A Rocky Coast

Not all ocean coasts are sunny beaches with palm trees. Some of them are really rocky and rough. These rocks are very sharp and rough. But sand and sun can only go so far. I really prefer rock and waves. This is the west coast of Vancouver Island near the town of Ucluelet. If I were to turn around and take a photo looking in the opposite direction, I would see the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, so I suppose this is Amphitrite Point.

Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial, Vermont

This granite monument is 50 feet, 10 inches tall and the shaft, carved from one piece of granite is 38 and a half feet tall, one foot for each year of the life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet. Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont. Interestingly, the county line between Rutland and Windsor Counties runs right through the house where he was born. Although, the official location of his birthplace is always recorded as Sharon, Vermont, the location today is more accurately recorded as in South Royalton.

Reflections in the Palmyra, New York Temple Window

Sometimes life is all in the details. I was struck by the reflections in the beautiful craft glass windows of the Palmyra, New York Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even though we are looking in, at the same time we can see out into the infinite distance. I see some important symbolism here, not only from the perspective given by the Temple, but as the principle of eternity affects our lives.

Split Rails

A split rail fence requires no metal hardware at all. The whole thing is dependent on gravity to keep it together so it is remarkable how long they last. Although I do have to observe that many of the split rail fences you see are modern reconstructions. The first patent for barbed wire was issued in 1867, so the most common fence I saw in my childhood was barbed wire. We used to call it "bobbed wire" probably because we didn't know that the pokey parts were "barbs." By the way, split rail fences are definitely more an eastern phenomena than they are in the West.

A Damselfly

Damselflies are similar to dragonflies. They are predatory and they eat mosquitos which makes them my friends. They are insects of the order of Odonata and the suborder of Zygoptera. There are damselfly fossils dating back more than 250 million years. Classification of the damselflies is currently being reorganized. This particular damselfly was buzzing around a small stream near the Sacred Grove on the Smith Family Farm in upper New York State.

The Hill Cumorah Monument

This monument on the crest of the Hill Cumorah commemorates the visit of the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith and the delivery of the Gold Plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. The Hill Cumorah is located just south of the small town of Palmyra, New York. It is presently the site of the huge and spectacular, Hill Cumorah Pageant. One of our daughters and her family participated in the Pageant in 2016 and we spent some time in the area and watched the Pageant for three of the performances.

Lilies at the Palmyra, New York Temple

This graceful arrangement of lilies was outside the Palmyra, New York Temple. The Palmyra Temple is probably one of the most isolated of all the Temples I have visited. It is in a very rural area near the Joseph Smith Family Farm and not too far from the Hill Cumorah. The Temple is in a lovely location.

A Window on the Joseph Smith Farm

Outside of Palmyra, New York, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has preserved and somewhat recreated the original Smith Family Farm. Much of the early history of the Church took place on and around this farm. The farm site is the location of what is known as the Sacred Grove, where God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ first appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith. This window is in the Smith Frame Home where Joseph Smith, Sr. moved his family in 1825. Quoting from the Church website:

The Smiths’ frame home still stands on its original foundation. A restoration project in 1998 returned the home to its 1820s appearance—at the time, it was discovered that 85 percent of the building materials had survived from Joseph Smith’s time to ours.

Mixture of the Old and the New

This bucolic pastoral scene is really a mixture of the old and the new. You might have to look for a few seconds to notice the mobile home and the prefabricated covering. But otherwise it is a lovely image of old-rural life in the upper Northeastern States. This particular farmhouse is near Whitehall, Vermont.

In the Tops of the Mountains

The advantage of beginning a hike up a mountain before sunrise is the experience of watching the sun slowly highlight the mountains tops. We were well up Mount Timpanogos when the sun started to shine on the mountain tops and it was difficult to stop and take enough photos of the changes in the light and still keep going up the mountain with some urgency. The main reason for starting up the mountain so early was to avoid coming down during the heat of the day. Well, our tactic worked to some extent, we did get down in the middle of the afternoon, but we survived more from some cool breezes than from the timing of the hike. Fortunately, we had more than enough water, although I did lose a few pounds of water that I regained as soon as I had enough to drink.

Lower Stewart Falls

There were so many people at Stewart Falls the day we hiked in, that it was difficult to get a photo without people. But with a little patience, I finally got the bottom cascade of the falls. This is a relatively short hike from a large parking lot on the Alpine Loop that circles Mount Timpanogos but starting (or ending) in Provo Canyon and then connecting to American Fork Canyon. I am sure there is a lot more water over the falls in the Spring than there is at the end of a very dry Summer.

Glacial Remnants

There were once glaciers that covered the Wasatch Mountains (and others) in Utah. This far south, the only remnants of a glacier are these small firn snow fields on the eastside of Mount Timpanogos. Some refer to these snowfields as a glacier, but they would have be made of ice and moving to qualify. Given the fact that this summer has been one of the hottest on record, even this small amount of snow will not persist for long. The huge piles of glacial moraine can be seen in the foreground and up on the next level above the lower cliff. It is not too hard to imagine the huge sheets of ice that covered this area not all that long ago.

Crack in the Earth

We have a lot of slot canyons in Arizona and Utah. But none of them is filled with a huge, cold waterfall. This river in Canada disappears into this narrow slot to reappear a few yards downstream. I have see some local slot canyons that are about the same length. Of course the lush vegetation goes with the Canadian climate and location, but we have a lot of water some of the time with flash floods or we wouldn't have slot canyons at all.

Wind Surfing

This is one of the fastest, most dangerous looking and impressive "sports" I have seen. This is off the beach on Vancouver Island's major city, Victoria. The wind was blowing about 30 mph and it was very chilly on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The person out surfing with the wind this day was jumping well into the air and making some extraordinary turns. It probably helped that we were watching him perform from the safety of the shore.

Sunrise on the Peaks

One thing about climbing a very high mountain is that you need to get up very early, sometimes in the middle of the night, to make it to the top and then back down again before it gets too late or too hot or whatever. Walking up a steep, rocky trail in the dark has its drawbacks, but you do get to see the sunrise on the mountain peaks. This image comes from a trip up Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. At this point, we are almost halfway up the mountain.

More Petroglyphs

You might walk right by this large collection of petroglyphs without even seeing them. You have to look closely, even with this photo image, to see all of them. You might want to click on the image to enlarge it so you can see the detail. The images here are mostly of mountain sheep which are very rare today in the places where the petroglyphs are found. This collection is found in Utah's Nine Mile Canyon.

Rainbow in the Falls

At one point while viewing the Niagara Falls, we were in the middle of a thunderstorm shower so the combination of spray from the falls and rain falling out of the sky was a little overwhelming. There are a lot of viewpoints for looking at the giant waterfall, but to see a rainbow in the mist you have to be in the right position at the right time of day. If I moved along the rim a short distance the rainbow disappeared.

A Vision of Water Lilies

It is time to go back to some photos of flowers. As we come to the end of another summer and move into Fall, we begin to see the last of the flowers blooming. Water lilies are one of the flowers that are in their prime during the late summer and early Fall. I like the composition of this particular image and the contrast between the bright color of the flowers and the deep green of the leaves. The water appears black because of the high contrast in the color of the plants.

Fall Preview

We noticed that the leaves on the top of the mountains behind our home are beginning to change colors. We still have warm and very dry weather here along the edge of the mountains but Fall is just around the corner. Now that school is starting, we are going to have a busier schedule, but we still want to take some time to go around the state and see some of the fall leaves and beautiful country.

A Banded Bird

The practice of banding or ringing birds began in the 1500s in Europe. The practice in America began with John James Audubon in 1803. This bird is probably an immature Cattle Egret, a fairly common bird in North America.

Hiking among the flowers

Late in the Summer for the high mountains, the only flowers left blooming in profusion were at about the 10,000 foot level. It takes a considerable effort to hike up to this level, but the view is definitely worth the effort. The trail here is relatively level and a respite from either climbing constantly upward or pounding down. This photo is from the highest of the multiple glacial cirques that you negotiate in climbing Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.

High Up on Mount Timpanogos

The views are grand and the air is clear and warm. The flowers are gorgeous and the trail is steep and rocky. It is difficult to keep walking as the air becomes thinner but I could not miss the opportunity to take a few photos of the trip. Mount Timpanogos is the most prominent mountain as viewed from Utah Valley. It is the second highest mountain in the Wasatch Mountain range and a very popular place for hikers.

View from the top

A hike up Mount Timpanogos turns out to be pretty arduous and challenging for an old guy like me. It was a beautiful day and there were crowds of people climbing the mountain. But for each person it a singular experience. It is an interesting experience to do something like this with your grandchildren. I sort-of ran out of oxygen about 11,000 feet but kept going to the top. This is the top ridge of the mountain look mostly north into the Salt Lake Valley. I could actually see my own house, if I looked the other direction, from here.

An Old Farmhouse

I don't know whether or not the family that owned this house were farmers or not, but from my standpoint, this is what I would imagine a farmhouse to look like. In fact, since this particular house was in the middle of a town, I really have no basis for assuming it was used by farmers. But then again, I can make up whatever story I like about the house in the absence of any actual knowledge.

Tropical Flowers

This is an Anthurium andraeanum – Anthurium from Hawaii. It is commonly copied into plastic and other materials for artificial flower arrangements but this is the real thing in the Buffalo Botanical Gardens in New York. As is sometimes the case the real flower looks fake and the fake flowers look real.

Snow Curved Trees

When the trees in the mountains begin to grow, the winter snow deforms them downward. As the continue growing they curve upward to compensate for the pressure of the snow. This is one way you can always tell which direction is down when you are hiking in the mountains. These trees are growing on the trail to Stewart Falls in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.

A Mossy Stream

Dappled by the sun, this stream has a series of cascades in the Fundy National Park in New Brunswick. I don't think you will see that much moss in the Wasatch Mountains. We live in a semi-desert region and since we have lived here there has been a moderate to severe drought. So we don't see much water in the streams. Some of the larger creeks and rivers have water but that is about it.

Your Own Island

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own island? Did your dream include something like the one above or one a little bit larger? Perhaps yours had palm trees and warm breezes? But there is something about an island that starts me dreaming about exploring and uncharted wilderness. Technically, we all live on islands, i.e. land completely surrounded by water, it is just the size that makes the difference.

Lobster Traps at Low Tide

We don't catch too many lobsters in Utah so seeing so many lobster traps was a novelty. We also enjoyed watching the lobster fishermen out on their boats checking the traps for the day's catch. These traps are on the Bay of Fundy, in New Brunswick.

Low Tide at the Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is on the Eastern Coast of Canada. Because of the peculiar way the Bay is situated, the ocean tides vary higher than any other place on earth. Here, the tides were about thirty feet between highs and lows. This photo was taken while we were visiting Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.

Hiking the Utah Trails

This is a sample of what passes for a trail in Utah. All of those rocks are loose and climbing is a task of maintaining your balance with a pack and at the same time trying to negotiate the places where the rocks aren't moving down the hill. In addition, the weather was hot, even this early in morning, and we were starting out at about the 8,000 foot level and climbing to more than 9,000 feet. On this particular trail, there was not one level section for more than a mile and half.

The Patterns of Coleus

As surreal as this image seems, it is actually a photo of live coleus plants. These plants and their hybrids are usually cultivated for their ornamental leaves. The originated in southeast Asia and Malaysia. These beautiful plants were found in the Buffalo, New York, Botanical Gardens.

Maid of the Mist

For an up close and very wet ride, we took the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls. You can see from the photo that the boat is crammed with people. There are several boats and they run at about 10 minute intervals. Everyone gets a thin plastic raincoat that is disposable and is recycled at the end of the ride. The attractions at the Falls are pricey but that doesn't stop thousands of visitors from around the world from standing in long lines to take the drenching ride.

Waiting in Line on Mount Washington

The pile of rocks marks the highest point on Mount Washington in New Hampshire White Mountains. It is a place similar to Pike's Peak in Colorado with a lunch room, museum, weather station and a cog railway to the top. I had to keep reminding myself that Mount Washington was only 6,288 feet high, which is only slightly higher than where we live in Provo, Utah at about the 5,000 foot level along the Wasatch Mountains. For comparison, Pike's Peak is 14,115 feet high and when on top, you really feel the altitude. By the way, all those people are standing in line to have their picture taken on top of the mountain.

View from the top of Mount Washington

This is not a view I associated with the eastern part of the United States. A road was built to the top of the mountain back in 1861 and then opened to the public as a toll road for tourists. It is still a toll road, but it is worth the trip. The road is almost completely paved except for about a mile or so near the top of the mountain. We drove to the top and compared to some of the very narrow and precipitous roads we have driven in the West, the road was quite tame. It is definitely a tourist destination and we had to wait in line for a considerable period of time to get our photograph taken. If you look back through my recent photos, you will see the one taken by another tourist of us at the top.

Worst Weather

We had an interesting discussion about the claims made by this sign. Mount Washington is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River in the United States. It is marked by its long accessibility by way of a road all the way to the very top of the highest point. The weather there is truly terrible, but those of us who live in the West think that the severity is somewhat overrated. The fact is that there is a permanent weather station at the top of the mountain. Out here, we have hundreds, perhaps thousands, of higher mountains that have no similar weather stations. In the natural world, claims about maximums and minimums depend more on the ability to make recordings than they do on actual conditions.

Close to the Waterfall

While standing very close to a huge waterfall, in this example Niagara Falls, you get an overpowering impression of the motion and confusion of the rushing water. But just a short distance away, in the foreground, you can see the quiet tranquility of the wild flowers. No matter how turbulent the times we live in, we can always find our own haven of peace and tranquility. For me, it has always been the sure knowledge I have of truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the reality of his earthly mission as the Son of God.

A Wasatch Mountain Trail

This is where the photo is really far from the reality. It was a hot day and the trail was dusty and we must have passed a couple of hundred people. But even with all that it is really a wonderful opportunity to get out and away from the electronic world for a while. It does look just like this however.

Watching the Waves in Acadia National Park

These waves were shooting 15 to 20 feet into the air. I was standing safely some distance away. We were visiting the Schoodic Peninsula in the Acadia National Park. We could have stayed here and watched the ocean for the rest of our trip, but night time, food and other considerations finally made us move on to further adventures. This area has definitely moved way up on my list of places I would like to return to.

Acadia National Park, Maine

The rocky coast of Maine is the setting for the dramatic Acadia National Park. Unfortunately, as is happening with some of the other National Parks, its natural beauty is becoming overshadowed by the crowds of visitors. Acadia was nearly as crowded as Yosemite, Glacier and Zion. Although we did not have to wait in a two mile long line of traffic as is the case at Arches. If we had not discovered the Schoodic Peninsula we would have come away with an entirely different impression of the Park.

Joseph Smith Log Home

This is a replica of the original log home constructed by the family of Joseph Smith, the Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quoting from the HillCumorah.org website:

Around 1818 Joseph Smith, Sr., his wife, Lucy Mack Smith, and their eight children moved from Palmyra village to Stafford Road, just north of the 100 acres they planned to acquire. They built a log home and outbuildings where they resided for approximately seven years. 

In late 1825 they moved a few hundred feet south to their new frame home. Their son, Hyrum, had arranged to purchase the eighty acres of land surrounding the log home. Following his marriage to Jerusha Barden, in November of 1826, Hyrum and his wife resided in the log home. 

In the spring of 1829, Father and Mother Smith and their younger children returned to the log home where they lived with Hyrum’s family until the fall of 1830.

The Castle Looking North

The Castle is a prominent rock ridge highly visible from Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. We hiked to Pittsburg Lake on the south side of the ridge and so this photo is the Castle from the south side. If I were to climb that ridge, I would be looking down into Albion Basin. To hike and then drive to Albion basin from here on trails and roads would be almost 50 miles and take the better part of a day.

Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park

The Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park is a an extensively preserved Victorian country estate located in Canandaigua, New York. The 50 acre estate has formal and informal gardens, the historic mansion above, the Lord and Burnham greenhouse complex and supposedly, views of Canandaigua Lake. We never did see the lake from the mansion or the estate, but the rest was remarkable. The mansion was built in 1887 and the surrounding gardens developed between 1902 and 1920. We took the opportunity to do an extensive tour of both the mansion and the surrounding gardens. I do think that living in this large mansion would have been more of a burden than an opportunity.

Carnivorous Plants

This is probably a Drosera (if you know better, leave a comment). They attract insects to the sticky appendages they have on their leaves and then when the insects get stuck, they dissolve all the nutrients in the bug. They are rather pretty plants altogether.

Pittsford Lake, Wasatch Mountains, Utah

If you like to walk, high in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, you can find Pittsburg Lake. For such a remote spot, it is a quintessential destination for Utah. I really have to admit that it take some effort to get to this location. I won't say I was out of shape, but I could have used a few more hikes like this one to prepare. I am ready to go back again any time. Because of the loose rocks and dust, I would classify the trail to this lovely lake as among the worst short hikes I have experienced in my long years of hiking.