Moab (June 09)
Upper Colorado River Bend
Taken at the end of the 17-mile long Upper Colorado River Canyon featuring a bend in the river, Castle Rock in distance, and is that a volcano?
Upper Colorado River Canyon
Shot primarily taken to exhibit depth of Upper Colorado River canyon. Taken on SR 128 northeast of Moab, Utah.
California (May 07)
Yellowstone National Park (August 07)
First Yellowstone Shot
Featuring some elk in the distance. Many of the trees are dead due to wildfires.
Yellowstone River
A tributary of the Missouri River. I think at least... there are a handful of rivers in Yellowstone.
First Steam Pool
This is the first steam pool I encountered in the park. The colors in these things are prismatic and almost psychadelic. The colors are apparently due to bacteria.
Bubbling Mud Pit
It's a bubbling mud pit. The whole place reeks of sulfur, but that's because theres a semi-dormant supervolcano lurking below.
Brown
Yellowstone appeared very dry in places. This could be a cause for the severity of the wildfire damage.
First Geyser
This was the first geyser/water spout I ran into. Pressure builds up and pockets of water shoot out on perfect beats.
Excelsior Geyser Crater
I really enjoyed the colors I saw in these pools. In case you missed it, the color comes from the bacteria within.
Grand Prismatic Spring
The largest hot-spring in the United States. Third largest in the world. Bacteria thrives on the rich mineral water and produces the colors.
Bacterial Vibrance IV
This is probably my favorite picture of all time. The colors are simply unreal. And yes, that's how bright it was.
Bacterial Dulling Vibrance
Furtherdown the pool the color was not nearly as vibrant as the previous shot.
Another Yellowstone River Waterfall
I'd like to know many total waterfalls were within the park. I know I saw at least 12. Three of them were quite massive.
Cauldera Crater with Wildfire Smoke
I think the fire is getting larger based on the smoke plume/column. Much of the park was already ravaged by fire. I hope it has recovered since then.
Deep Energy
The energy that fuels the geysers, mud pits, and steam pools comes from the heat found deep below the surface.
Bison Invasion II
Many of the bison were running around quite playfully. I wasn't aware how agile they were until I saw this.
Large Waterfall into Circular Pool
A lot more impressive than you can see here. The camera angle was terrible.
River
To the immediate left is the waterfall. You'd never know it from this shot though. One reason you have to see these things for yourself.
Sloped Waterfall
Very gradually sloped waterfall. I'm not even sure if this qualified as a waterfall...
Rainbow
I still can't believe this is bacterial deposits. How'd they end up in a rainbow (R-O-Y-G-B-I-V) arrangement?
Spurt
Not a very large Geyser. I think my camera died before Old Faithful though, so this will have to do instead. Sorry :(
Volcanic Bridge
There were countless mini-vents in this area. The heat hazard from the soil meant you had to stay on the tiny bridge.
Bryce Canyon National Park (March 07, May 07)
Sequoia National Park (May 07)
Yosemite National Park (May 07)
Arches National Park (June 09)
First Shot from within Arches
I didn't see any arches for the first few hours I was in the park. This is a very tall monolith standing just before the first trail I went on.
Park Avenue Trail
I decided to hike every trail as I came to them. This was looking down the first trail named "Park Avenue". Can you see the hikers?
Primitive Park Avenue Trail with Sign
Same shot as previous but with a sign warning that the trail is "primitive". This means it is little more than a dust path with rock piles as navigation.
Primitive Park Avenue Trail
Similar to the previous shot, but I am now about 150-200 feet lower from the base of the trail.
Train!
Everytime I glanced at this formation I felt like a train was speeding towards me. Hey, sometimes you have to use your imagination :)
Up and to the Left
Looking up and to the left 1/5th the way into the Park Avenue Trail. The pillar at the end may have once shared an arch with the larger wall segment.
Potholes, Potholes, Potholes
Potholes like these are micoecosystems. Aquatic critters thrive in them when damp and essentially go into comas when dry. Very fragile!
Park Avenue = A Wash?
Halfway through my first hike I realized that the trail was essentially a wash basin/dry creek bed. The rain the night before kept the soil damp.
A Distant Courthouse
The Courthouse Towers as seen from the Park Avenue Trail. Hrm, I always take too many pictures at the start of my trips...
A Hole in the Wall
... it's a hole in the wall. Or maybe it's a cave. Or maybe it's a tiny arch? Who knows?
Courthouse Panorama
Wide shot of the Courthouse Towers, part of the Great Wall, and a bit of the monolith from earlier shots.
Plane and Skydiver
Looking close you can see the plane. Looking closer you can see the skydiver. I really want to try this next time...
Scruffy Wash
I'm nearing the end of the Park Avenue trail. Another view of the Courthouse Towers and surrounding area.
Scruffy Wash Vert
I'm nearing the end of the Park Avenue trail. Another view of the Courthouse Towers and surrounding area.
Zoomed I
I like the shadow to the right. Most of my shots were less than stellar due to being there at dawn rather than dusk.
Lee-Zards
I saw more lizards than I could count. I saw at least 4 different types. Most were 6"-8", and a few were almost a foot long.
Too Many Shutters
I took 140 shots on the first trail. Don't worry though, this is near the end of the ones I put online for this trail.
Last Hurrah of Park Avenue I
Second to last shot I took on the Park Avenue trail before hiking it back. Round trip was about 2.5 miles.
Last Hurrah of Park Avenue II
Last shot I took on the Park Avenue trail before hiking it back. Round trip was about 2.5 miles.
La Sal Clouds
Spanish explorers named the mountains "La Sal" because they thought the snow capped peaks looked like salt.
La Sal + Moab Valley
La Sal Mountains on left and the MoabValley to the right. The town is about 3000 feet below in the valley.
Petrified Sand Dunes
Sand dunes frozen in time. Millions of years ago, this area was similar to the Sahara desert (and at two points underwater). Can see an arch in distance.
Courthouse and Distant Balanced Rock
Shot of Courthouse Towers. Balanced Rock is centered off in the distance if you look carefully.
Opposite Courthouse
Similar to my Park Avenue shots of the Courthouse, but this time I'm on the opposite side of it.
Rise and Fall
Anytime you see a gap like this you can assume that there used to be an arch there. That's why I kept babbling about that earlier on the Avenue trail.
Morning Trial at the Courthouse
Courthouse Towers, up close. See person in white shirt for size comparison.
