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20090604 Bryce Canyon

As others have said, if you visit one park in Utah, this is probably it!  Bryce Canyon has a huge series of dramatic rock formations across its land which you can hike above or down in below. 

I oddly woke up at 5:30 in the morning so I decided to head in for the sunrise and I wasn't disappointed.  The light arrived over the rim of the canyon into the rock formations below and from there it was one great picture after another across the park!  Later in the day I walked down the Navajo trail (Wall street side) into the canyon and came back up the Queens Garden trail.  It was definatly worth the long climb up!

Enjoy the pictures!  After this I dropped by the Coral Sand Dunes National Park, which was eh.. so-so.. then I called it a vacation and headed home.  My legs were exhausted from 5 days of hiking up and down (or rather.. down and up in most cases) across Arizona and Utah!

 

20090603 Scenic Utah 12

These pictures were on Utah Scenic Route 12 from Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon.  Great scenic overlooks!  Also on the way I dropped by Kodachrome National Park, but didn't see much that I didn't see elsewhere.

20090603 Goblin Valley

I was travelling down to Capitol Reef when I saw a sign for Goblin Valley National Park and I decided to drop by and didn't regret it!  It was formally known as Mushroom Valley and for good reason.  The rocks are of many layers and the lower layers eroded away, leaving larger rocks on top to make rocky mushrooms!

20090603 Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef is another series of canyons around the Grand Staircase area of Utah. I stopped by to see the Grand Wash. There were other trails but I didn't have time on my way to Bryce Canyon and the roads to them were unpaved with plenty of large rocks to bust my tires on!

20090602 Needle Overlook

While driving north on UT 191 up to Arches I saw a sign for Canyonlands' Needle Overlook so I took the side trip and didn't regret it.  It's a terrific panorama of the rugged landscape of the Canyonlands! 

It's a small world also, met a man who lived in Medina, OH.  Go figure!

20090602 Arches National Park

Definately worth a trip out here to Arches National Park!  But do be aware that all the hotels are $$$$ in the area!  I spent a day here wandering around and only saw parts of the park, there's just too much to see in one day! 

A good hike is up to Delicate Arch for the famous arch picture but boy... that's a hike.  It's only about 1.5 miles and 500 ft up, but it's a pretty tiring hike over slippery rocks.  I will admit that I got lost up there too because I missed the cairn stone path.  You'll see pictures below of the arch from the side with a very large pit between my camera and it... that was the way I was going till I actually thought about it and considered the path I was taking (which was definately not safe) then I turned around and found the right path.  Unfortunately it was all dark and rainy up there so I didn't stay long.  And next time I go up.. i'm taking the 70-200, the 24-70, a tripod, water, and NOTHING ELSE. 

I also saw the famous landscape arch (the really narrow one), but also unfortunately the sun was nearly set so there was no light on the bridge.  I will have to go back sometime!

20090601 Monument Valley

One of the best known landmarks of the west!  I raced over here from Canyon de Chelly trying to get in before sunset but when I arrived, it was raining out.  But thankfully within ten minutes it cleared and the sun came out and I got these gorgeous images!  This place is DEFINATELY worth a trip during sunset!  The road though is steep and dirt/gravel so drive carefully!

Note to self:  Don't get antibiotic ointment on your finger then touch the lense by accident and shoot a bunch of shots :(

20090601 Canyon de Chelly

Heard about this canyon in northeast Arizona so dropped by!  It is on the Navajo reservation who actively farm at the bottom of the canyon.  There are two routes, the north and south rim, and definately the south rim is the better of the two.  Additionally there's the White House trail which leads into the canyon to its bottom where you can see a very well preserved set of ruins.  Bring lots of water as it's a loooooong hike up!  At the end of the South Rim drive is Spider rock, massive free standing towers 800 ft high.

20090531 Very Large Array

Just the first stop of my NE Arizona and Southern Utah Trip!  And yes.. there were cows there.  I couldn't resist.  The 14-24 was a great lens for all of this wide angle stuff on its debut!  Although this is the second time i've been here, it's still impressive.

20090531 Arizona Petrified Forest

I drove through the Petrified Forest and while the petrified wood itself is.. ehh... so so to see.. the rest of the place was quite a sight!  Unfortunately the sunset wasn't the greatest in the world and the park closes at 7pm with the sunset being 7:30 pm.  I got chased away by a park ranger while setting up at Pintado Point.  The hike into the Blue Mesa is worth the trip!

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