the Panam crater near Mono lake under dark skies and booming thunder
--Drove to Lundy canyon (north of Mono lake) and was turned away by scary weather (see bullet number 2). Intent not being totally controlled by the weather I parked the car at Lundy lake, turned on Metallica's “Ride the Lightning” and watched the rain and lightning show
--Crossed the California border into Nevada and gasped in horror when I arrived in Tonopah, Nevada (I had almost booked a night here in the early trip planning stages). Tonoapah is a living ghost town and if I had stayed there it would have sucked the will to live out of me!
--Found the cure for insomnia on Hwy 6 while crossing Nevada. They say Hwy 50 in Nevada is the loneliest road, but the 6 definitely is a close second
--Hiked to southern most glacier in the US within Great Basin National Park, sat down on surprisingly comfortable lazy boy made of rocks, and felt like a king....what no beer too?
--Made it to the summit of Mt Wheeler (13,000 feet) within Great Basin after hiking 4 miles and 3000 foot elevation gain
--Toured the Lehman Caves and saw formations that are thousands of years old. This tour is a must if you ever visit Great Basin
--Saw a guy in Baker with a dread beard. Cool!
--Haven't showered in 4 days
--Haven't shaved in over a week (Ted B are you happy now?)
--Haven't had a gall bladder attack! (I wonder why?)

There must be more but I'm tired, smelly, and my computer battery is slipping away fast.

Today I must leave Great Basin (awesome hiking, caves, camping, etc) but I'm now off to Zion National Park in Utah for 4 days and then on to Bryce National Park on Sunday. Hopefully, I will be able to check in again soon. I will try to post some pictures next time.

The wanderer

Staying at June in July and Mono Lake is Smokin'

Hi all

Two posts in one day. Well sorta. I had the previous typed up a day or two ago, just finally had a few minutes to post. If you are ever in the sierras I can recommend the Looney Bean coffee company as they have free internet in their shops. It's funny I'm surrounded by laptops in here and more keep coming in!

I'm staying in the June lake area now. I've been here for a few days now. It's much more pleasant here than the Bishop area was, much cooler. Mammoth is a cool town with much going on. It's a year round play ground with skiing and snow boarding in the winter and mountain biking, fishing, and water sports in the summer.

I've really enjoyed my stay here so far. I've been on two excellent hikes and have discovered a few spots that I want to come back to in the near future. The smoke from the various fires is hazing up the area quite a bit but all this smoke does have it's advantages. I photographed sunset at Mono lake last night. The light from the sun was pretty ordinary and the sky was cloudless. This setting is not typically a photographer's dream, but alas good things come to those who wait.

Once the sun went down the smoke appeared in a thick band across the horizon. Shortly thereafter the sky lit up and myself and 2 other tripod jockeys raced around finding the best compositions. I met a guy named Tom from Scotland who joined me in a great location and we talked shop and soccer. We might cross paths again in Utah, we'll see...

Anyhow here are a few images from the fantastic sunset:



Before the smoke...





and after...




Well gotta run and explore a place called hot creek...


the wanderer

Bristle Cone Pines!

Greetings from the Sierras!


I ended my stay near Bishop thankfully before the whole region melted in the summer heat. The Bishop Creek Valley is a beautiful region in the Sierras and I already have plans to return in early October when the Aspens begin to dawn the fall colors.
Shortly after my last blog entry I made the journey to the Ancient Bristlecone forest in the White Mountains. Some of these trees are over 4,000 years old and still going strong. They are able to survive amazingly harsh conditions at over 10,000 feet elevation. Very amazing and very inspiring.

I dedicate this picture to my amazing mom whom like these trees, has an inner strength beyond description. She is very inspirational!




Until next time,


The Wanderer

Bishop Creek Canyon

Howdy everybody

Wanted to say a quick hi from Bishop. I arrived at my campsite in the Bishop Creek Canyon area yesterday and wow, what a beautiful place. Bishop itself is baking at over 102 today, but up in the canyon it's nice and cool. Bishop creek canyon is about 15 miles SW of Bishop at about 8,500 feet. I know if I lived in Bishop I'd be in the canyon all summer. The wildflowers are blooming everywhere you look. The 13,000 foot peaks around me are still capped with snow and 10 feet from my tent is Bishop creek itself, running with a fury. Suffice to say, I'm content. :)

Alas, I have not been a total slacker. I have been working too (well sorta) taking in the sunset and sunrise (can anyone say 4am wake up) at South Lake

Here is this morning's sunrise....



I had to wait a while for the sun to join me but it was worth the wait. After the sunrise, I decided to get a closer look at the portion of Bishop Creek just south of South Lake and after enduring a never ending assault by morning mosquitos I managed to get this one....




Well, I hope all is well with everyone. I might check in again tomorrow, but after that I might not have a chance for a while. Pretty soon I'm heading off to the Bristle Cone forest just south of Bishop. It boasts some of the oldest trees in the world!


Adios...

The Wanderer

Road Trip!

Come tomorrow the day will have finally arrived. Road trip time! I've been prepping for months now and soon I will be off! I'm looking foward to it. I hope some of you will follow along and read my posts from the myriad of locations I hope to visit.

To the right, I've got a crude map of my planned wandering. As some of this trip is still in the planning stages, I don't have a destination once I'm through with Portland but that will come in time...

Up until that point, here are some of the desinations on my tour.

• Eastern Sierras (Mono Lake, Lundy Canyon, Ancient Bristlecone forest, June Lake, among others)
• Great Basin NP
• Zion NP
• Bryce Canyon NP
• Capitol Reef NP
• Goblin Valley SP
• Canyon Lands NP
• Dead Horse SP
• Arches NP
• Salt Lake City
• Boise (yes Boise!)
• Columbia River Gorge
• Oregon Coast
• Silver Falls SP
• More to be spontaneously determined at a later date

I hope to bring back many photos and adventures...

Until next time,

The Wanderer