Bryce Canyon-2010

While I got to Bryce Canyon a bit later than I had hoped, due to the magnificance of the blazing aspens on the way, I was able to concoct a plan for the day. The Navajo Loop offered an experience that is very hard to match.

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I had heard about "Wall Street" but, I wasn't quite prepared for the incredbly amazing views, and extreme terrain surrounding you. I usually seek the places where other people don't go but, the people in this shot makes the composition soooooo much better!

Hikers are treated to the view of a couple of surprisingly large Douglas-firs at the outlet from Wall Street. The shaded nooks and crannies don't get all that much sunlight during the day, and apparently, hold on to the bits of precipitation it does get from afternoon thunderstorms.

A perfect rest stop on the Navajo loop is "Twin Bridges", at about the halfway point. I wandered up the dead end trail to sit down and relax, for about 20 minutes. As the clouds continued to thicken, I knew I needed to hustle on up the trail, as thunderstorms can be quite violent in this region.

Of course, the elevation you lost going down Wall Street has to be gained back. Although the park's trail guide says to hike the trail clockwise, I felt that going the other direction was easier, with a more gentle climb back up this wonderful section of trail.

This slender and delicate hoodoo greets you as you approach the top, again. I'm sure that most people view this as a religious icon, for obvious reasons. It seems that most hoodoos have a more rounded shape, here in Bryce Canyon.

Zion-Fall 2010

My first day back in Zion turned out to be hazy, with crummy light. Often times, it's better to just exclude the drab sky and focus on other points of interest. I used my telephoto zoom to make these massive cliffs look close together.

The next day was brilliantly perfect for photography. Alas, my plans for the day were thwarted, due to weekend traffic and intense road construction near the long tunnel. Parking was at a premium and most of the turnouts were clogged with the idle road construction equipment. I kept driving until I reached the east entrance, then turned around and finally found an empty space to park. Luckily, all of this higher terrain excited my camera eye.

I spied this "slot canyon" from the highway and decided that it wouldn't be difficult to approach it from a mile away. The reflected light makes this picture so compelling, and the canyon was so narrow in one spot that I had to take my backpack off and squeeze through sideways. I also had to do some tricky rock climbing in my attempt to go as far up the canyon as I could.

These higher elevation parts of Zion offer a lot more places to hike than around the cliffs of Zion Canyon. It is also noticeably cooler, while still being exceptionally beautiful.

The texture of this particular rock is reminiscent of a lakeshore as the water level goes down. Sandstone erodes into tiny specks of sand, and over thousands and thousands of years, you end up with these wonderful, everchanging textures.

A visit from Family

I had a great visit from my niece Julie, her daughter Idarah and our family friend Greg, Jr. The first evening, we grabbed some yummy sandwiches from the local market and went up to Calaveras-Bigtrees State Park. We drove through the park and looked around, then returned to the main grove of Giant Sequoias.

Idarah was very happy to be wandering on the trails, just like the rest of us.

Yep, she's getting bigger but, so is this "bigtree".

Idarah does the cutest things. She's such a good baby, just like her mama was!

The next day, we all went to Yosemite. I figured Glacier Point might be less crowded, and provide a more awesome view for Greg, who had never been to Yosemite before. We had lunch with a view of Half Dome and the high Sierra Nevada. Here's the view of the valley floor, looking over the edge of Glacier Point.

We descended back into the valley and decided to stop off at Bridalveil Falls, which was still running. Yosemite Falls was merely a trickle so, this was our best bet to see a waterfall up close. Winds always affect Bridalveil, and that day was no exception.