Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park

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painted desert, petrified forest national park, petroglyph, photography, postaday, tepee

Today we visited the southern part of Petrified Forest National Park. We arrived at the south gate at 5:45 AM, half an hour before sunrise. Alas, the park would not open until 7 AM! Sigh,  big SIGH…

Once the park opened, the rest of the day went better and we managed to see almost all of the viewpoints. We did three small hikes which were not too strenuous. This part of the park had a lot of petrified wood which you will see in most of the photos below. Some looked like rock, others still looked like wood, but they were all hard as … rock.

At Blue Mesa viewpoint.

View from the bottom of Blue Mesa, after a short hike down. The trail is paved, and on thre way up there is a stone bench to sit on and rest.

Another view from the bottom of Blue Mesa.

A log of petrified wood resting on a column of sedimentary rock. It was put there by nature.

Looking out from a viewpoint named Tepees.

A long trunk of a petrified tree at Crystal Forest.

There were many petroglyphs created by ancestral Puebloans who lived in the area between 650 and 2,000 years ago.

Newspaper Rock has more than 650 petroglyphs.

Other petroglyphs with mysterious depictions.

Migration petroglyph.

Finally, I should mention this: in Holbrook we have been staying at the Wigwam motel where each room looks like a tepee. Inside there is a bedroom with two beds, a modern bathroom and shower, a heater an an air conditioner. The tepee is made of something hard like cement.

“Tepees” at Wigwam motel. “Antique” cars belonging to the owner are parked outside most of the units.

Distance driven to date: 6,919 miles.

Painted Desert

Tags

painted desert, petrified forest national park, photography, postaday

Today we visited the Painted Desert section of the Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, AZ. It is only a small section of the Painted Desert proper which covers over 160 miles and 93,500 acres from Grand Canyon to Petrified Forest.

It is said that the air in the park is very pure, compared to other places in the US, and the photos I took today do show a clarity and vividness I was not expecting. They say you can see for miles and miles in the park, even up to the San Francisco mountains 127 miles away.

A view of Painted Desert near Holbrook, AZ.

Painted Desert Inn in Painted Desert section of Petrified Forest National Park.

View of Painted Desert with giant brushstrokes and bright colors.

View of Painted Desert.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

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canyon de chelly, photography, postaday

We spent a full day at Canyon de Chelly National Monument within the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona. The town of Chinle where we stayed was only 2.5 miles away. It was quite an experience living there among the Navajos who constitute over 90% of Chinle’s population of about 5,000.

Canyon De Chelly (the Navajo name is Tsegi) is famed for its deep canyons, steep rock walls, and ruins of houses where Puebloan people had built and lived in from 750 to 1300 CE. I tried to capture that in the following photos.

Spider Rock at Canyon De Chelly.

View of Canyon De Chelly.

Yucca caves at Canyon De Chelly.

Antelope House ruins at Canyon De Chelly in early morning.

White House ruins at Canyon De Chelly in late afternoon.

Dead Horse, Canyonlands

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canyonlands national park, dead horse point state park, photography, postaday

From Green River, UT we went to Chinle, AZ today. On the way we stopped by Moab, UT to visit Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park. Of course there was not enough time to do justice to the vast beauty and unique character of each park, but I hope you’ll get some idea about them from the following photos.

View of Colorado River from Dead Horse Point.

Twisted Juniper tree at Dead Horse Point.

Another twisted Juniper tree near visitor center at Dead Horse Point State Park.

View of Island in the Sky mesa in Canyonlands National Park, from the Green River Overlook.

Castles, Goblins, Arches

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arches national park, castle, delicate arch, goblin, goblin valley state park, photography, postaday

Today was a good day as blue skies streaked with clouds made an excellent background for photography. We left Torrey, UT to go to Green River, UT  our base for visiting Arches National Park. During the drive we saw castles and goblins.

A natural castle by Highway 24 near Hanksville, UT.

A natural castle near Goblin Valley State Park.

Goblin Valley State Park north of Hanksville, UT is a very interesting and fun place, especially for children. It has thousands of eroded sandstone formations which look like goblins with their grotesque or oddly shaped forms. Here are only two samples.

Goblins at Goblin Valley State Park in Utah.

Goblins at Goblin Valley State Park ion Utah.

We went to Arches National Park and I drove directly to the parking lot at Delicate Arch. We hiked 1.5 miles uphill to be at the foot of the arch at sunset.

Delicate Arch at Arches National Park near Moab, UT.

Delicate Arch at Arches National Park near Moab, UT.

Capitol Reef National Park

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capitol reef national park, Fremont, petroglyph, photography, postaday

Capitol Reef National Park is not as popular as other national parks, but I made my second visit there today. This is the high season so the park was full of visitors from campers and hikers to people who are just passing through. However, the crowds were not like those usually seen at Bryce Canyon or Grand Canyon.

Near the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park.

The Egyptian Temple at Capitol Reef.

I took many pictures of well known and spectacular rock formations in the park, but I think the following may be more interesting.

Holes caused by erosion in rock wall at Capitol Reef. If you look carefully you will see some holes have small rocks in them.

The Fremont people lived in the area from about 600 to 1300 CE. They carved very nice petroglyphs into the rock walls along the Fremont river.

Fremont petroglyphs on rock wall at Capitol Reef.

Fremont petroglyphs on rock wall at Capitol Reef.

Fremont petroglyphs on rock wall at Capitol Reef.

Bryce Canyon and Highway 12

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bryce canyon, capitol reef, fairyland viewpoint, photography, postaday, scenic byway 12, sunset viewpoint

Today was a very colorful drive from Great Basin National Park to Capitol Reef National Park near Torrey, UT. We stopped briefly in Bryce Canyon National Park before going on Utah Scenic Byway 12, one of the most beautiful highways in the world.

I have been to Bryce several times but never went to Fairyland Viewpoint at the northernmost portion of the park. Here’s a look down from its rim.

Looking down Bryce Canyon from Fairyland Viewpoint.

There were many scenic viewpoints along Utah Scenic Byway 12 which goes from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef. I took the following shots from one of them toward the last half of the Byway, before we made a long climb to 9,600 ft and passing by miles of aspens which were beginning to display their fall colors.

View from Utah Scenic Byway 12.

Looking down on Utah Scenic Byway 12.

When we got to Torrey, UT, there was just enough time to go to Sunset Viewpoint in Capitol Reef to photograph a nice sunset.

Sunset taken from Sunset Viewpoint at Capitol Reef National Park.

Great Basin National Park

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photography, postaday

Today, from 6 AM to 4 PM, we spent our day driving to and hiking in Great Basin National Park near the town of Baker in Nevada near the Utah border. Established in 1986, Great Basin is a gem. Its facilities are very modern, and the scenery that we saw is world class.

The fall colors at Great Basin are the best I have ever seen. I drove up above 9,000 ft and at that altitude the aspens dominate and they were at their peak of yellow and red.

Fall in the mountains at Great Basin National Park.

Aspens at Great Basin.

We hiked up to an alpine lake named Stella.

Stella Lake at Great Basin.

Great Basin is one of three places in the US where Bristlecone pines grow. We went to Wheeler Peak Grove to see them. The place is nothing but rocks and boulders (glacial moraine) and it is a wonder that the trees can grow there.

Bristlecone Pines at Wheeler Peak Grove.

Horses and Baker Sunset

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Baker, horses, photography, postaday, sunset

Today we went to Baker, a small town in Nevada at the entrance to Great Basin National Park. On the way we saw some beautiful horses grazing on a field near Ely, NV.

Horses on a field near Ely, NV.

Horses on field near Ely, NV.

When we reached Baker, NV we were treated to a gorgeous sunset,

Sunset over Baker, NV.

sunset over Baker, NV.

Sunset over Baker, NV.

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

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Ancient Bristlecone Pineorest, Bishop, bristlecone pine, photography, postaday

Bristlecone pines are among the oldest living trees on our planet, with some specimens over 4,000 and 5,000 years old. They grow at high elevations between 5,600 ft and 11,200 ft, in conditions where other plants cannot survive.

Today I drove a very tortuous and steep road to reach Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains near Bishop, CA. It took an hour, uphill all the way with a total climb of 6,000 ft (1,828 m), not a particularly enjoyable ride, but the views and the Bristlecone pines were definitely worth it. The sky was blue, and the clouds were spectacular, a photographer’s dream.

My car at road side half way to Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest.

Bristlecone pines. Size does matter, only in reverse. Sometimes the smaller trees are older and able to survive better than the bigger trees.

Bristlecone pine.

Dead Bristlecone pine. The wood does not rot. Only erosion affects it, like with rocks.

This tree could be over 4,000 years old. The location of the oldest trees are kept secret.

View of Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest Near Bishop,CA.

Bodie

Tags

bodie, ghost town, gold mining, photography, postaday

Today was a rather long drive from Klamath Falls, OR to Bishop, CA, so we had only one sightseeing stop: Bodie, a mining ghost town 100 miles north of Bishop. A sizable deposit of gold was discovered there in 1876, and Bodie became a booming town with up to 7,000 inhabitants and 2,000 buildings. However, by the late 1880’s the gold boom was over for Bodie. It lingered on as an inhabited town as miners moved elsewhere. By 1943 there were only 3 people left, and today it is an authentic ghost town, the centerpiece of a California State Historic Park.

I tried to capture the essence of Bodie in the following shots.

Bodie and what’s left of its main street. The road on the hill is an unpaved and rough road that we had to drive on to get to Bodie.

Bodie ore processing plant.

Bodie church.

Abandoned houses, truck, and equipment at Bodie.

Remains of a house at Bodie.

Wagons kept inside a barn at Bodie.

Crater Lake, 1/4 of it.

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crater lake, mt thielson, photography, postaday, road trip

Today we went to Crater Lake, a lake formed inside the collapsed top of Mt Mazama. The lake is the deepest (1,946 ft) in the United States, and its blue color is legendary.

Unfortunately, there was a bicycle event in the park which resulted in 3/4 of it being off limits to us. Very disappointing to say the least. The following photos were taken from a small part of the West Rim Drive.

Crater Lake with Wizard Island in the middle of the picture.

Wizard Island

A section of Crater Lake rim.

Looking down at the shoreline of Crater Lake.

Mt Thielson an extinct volcano near Crater Lake.

On the Way to Crater Lake

Tags

crater lake, diamond peak, klamath falls, photography, postaday, pumpkins

Today I drove from Packwood, WA to Klamath Falls, OR which will be our base for visiting Crater Lake National Park. The drive was 422 miles and we didn’t make too many stops. At a rest area along Interstate 5, there was a pumpkin field that begged for its picture to be taken.

Pumpkin field along I-5 in Oregon.

Pumpkins in field.

We took the Willamette Highway (Oregon Route 58) to go to Klamath Falls. At an elevation of 5,000 ft on that highway we passed by Diamond Peak, an ancient volcano covered with snow. With a height of 8,743 ft, it is quite an impressive sight.

Diamond Peak, an old volcano covered with snow as seen from Route 58.

Distance traveled to date: 4,303 miles.

Mt Rainier in the Rain

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mt rainier national park, photography, postaday

Today it rained all day in this part of the state of Washington, but we went to visit Mt Rainier National Park anyway.

Early morning in Packwood, WA, south of Mt Rainier.

Elk near our motel in Packwood.

We went to Lake Tipsoo, then to the Sunrise area in the northern part of Mt Rainier, but the rain prevented us from shooting any picture. Finally we decided to go to Paradise in the southern part, and take pictures whenever there was a little bit of sunlight, or even in the rain,

On the way to Paradise on Mt Rainier. This was shot through the rain.

Reflection Lake near Paradise on Mt Rainier.

A closer shot of Reflection Lake.

Crossing Washington State

Tags

mt rainier, palisades, photography, postaday, road trip, windmill

We left Liberty Lake to go to Packwood at the south end of Glacier National Park. It was a relatively short drive (290 Miles), but it turned out to be longer than planned because we stopped at so many points. Here are the main ones.

Columbia River and Vantage Bridge as seen from a Scenic Overlook.

Windmills near Ryegrass rest area, after crossing Columbia River.

Raging Tieton River near White Pass Scenic Byway.

Mt Rainier as seen from a view point about 15 miles away, its top covered by clouds.

Bear, Kootenai Falls

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bear, kootenai falls, photography, postaday, road trip

Yesterday, at Many Glacier in Glacier National Park, we, along with many others, saw a bear high up a mountain side. It was busy eating something and did not mind all the human gawkers with their cameras and binoculars.

Bear at Many Glacier

Today we were on the way to Mt Rainier National Park. We stopped at Kootenai Falls near Libby, MT. We hiked down and spent about two hours shooting pictures of the falls and the Swinging Bridge across the Kootenai River. Even though this is the low water season, the falls are absolutely worth it.

Kootenai Falls near Libby, MT.

Upper parts of Kootenai Falls

Water from Kootenai Falls flowing toward the Swinging Bridge.

I did not have a wide enough lens with me to capture the whole bridge, but I did venture out to its middle to shoot the following photo.

View from Swinging Bridge looking downstream from Kootenai Falls.

Distance travelled so far: 3,346 miles. Rest stop for the night: Liberty Lake, WA.

Many Glacier and Going-to-the-Sun Road

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glacier national park, going-to-the-sun road, many glacier, photography, postaday

Many Glacier is said to be the most beautiful part of Glacier National Park. This morning, we left our hotel at 6 AM to go from East Glacier Park to Many Glacier. It was still quite dark and the road very windy, requiring my full concentration. However, as we approached the town of St Mary, the sun peeked out from a thick fog with its rosy fingers, to borrow Homer’s words.

Sunrise near St Mary, MT.

After that, we went on to Many Glacier, but the sun insisted on hiding behind thick clouds for the rest of the day. None of the photos I took afterwards had the same intensity of sun and colors as yesterday (see Two Medicine).

Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glacier.

Afterwards, the same lack of sunlight dampened our mood while driving through Going-to-the-Sun road, the famed curvaceous highway that led from St Mary to West Glacier. There were many cars and buses, and each scenic spot attracted people with their cameras and cell phones ready to capture the scenery. But I quickly decided not to shoot mountain peaks or vistas, and concentrated instead on some mini waterfalls along Going-to-the-Sun road, each framed by trees in full fall colors. They looked much better than washed out skies.

Waterfall along Going-to-the-Sun road.

Distance travelled so far: 3,005 miles. We stopped for the night in Whitefish, MT.

Two Medicine

Tags

aspens, glacier national park, photography, postaday, road trip, two medicine

We arrived in East Glacier Park, MT in mid afternoon Sunday. The hotel had no wireless internet, so I’m a day late in my postings.

Along the drive we saw several herds of wild horses, lots of Angus cattle, and lots of hay bales, presumably to feed the cattle and maybe even the horses. I had to stop to take some pictures of the ubiquitous hay bales.

Hay bales on a Montana field.

After checking in, I drove right away to a part of Glacier National Park called Two Medicine for a lake of the same name. It was very windy but the sky was a brilliant blue with lots of white clouds of all sizes and shapes. The leaves had begun to turn yellow on the aspens along the road leading to the lake. It was an unforgettable landscape as you can see in the photos below.

Two Medicine lake in Glacier National Park.

Two Medicine lake in Glacier National Park.

Aspens at Two Medicine.

Aspens at Two Medicine.

Aspens at Two Medicine.

A Full Day

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devil's tower, little big horn battlefield, mt rushmore, photography, postaday, rodeo, wild horse

After Badlands, today we had a busy day visiting the following places on our way to Glacier National Park in Montana. First was an obligatory visit to Mt Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, SD.

Mt Rushmore National Memorial

Next was Devil’s Tower, about two hours away in the nearby state of Wyoming.

Devil’s Tower

We continued on to Montana, where at a lunch stop in Broadus, MT (population 387) we briefly watched a local high school rodeo.

Cowgirl jumping off horse to catch and tie a goat.

Cowgirl tying goat.

We then went to Little Big Horn National Monument, where some wild horses were grazing.

Wild horse at Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument.

Distance travelled today: 510 miles.

Badlands

Tags

badlands national park, photography, postaday, road trip

We left Fort Dodge, IA yesterday morning after admiring a glorious sunrise behind our motel.

Sunrise over Fort Dodge, IA.

Once we reached I-90, it was an easy drive from East to West, in a virtually straight line, bordered by immense fields of corn, soybean, sunflowers. We arrived in Wall, SD in early afternoon and went straight to nearby Badlands National Park to try to capture the sunset. This morning we woke up at 4 AM and went to wait for the sun to rise.

View from Pinnacles Overlook in late afternoon.

Badlands sunrise from Panorama Point.

Bighorn Ram at Badlands grazing a bare 15 ft from where I stood.

Near the town of Wall, SD. This is actually outside of Badlands .

Badlands is an underrated national park which is very accessible to everyone of all ages, from casual visitors to dedicated hikers. Its rugged pinnacles and canyons are made of layers of sediments and volcanic ashes which are constantly being eroded by the forces of nature. Thus the view will change from year to year, and you’ll need to be there to really appreciate its beauty.

Miles driven to date: 1,954 miles.

Shirley Welden Butterfly House

Tags

calkins nature area, clouded sulphur, monarch, photography, postaday, shirley welden butterfly house

From Lafayette, IN, we drove to Badlands National Park in South Dakota, and stopped for the night half way there, in Fort Dodge, IA. An hour before our stop for the night, we went to Calkins Nature Area in Iowa Falls, to visit Shirley Welden Butterfly House where Monarch butterflies, as well as other kinds of butterflies, are raised in a protected environment surrounded by mesh wire.

Shirley Welden Butterfly House

Monarch butterflies inside Shirley Welden Butterfly House

Monarch butterfly inside Shirley Welden Butterfly House

Monarch butterfly inside Shirley Welden Butterfly House

Clouded Sulphur butterfly inside Shirley Welden Butterfly House

Distance travelled today: 560 miles

Brickhead

Tags

brickhead, phototegraphy, postaday, purdue university, strawflowers

Today our second stop on this road trip was Lafayette, IN. The plan was to take a tour of the Subaru automobile assembly plant, but there was no tour this week. So we went instead to Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, where I did my graduate studies many years ago. The campus has of course changed a lot, but I managed to look into some of my old classrooms and the main cafeteria.

Outside, the sky was threatening rain but before it fell I was able to take pictures of two Brickhead sculptures by James Tyler.

Brickhead

Brickheads

Nearby was the Horticulture department with, naturally, many flowers growing on its grounds. Here’s a shot of some Strawflowers.

Strawflowers

Distance travelled today: 457 miles.

Falling Water

Tags

falling water, frank lloyd wright, mill run, photography, postaday, road trip

First stop on our road trip today was Mill Run, PA where, between 1936 and 1939, Frank Lloyd Wright built his famous Falling Water house for the Kaufmann family. I have wanted to visit this masterpiece for many years, and it did not disappoint even though temperatures were in the 90’s and the water falls did not have a lot of water.

Falling Water

Distance travelled today: 338 miles

Road Trip

Tags

photography, postaday, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, sunflower field, swallowtail, tiger swallowtail

For the next 5 weeks, I will be on a road trip across the USA, going from New Jersey to visit national parks and other scenic spots in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. It’s a busy schedule with lots of driving, and I don’t expect to be able to post here, or to view your posts or respond to your comments. I will do that when I come back.

In the meantime, here are some photos taken in August that have not yet appeared on these pages.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Sunflower field.

Female Tiger Swallowtail.

Hummingbird Moth

Tags

hummingbird moth, photography, postaday

It looks like the Hummingbirds are gone. The nectar feeder has been hanging unused for the past two days, and I will soon put it away for this year.

Last week, while I was taking photos of Swallowtail butterflies, I heard a humming sound and saw something hovering among the flowers. It was a Hummingbird Moth, an insect which can flap its wings very fast, fly and hover almost like a Hummingbird. It never stayed in one place for very long, making it hard to photograph.

Hummingbird Moth.

Hummingbird Moth. Some say that it also looks like a Hummingbird.

Hummingbird Moth using its proboscis for feeding on nectar.

Cleome and Cosmos

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cleome, cosmos, photography, postaday

Cleome and Cosmos require virtually no care and yet grow well around the house. This morning, before the heat became too oppressive, and while there was a light haze, I took the following photos of both kinds of flowers.

Cleome or spider plant flower.

Two Cosmos sisters.

Cosmos, with Marigolds in background.

Sunflower Field

Tags

photography, postaday, sunflowers

Two photos with two different cameras of a sunflower field in Newton, NJ a few weeks ago at the height of summer.

Sunflower field.

Sunflower field.

In the lower shot, you can see that more than bees were attracted by the sunflowers. There were also a lot of photographers trying to capture that perfect sunflower shot.