Buttes and Peaks

Every part of the Colorado Plateau could be a photograph. This shot was taken with a long telephoto lens and so the various features shown are really separated by long open spaces. I am guessing that the sharp butte you can see in the center is about three to fours miles away from where I was standing. By road, it is more like ten to fifteen miles away. Distances are deceiving. When I was very young, I took a walk towards a cliff that I considered to be only a short distance away and soon found myself a long way from where I started and no much closer to the cliff.

The Wooden Shoe Arch

Wooden Shoe formation is one of the most recognizable rock formations in the Canyonlands National Park in Southern Utah. We have stayed in a campground where this rock formation was visible on two occasions. The rock itself is not all that accessible. Distances in the canyons can be very deceiving. There is a large canyon between where I was standing and the Wooden Shoe and it would take a long walk and a technical climb to get to the small arch in the formation.

Rough Country

When people talk about trying to travel in rough country, they usually do not have a concept about what is really rough country. This is the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park. You have no idea what it would take to walk over to the needles in the background. You will have to wonder where I was standing to take this photo and how I got there.

Wandering on the slickrock

There are places on the Colorado Plateau where you can walk for miles on nearly level sandstone. This phenomena is collectively called slickrock. There are vast areas where the rock makes an uneven paved surface and nothing grows. Mostly the slickrock is broken into huge sections and in the cracks between there are trees and other plants growing. This is a bizarre world of canyons, cliffs and rock outcroppings all made of sandstone.

Canyonlands National Park

I was talking to some neighbors the other day and mentioned that we were camping in Canyonlands National Park. I was surprised when they said they had never heard of it. I have been camping in and around Canyonlands for about 40 years and that is about the entire history of the National Park since it was created in 1964, just a few short years before my first visit. Almost any direction you point a camera you have a wonderful shot.

Giant Poppies

We probably have an idea of what certain things are supposed to look like. That also goes for the size of common items. The poppy flowers I have seen are all about the same size. These are about ten times larger than any I had seen before. I suppose that somewhere in the world these are normal, but I really wasn't prepared for this large flower.

Sunset in Kodachrome Basin

I never tire of the wealth of land forms in Utah and Arizona. Why should I travel to exotic places when some of the most remarkable and exotic are in my own backyard? Kodachrome Basin in Southern Utah is one of the most remarkable of all those locations. It is only the vagaries of politics that keeps this and many similar locations from becoming National Parks. Although, I would not be in favor of declaring all these areas as National Parks simply because to do so would attract many more visitors, most of whom would come simply because the area was declared a National Park and not for the scenery or solitude.

The Attraction of Waterfalls

I have hiked miles into the Grand Canyon in Arizona just to get a view of a waterfall. There are some places in the world where waterfalls are so abundant that they don't even have names. I guess the difference between those areas that are so wet and others that are so dry is what makes up most of my fascination with the outdoors. I would doubt that anyone travels miles in Alaska just to see this particular waterfall, but if this same waterfall were in Arizona, it would be one of the major tourist attractions of the state.

Alaskan Coast

Impressive mountain ranges form much of the western coast of Alaska. The mountains seem to rise right out of the ocean. From an absolute standard, they aren't very high, but they are snow-covered and rugged. I try to imagine what these mountains would look like if they were in Arizona or Utah, but all I can see in my mind is rocks and desert. Don't get me wrong. I live on the doorstep of the Wasatch Mountains right now, but the snow hasn't come and they still look like big piles of gravel with a few rocks. There are majestic views in both Arizona and Utah where winter snows make the mountains look impressive, but this photo was taken in the middle of the summer, when snow in both Utah and Arizona is merely a dream.

Canyonlands Near Sunset

I climbed up to the top of one the lower rock outcroppings and spent some time taking photos of the rocks as the sun began to set. The foreground was already in the shadow of the hills and I kept spinning around trying to take in all of the scene at once. Within a few minutes the light faded and I turned my attention to the sunset in the west. Now I am back in the "real world" with only my images to remind me of this precious moment in time.

Glacial Moraine

Glaciers push huge amounts of rocks and sediment carving their deep U-shaped valleys. This is very front edge of a rapidly receding glacier. You can just see the ice appearing as a blue streak on its face. The rocks are rounded and almost polished, but the rest is powders ground out of the rocks by the moving ice.

Sunrise at Canyonlands

I woke up early as usual and walked away from our camp in Canyonlands National Park. I could see that the sun was just beginning to rise but the only light I could see was on the high clouds overhead. I climbed to the top of a rock outcropping and saw this scene right next to the horizon. It only lasted for about five minutes total before the colors faded and the sun really started to rise.

Blue and Red Hills of the Painted Desert

If I were going to choose one photo that most characterized what I think of when I think of "home," this would be a likely candidate. Although I am very happy to be living next to a mountain, I still retain an affinity with the nearly flat, wide open, Colorado Plateau. This part of the Plateau is commonly called the Painted Desert. When I was young, we lived near some of these bentonite hills and we called them the "Blue Hills" because they really were blue. This section has more red than blue. I would not hesitate at all to walk out into this countryside and carefully study the ground for pieces of petrified wood and other treasures. Of course, this photo was taken inside what is now the Petrified Forest National Park and I wouldn't be picking up any such treasures. But, the Park in only a small part of the huge Plateau and I can still find areas to search.

Qauil Pair

This male and female Gambel's Quail are watching from the top of a rock. Usually, one or more of a covey of quail will take lookout duty and sit and watch while the rest eat or do whatever quail do for a living.

The First School House Built in Iowa

The plaque on the rock states that this is the site of the first schoolhouse built in the state of Iowa in 1830. The building is obviously a replica and not the original. I was interested in the split log technique used by those who built the replica. This particular replica is located south of Montrose in Lee County along the Mississippi River. Records show that the actual, first building on this site was, just as the replica shows, a 10 foot by 12 foot building made of split logs. This building dates from 1940.

White Water Lily

The water lily leaves look a little worse for wear, but the flower is beautiful. I think that we should remember that old age can produce beautiful things. Not all of us are perfect and young but we can still do a lot of really good work.

Last of the Flowers

Well, not really the last of the flowers, but the leaves on the tree outside my window finally turned yellow. It is still over 80 degrees during the day, and I am beginning to believe in Global Warming, but I guess the trees are starting to turn out of habit rather than Fall weather. I usually look at the weather reports ten days in advance but I don't see a dramatic change coming for a while. I just might get in a few more flower photos before the snow flies.

Wading in the Evening

If you always expect bright colors and clear skies, you need to learn to live in the real world. This was an evening shot and the colors have all merged into dark pastels. But you would miss the form and the reflection.

San Xavier del Bac, Tucson, Arizona

Just outside of Tucson, Arizona is the old Spanish Mission of San Xavier del Bac. The building in this photo was built between 1783 and 1797. It is widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States. I have visited this site quite a few times and it is always impressive. It is a functioning mission of the Catholic Church dating back to Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1692. It is open to the public except when being used for church services.

Butterfly Contrast

First off, I have to say that this is not a fake photo. This is a real butterfly on a real flower. You just have to wait around for a while with butterflies. They are less predictable than birds and other animals, but all of them are a lot harder to photograph than plants.

Geese on alert

Geese are some of the few birds that do not become alarmed until you get quite close. It helps to have a telephoto lens, but some interesting images can be taken by just walking up very slowly and standing still to take a photo. You have to wonder why these birds were so intent off into the distance, with me standing right there taking photos.

Dragon Fly

Once and a while, I can capture a fleeting image. Most of the time, I find that dragonflies are too busy capturing insects for food. This one decided to rest. Its wings are a little tattered and maybe I can relate to it, Age does that to you. After all, time itself is fleeting and life seems to pass by as if in an instant. I am already feeling the effects of my own tattered wings.

A Welcoming Grin

Dinosaurs are a popular "hot" topic. The Utah Valley just happens to have one of the premier dinosaur museums in the country the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. This is one our favorite destinations.

Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo is the highest mountain in the Wasatch Range. It is located at the far south end of Utah Valley and is not particularly visible from Provo or the other more northerly cities. This is a view from the east side of the mountain looking southwest. It is 11,928 feet high (3,636 meters). The northern peak is the highest although most of the trails lead to the southern peak because until the 1970s it was thought to be higher.

Vero Beach

This is Vero Beach, Florida. I guess I needed a contrast with the mountains and all that desert. Ocean landscapes have a way of being very similar but at the same time unique. One thing I notice is the color of the water. It changes from minute to minute with the movement of the sun and clouds.

Sunset over Brigham Young University

Sunset is always interesting from the side of a mountain. This image shows Utah Lake with Provo and the Brigham Young University in the foreground. This is early Fall and you can see that the trees are not yet changing colors. We haven't had any really cool weather yet, temperatures are still in the 90s and high 80s.