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.