New Years Eve

We had a couple of good snow storms last week after Christmas. Most of the snow had melted off at the lower elevations but I was determined to get up into the top of Zion and get some shots of the snowcovered cliffs. Our family was in town to celebrate New Years with us and my father in law is a photography and outdoor nut like me so I thought he might enjoy the drive too.
We drove into the top of Zion Canyon up to Kolob Lake. We didnt see much snow until we got to the top. The lake was frozen over for the most part. It wouldnt have been safe to walk on. This has been an unusual year for us as we should have a lot deeper snow pack by the end of December and our temperatures this year have been really mild. We made our way back and stopped at different points for us to get shots of some of the more interesting sites. We did a short hike below the snow line of the Kolob Cliffs where the sun was shinning and the temperatures were in the upper 40s. Great hiking weather! After a great day of sightseeing we headed home for a few relaxing drinks and got ready to celebrate the incoming of the new year.

Back In The Saddle

I got my boot off yesterday! Finally! I can hike again. I had been out doing short hikes and taking pictures but its been torture. If your a photographer you know what I mean. To stand there taking pictures and looking down a trail where you know there is better shots. Its like starving and watching someone eat! I took my first hike with my son Stevie down the trail along the narrows in Zion Canyon. It was a cold windy day but it still felt great to get out. With the wind blowing through the canyon there wasnt any people who wanted to venture to far into the canyon. We hiked a mile in to the point where we would have to go from the trail into the river. It was 30 degrees without the windchill so when I asked Stevie if he wanted to hike up the river he looked at me like I had a third eye sprouting from my head!
We turned around and started hiking back. By the time we made it back to the truck I was glad we hadnt gone any farther. My foot was starting to sing out to me to let me know it was not happy! On the way out of the canyon we stopped to watch some of the mule deer laying out in the sun. It was a great day to be out and now I can slowly get my foot back into shape before spring. Im looking forward to some great long hikes and lots of photo ops!

Fall In Zion

It is so great to get out again! Just to be driving around looking at the scenery is great. I was having major withdrawls from not being able to get out and do any photography.
What a great time to come into Zion Canyon! Its fall so all the leaves are changing and the large crowds are gone for the most part.  Its still torture to get out to take pictures and see great spots that I could get an awesome shot from but, I cant hike over to it. Half my concience says, no sweat you can hike right over there! The other side says, yeah and when they find you laying in the ravine your going to kick your self in the ass! After you heal up in another four months! So Im playin it safe, just road photography for now!

Free at Last!

Well its been four long, excruciating, boring, monotanas months. In case you dont catch my drift. The last four months sucked! Ive had to sit here in my room in a recliner since my stunt in the Subway at Zion. I have not been able to take pictures of anything that I cant see from my bedroom window or my dogs. Im sure the dogs are sick of the paparazzi treatment. Now every time I take a camera out Buddy runs and hides. Ive just been released by the doctor to walk with a walking boot. Hallelujah! Zion Canyon Here I come!

Air Rescue in Zion Canyon

After debating on what to do next we decided to send part of the group back out the way we came in with my cell phone to call the rangers and Sylvia was carrying a satelite signal called a Spot that is used in emergency situations to get help and they activated that.  Amanda, Sylvia and Jims daughter, took over and wrapped my foot with an ace bandage that she had and she took care of me as we were seperated from the rest of the group who were up on the rock.
It was about 10:30am when all this happened and about an hour and a half later we heard a helicopter. The helicopter came in and hovered around for a while and then flew away. It was a good thing I was with my friends as they kept my mind off of my foot and we entertained each other. I was lucky because the temperatures outside were perfect and the area where I was laying was nice and sandy with a pool of ice cold water for me to soak my foot in. The helicopter came back again and as before it flew away. The third time was a charm and two of the rescue team came down and let us know that they were going to be getting me ready to lift out of the canyon but they were going to have to cut down a large pine tree that was preventing the helicopter from lifting me out safely. Apparently rescues in this area had been hampered in the past from the tree and they decided to remove it. As the medic Craig got me preped and we moved into some rock cover. The other guys started cutting the tree down. When Craig got the harness out for me to sit in he informed me that the seat is called the screamer. At that point it was apparent to me that not everyone enjoys hanging from a rope under a helicopter. At first the chopper was going to lift me from the spot where I was laying but after a failed attempt there they decided they were going to have to get me up on top of the rock I had come down to get me to a safer spot to lift from. The guys rigged up some gear and I had to climb up onto the rock with one foot and several guys pulling from the top and one Craig helping from below.
It was a bear climbing out but we did it. At that point Will, the second guy from our rescue team let me know that he would be flying out with me and gave me the instructions for what was going to happen.
The helicopter came in and we hooked our harnesses to the rope hanging down off of the helicopter and away we went. I was really bummed out that I couldnt take my camera and I didnt think anyone would get a shot of the chopper lifting us out but I was pleasantly surprised to find out later that Amanda had hiked up to the side of the canyon and had video taped the rescue.
 The flight through the canyon was amazing and I was able to see parts of Zion from an angle that I will probably never see again.
 We landed at the temporary rescue point where an ambulance was to pick me up. After they got me all unhooked I was able to meet the pilot and to thank all of the people who had helped. They were all great and we are lucky to have people like that out there to help us.
 It was now 7pm and by the time the ambulance got there I was really starting to wear down. It had been a long day and I still had to go to the hospital where I found out I had broken the heel of my foot and I would probably need surgery.  Another adventure to add to my list.

The Subway of Zion

I had been wanting to hike a trail called the Subway in Zion national park. The trail is known to be a demanding hike and you have to get a permit to hike this trail. I was contacted by a friend of mine, Sylvia Boyd. Sylvia said that they had gotten twelve pemits for them and some of their friends but one person was not going to be able tho make it. She asked if I would like to go the following morning and I said, yes, that would be great!
 They picked me up the following morning at 6 am. We got to the parking area for the Wildcat trail on the Kolob Platue. To get to the Subway you follow the Wildcat trail and the Subway tail splits from that trail and takes you down into the slot canyon called the Subway. The first part of the trail is not to bad but when you get to the edge of the canyon the trail drops off down a steep hillside. Within a short distance you drop down several hundred feet. The scenery is amazing and as you get into the botom of the canyon there are pools of water and I was surprised to see the huge boulders that you have to scale over to work your way down the canyon. We worked our way through some of the pools of water and across some of the boulders. We came up on the first large obstacle that was a huge boulder. From what I was told there had been several large trees that had been wedged into the rocks that would work like a ladder and gave them something to climb down to get over this rock. The heavy spring runoff had washed the trees away and so the only way down was to climb down the face of the rock or rapel down the side of the cliff wall around the rock. Some of the people in our group were trying to rig up a rope to climb down around the rock. As I was waiting a couple of the guys that were with us climbed down the face of the rock and were able to make it down within four or five feet and jumped down. I decided to climb down after them. I got down and jumped the last little bit and when I did I landed wrong on my right heel and I felt it give way when all my weight landed on it. I instantly fell into the water and before anyone saw that I had fallen I tried to hurry and jump up before anyone saw that I had fallen. When I tried to stand on my foot I knew I was in big trouble. I collapsed when I put my weight on my foot and I knew it was broken.

Virgin River Gorge

I decided to go to an area that I hadnt been to for quite a while. To the southwest of St George, Utah there is a deep river gorge that the Virgin river flows through. Interstate 15 runs through this gorge and was one of the most expensive stretches of highway ever built due to the rugged terrain.
 The developed camp grounds at Cedar Pocket in the gorge is rarely crowded and has some beautiful scenery overlooking the Virgin River.
 There are dirt roads all through this area of the Mojave Desert and the Joshua trees and cactus are typical of the Mojave desert. The scenery is beautiful but if traveling these dirt roads you need to make sure that your carrying plenty of water and are self reliant as the roads are not heavily traveled.
 There is wilflife in this desert if you know where to look and this is one of my favorite areas for getting pictures of Desert Bighorn Sheep. They are not easy to get to and the mountains in this gorge are as sharp as coral so I would recommend gloves and long pants as well as good hiking boots. The best time to visit is the spring and the fall as the temperatures are much more forgiving.
 I hiked around for four or five hours but did not see the Bighorn Sheep but the wildflowers were in bloom and I did get some great pictures of the scenery from the top of the gorge.

North Gate Peaks

Today I went up to the Kolob platue in Zions canyon. This area is nice to hike in because there isnt as much foot traffic and there are some excellent view points from some of the trails on the top part of Zion Canyon.
 I followed a trail called the Wildcat trail. This trail leads to a great view of the North Gate Peaks. The spring runoff is running very high so the stream are moving much faster than normal.
 There were signs of the local elk herd all around and I was hoping to spot them so thay I could get some shots of them. The last of the snow had melted up here over the last few weeks so the ground is wet and muddy in some places.
The hike was nice and there were not more than a few othere people out. I made it to the overlook in about an hour and a half and I spent an hour taking pictures. As I was hiking out the mule deer began coming out to graze as the sun was going down. Some storm clouds began to move in and there was a drizzle of rain.
 As I was driving away from the parking area for the wildcat trail I saw the herd of elk that I had been looking for. They were standing in a clearing and there were about thirty of them. The sun had gone down a while before so it was too dark for me to get any pictures of them but it was nice to get to see them.

Zion Canyon

I decided to take the afternoon and drive up to Zion to take a short hike today. I decided to take a trail that I had never hiked before that follows the stream that runs along the bottom of the canyon below the tunnel. It really isnt much of a trail. I think that most of the traffic along it is the mule deer that live here. There is a large bridge constructed of sandstone that is amazing. As I was hiking and stopping to take pictures I surprised several times to have deer come out of the trees and come right up to me. Its something that still amazes me that the deer here have become so acustom to people that they will walk within reach of you. That makes for some great photo ops! There is still a lot of spring runoff coming down through the canyon due to our severe winter in the upper mountains. I followed the trail up about a mile but could not go any farther due to the stream running so high. I was able to get some great shots.
 Theres nothing like a good hike in this beautiful country to blow off some steam and clear your mind.

Grafton ghost town

I went out to one of my favorite spots today. It is a small ghost town called Grafton. There are several homes still standing and a sandstone schoolhouse that has been redone by a local preservation group. There is a small cemetary and it is very interesting to read the headstones of the people who are burried there. Some were killed by indians, some by floods.  It is a beautiful setting with its green pastures with the sandstone cliffs of Zion Canyon as a backdrop. I never get tired of photographing this place as I always find something new or different conditions to photograph the things that I have allready photographed in the past. As time goes on you will probably see many posts about this place because of my love of it.
 If you have ever seen the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid then you have seen Grafton. The bicycle seen was filmed here and still looks much like it did in the movie with the exception that the home they were in for the movie is no longer standing.

Capitol Reef

 We arrived in Capitol Reef National Park in the afternoon stopped to look at some of the sights. As you come into Capitol Reef there is a small cabin that was built in 1882 by a pioneer family named the Behunins. They were a family of 10 that lived in this tiny one room home with a dirt floor. The mother and father and two youngest kids slept in the cabin and the other kids slept in a dugout in the cliff behind the cabin.
 As you drive into the park there are some great petroglyphs all along the walls so make sure you stop and check them out. The park has some great apple orchards in it and there are large herds of mule deer that live here all year. The park has some great camp grounds in the orchards that would be beautiful to stay in during the spring or summer. The deer are always there and it ads to the scenery.
 After spending the rest of the day looking all around and getting some great pictures of the park we headed to the town of Torrey to find a place to stay for the night and to get a bite to eat. Since it was the off season most of the motels were closed and only two restaraunts were open. We found a small pizza place that had great food and after some good food we got us a room and called it a day. The next morning we found that it had snowed which made for a scenic drive home through Escalante and Bryce National Park. We had covered quite a bit of territory in the last week and had the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful places that our country has to see. I cant wait for the next adventure!

Goblin Valley

March 15-After grabbing some breakfast we left Moab with great reluctance. We were allready making plans for a return trip.
 One thing to remember if you decide to make this trip in the off season is that in the towns such as Moab, most of the restaraunts and businesses are open but when you get out to the smaller towns along the way most of the businesses are closed in the off season. I would recommend stopping for fuel and  to eat when you have the chance as you dont want to get stranded with the large distances in between the larger towns. The flip side to that is the temperatures are cooler and the crowds are smaller
. We followed highway 191 north and took the Dead Horse Point overlook turnoff. After a short drive we got to the overlook that sits over the Colorado river. Another amazing view from a place with a dark history. As the story goes. Cowboys would drive wild horses up to this point that was fenced off at the overlook point as there was no way for the horses to escape.  The point recieved its name after a group of horses was driven to the point where they were coralled and then left. They died from lack of food and water.
 After taking some pictures and looking around we headed north again on highway 191 to our next stop Goblin Valley.
The trip to Goblin Valley took about three hours from the time we left Dead Horse Point. I had never been to Goblin Valley but I had always wanted to see it. When we got there I was not disappointed. The area is covered in thousands of sandstone formations that leave you with the feeling that you are on an alien planet. The formations are so interesting, I could see why I had been told that the evenings here could play tricks on your senses with the shadows created by all the strange formations.
When we got there it was cloud covered and the wind was beginning to blow. It was blowing sand around and creating a small sand storm but that did not stop us from getting out and hiking around for some camera shots and investigating this amazing landscape. After spending several hours exploring this lunar landscape we headed out for our next stop Capitol Reef National Park.

Arches National Park

March 14-We got an early start and headed into Arches National Park. If you have never been here and you get to this part of Utah this is a must see! There is so much to see that its almost sensory overload with all the amazing rock formations and panoramic views. We made the rounds through the park taking in all the sights and taking pictures. If you have the chance to come here make sure to plan a few days here as there is so much to see. After stopping and having lunch while watching the rock climbers climb some of the rock formations we headed for the Delicate Arch. There are two places to see the Delicate Arch. The first point is a view point that allows you to see the arch from a distance after a short hike. I would recommend the lower access trail that takes you right to the Delicate Arch. It took us about three hours to hike to it but as everyone that was coming down told us. "It is well worth the hike."
 I was concerned my daughter Shelly wouldnt be able to make the hike but she was a trooper and had no problems making it. When we reached the arch I was amazed at the beauty of this sight. The arch is truly amazing with the snow covered LaSalle mountains as a backdrop.
 We learned that this area was first discovered by the Spaniards who named the LaSalle mountains after viewing them and believing that it was to warm for snow to exist on the nearby mountains so they must be covered by salt. LaSalle mountains means the salt covered mountains. We  found the early spring a perfect time for this hike as the temperatures were in the seventies and made the hike more comfortable.
 We ended the day with a great dinner at one of the local mexican restaraunts in Moab and headed back to our room for some well deserved sleep.

Moab

We got into Moab later in the day and checked into our room. After dinner we drove around to take in some sights before it got dark. There are so many things to see here. A person could literally spend months here and never see it all! A true paradise for photographers, artists and anyone who likes the outdoors. We followed the Colorado River from town and stopped to check out the river and take some photos. I was surprised to find some new resorts built along the river that would be great to stay at that offer horseback riding and their own vineyards with private cabins. We will have to try that next trip.

Four Corners

March 13th~ We left Monument Valley and headed toward the Four Corners Monument. As you head east from Monument Valley on Highway 163 make sure you stop and get some pictures of the valley from the east. The view of the highway with Monument Valley in the background has been used in movies and the most recent one I can recall is Forest Gump. It is an amazing scene. On our way out we came up on a herd of wild horses grazing on the east side of the valley. On the way to the Four Corners monument there are many things to see and you could spend a day or two sightseeing. We were anxious to get to the Four Corners so we didnt have time to stop to many times. We did stop at an area called Valley of the Gods. There are some amazing sandstone formations and the view is worth the sidetrip. It took a couple of hours to make it to the Four Corners. There isnt much of a view in the Four Corners but the kids loved the idea of being able to stand in four states at once and to be honest I thought it was pretty neat too. The monument has had a lot of work done to it over the years and there are stands all around where the local tribe members sell their wares. I've talked to people that had been to the monument before the current one was built and they said it was just a marker in the dirt. Its come a long way since then. Make sure while your in this area that you try a Navajo taco.  After a lot of pictures and some Navajo fry bread we were on our way. Next stop Moab.

Monument Valley

March 12th~ After a quick breakfast we headed out to take the 17 mile trip through the valley below the hotel. On this route you can see the mittens, John Ford point, the Three sisters, Elephant Butte, Camel Butte and more. If you just drive this route you can cover it in 1 1/2 hours but plan on spending most of the day if you like to stop and take in the sights. There are locals who offer horseback rides and tours and stands to sell their wares. We stopped at one site below the Three sisters formation. A local family had horses and sheep here and we got there just in time to see the birth of a brand new baby lamb. My daughter Shelly wanted to take a horseback tour but we didnt have time this trip so she had to settle for a picture on a indian pony.  It was amazing to see a life brought into this world in such a desolate place. The Navajo people are very resourcefull and tough to survive in such a beautiful but equally harsh environment.
Each turn opened up to a new and amazing scene and the anticipation that drives you on to see what is around the next corner or over the next hill. The scenes change from minute to minute with the movement of the sun. The weather was perfect for this trip. The temperatures were in the upper 50s and was great for hiking. I was told by one of the locals that the best time to visit is spring or fall. I guess it gets pretty busy during the summer as well as 100 degree  temps. We spent the whole day sight seeing and then headed back to the town of Kayenta for a bite to eat. One thing to remember if planning a trip here in the off season is there are a lot of restaraunts and businesses that close in the off season so it limits your choices of places to eat. Back to the hotel for some night shots of the valley.

Spring Break

The kids were out of school for spring break so it gave us an opportunity for a much needed trip. We decided to book a room at the View Hotel in Monument Valley. We arrived at our motel on Saturday March 11th after a four and a half hour drive from St George. The view from our room was amazing. The balcony on each room faces out over the very popular and amazing view of the left and right mittens rock formations. If you book a room at the View I would recommend the top floors which give you a star view at night. Monument Valley is recognized as one of the top sights in the US to star gaze. There isnt a bad room in the entire hotel as each rooms balcony opens out to the spectacular view of the valley below. We ventured out the first afternoon into the valley to look around and take pictures. Pictures just dont do this area justice. After all the years of looking at movies and photos of Monument Valley I have to say, you have to see it in person! Its amazing to stand in the middle of a desert with these sandstone giants all around you. After watching the sun go down we headed back to the hotel for dinner at the restaraunt and then back to our room for some stargazing.

Nature

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
William Shakespear