Traveling the Roads of Utah

This was a recent trip to the Wasatch Mountains which are literally in my backyard. We live across the street from the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Many of these roads are very rough and this is one of those. The road goes between the large rock on the left and the cliff on the right. You shouldn't think about what happens if there is another vehicle coming up the road towards this narrow section, but it does happen as this is a very heavily traveled road. One of the vehicles either has to move as close as possible to the cliff or back up. I might also mention that to the left the road drops off about 200 feet into a canyon. There is no shoulder.

Dickson Falls, Fundy National Park, Canada

One of the advantages of WalkingArizona is that when we travel we find all sorts of places that we had never heard about previously. These are the Dickson Falls in the Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, Canada. This was one of the most beautiful places we visited but before we arrived, we had never heard of it. I sometimes pity those who plan out their trips with a daily agenda. We usually travel in a general direction for an unspecified time and see what we can find. I am sure we miss some things, but we see a lot of things we would never have guessed were there.

The Erie Canal

I am not exactly sure what I expected to see when I first saw the Erie Canal, but it wasn't at all like I imagined. Of course, I had read about the Canal in history books and even sung folk songs about the Canal, but it is much larger and more extensive than I had visioned. The Canal is 363 miles long and we drove along most of it as we drove from Albany to Buffalo. This image is a stretch of the Canal near Palmyra, New York. The Canal has 36 locks and an elevation differential of about 565 feet. The Canal is still used by commercial craft.

Japanese Garden

This beautiful Japanese garden is on the grounds of the Sonnenberg Mansion in Canandaigua, New York. This is one of the superb benefits of driving around on the back roads of the United States. This is The Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park and it is worth going out of your way to see.

Orchids

One of the benefits of traveling (if there are any) is that we get to visit surprising places that were previously unknown to us. We do not travel with an agenda. We decide the next stop when we are done with each stop. In this case, we decided to visit the Buffalo Botanical Gardens in Buffalo, New York. The Gardens are based upon the famous Crystal Palace in Kew Gardens Palm House in England. It was an extraordinary experience and I will be sharing some of the highlights as I put up photos. 

Orchidaceae has about 28,000 currently accepted species distributed in 763 genera. Orchids comprise about 6% to 11% of all seed plants on the earth. There are now more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars so you can imagine the variety.

An American Masterpiece

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Martin House Complex is a unique residential estate and an American architectural masterpiece. I have been intensely interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural work since the 6th grade when our teacher took us to listen to him speak at the Women's Club in Phoenix, Arizona. When we visited this gem in Buffalo, New York, we were impressed with the location. Interestingly, none of the surrounding houses are in any way distinguished or even noteworthy. This house built in about 1905 is timeless in its design.

Hill Cumorah Pageant, Palmyra, New York

Quoting from the HillCumorah.org website:

Come feel the Savior's love 

Experience one of the world's great outdoor theatrical productions. Each July, seven evening performances are presented on the beautiful Cumorah hillside next to the Visitors' Center. A beautiful story on an enormous 10 level stage, twelve-tower lighting, state-of-the-art sound system, Hollywood special effects, and a costumed cast of over 650 provide a truly spectacular show.

Quoting further from the website:

It all began in the early 1920's when a small group of missionaries from New York City gathered for the Cumorah Conference at the Joseph Smith Farm to celebrate Pioneer Day, the day when Brigham Young first entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. In July of 1934, the conference was moved from the Farm to the Hill Cumorah. 

Today the Pageant, with its incredible staging, lighting, special effects and costuming is still carefully designed to keep its message of Jesus Christ's love for us both simple and pure. The opening processional of the entire costumed cast through the audience is quite similar to the beginning of many of the great medieval pageants.

We enjoyed three nights of watching the Pageant this year. 

Toronto Canada Cityscape

Looking across the city next to the CN Tower, I was overwhelmed with the proliferation of high-rise apartment buildings. Toronto, Canada is distinctive in its abundance of high-rise apartment islands and the downtown area has them in abundance. Most of my life, I have lived in very horizontal cities. Phoenix, Arizona is the polar opposite of Toronto. Size is not the issue. Toronto is only about half a populous as Phoenix, but has many, many times the number of high-rise buildings. Now that I live in Provo, Utah, the buildings have to compete with high mountains and so the effect, even in downtown Salt Lake City is modified.

Toronto Music Garden

Downtown Toronto, Canada has a dramatic skyline dominated by the CN Tower. But the beauty of the city comes from its parks and gardens. This is the lakeside Music Garden. We ran into terrible traffic jams and bewildering streets but the trip was saved by the beauty of the city.

Niagara Falls Up Close

The air was absolutely filled with spray. Within a few seconds the camera lens was entirely coated with water. But by pulling out the camera for only a few seconds, I was able to get a few photos at the base of Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls from the River

A very windy and wet trip on Maid of the Mist gives you an entirely different perspective of the famous Niagara Falls. The short voyage is pretty pricey and on a busy day, involves a substantial wait in line but it is worth the time and the cost.

Rapids on the Niagara River

Above the dramatic Niagara Falls, the Niagara River descends in a series of rapids. The bonus in this photo is a single seagull. The photo, in this case, fails to convey the roar of the water as it drops over a series of waterfalls before the big drop.

Niagara Falls

Well, we spent some time traveling around in the northeastern part of the United States, so, for a while, I will have a few selected photos of the hundreds I took on the trip. We spent two days at Niagara Falls. The first day it was very hot and humid. The second day the temperature was mild and there was even a brief thunderstorm. I guess once and awhile you have to take some photos of iconic subjects.

Reminder of Cool Weather

Sometimes when the summer weather gets too warm, you might begin to dream about cooler temperatures. I don't particularly. I was used to the low desert heat all summer and it really wasn't much of a issue. I am enjoying the much cooler temperatures high in the mountains of Utah, but I thought I would post a reminder that there are places in the world that never really get warm like this view of a Canadian river.

Sandstone Castles

It is easy to start imagining battlements and castles when you walk among the ever-changing vista of sandstone cliffs on the Colorado Plateau. You can walk or drive a short distance and have a completely different type of formations. The vegetation in this vast area of sand is more of an afterthought. Unlike the rainforests of the world, the landscape is not dominated by green plants, but by colored sandstone.

Light and Shadow

As you begin to take photos, you will eventually become aware of subtle changes in the light as clouds pass by overhead and as the earth turns and the sun apparently moves across the sky. On this day, the wind was blowing and the clouds were moving and the light changed every few seconds. The ridges were alternating between light and dark. Suddenly, the view became three dimensional.

Bugs and Flowers

There are several different insects taking advantage of this small flower cluster, See how many you can spot.

Wasatch Mountain Road

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Enjoying Summer Flowers

We have a succession of flowers here on the side of Wasatch Mountains. I am enjoying each wave of new flowers as they appear, especially those in the mountains. But I did find this daisy in a garden and appreciated the form and color. The bee was an extra. Photographers and the people who select their photos for publication are usually fixated on the perfect flower, perfect people and perfect landscapes. They pretty much live in a dream world of perfection. I pretty much live in a world where bees and flowers are the average, every day variety. But that is what I prefer.