Summer Has Arrived At Zion
Temperatures over 100 degrees and monsoonal moisture have arrived at Zion National Park, Utah.
Threatening clouds pass over Cave Valley at Zion National Park, Utah
Along “Hole In The Rock Road”
This is a 54 mile dirt and gravel road that reaches Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Southern Utah. It should be named “Hole In The Head Road” because you must have one to finish this. It begins near the town of Escalante and The Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument. The end of the road is Hole In The Rock, where Mormon settlers used a small gap in the sandstone to reach the Colorado River and beyond in order to settle into Southeastern Utah (More On The Hole in a later post).
The difficult to travel Hole In The Rock Road at The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
Eroded sandstone is the predominate feature along The Hole In The Rock Road in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
A full moon rises over the landscape at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
Didn’t want to go up there!
No Uber or self driving cars needed here.
Looks like they missed the elusive steer!
Navajo Mountain stands out in the desert landscape of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
A cactus flowers in early spring at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
Desert Sand Verbena
Primitive camping allowed. No picnic tables and thankfully no large RV’s with noisy generators.
The only sound I heard here was the crackling of the fire and coyotes howling in the near distance.
Images Of 2016
My favorite images from 2016. I enjoyed the adventure of capturing them all for my website Dawn2Dawn Photography Looking forward to a great 2017. Happy New Years everyone. Watch in HD at full screen. Music is “Stranger Still” by Vetiver and can be purchased at iTunes
Another Fine Southern Utah Sunset
From yesterday.
An RV drives towards the setting sun in Southern Utah
Normal Kaibab Photos
The Kaibab National Forest is an anomaly in a land of deep red rock canyons and desert scrub. Situated high on a plateau, the Kaibab reaches some 9,000 feet into the Northern Arizona sky.
Ponderosa Pines thrive at The Kaibab National Forest near the north rim of The Grand Canyon, Arizona
Curious Coyote
The mule deer are extremely healthy looking here.
Cedar Breaks Flora
Cedar Breaks National Monument is a geologic marvel but in July, visitors come for the floral display. At over 10,000 feet in elevation, the seasons arrive later than sooner.
Silver Lupine and Indian Paintbrush bloom at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Southern Utah
Columbine bloom at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Southern Utah
Little sunflowers bloom at Cedar Breaks National Monument in Southern Utah
The Many Faces Of The Coneflower
The Coneflower can take on many shapes and looks. It’s the ultimate shape shifter!
With a twirl!
Zion Cacti
Images from blooming Prickly Pear Cactus and the sticky Cholla Cactus
Cholla Cactus at Zion National Park, Utah. Also known as Teddy Bear Cactus because it’s so cuddly? Not!
The Long Road To And From Toroweap
Half the fun of photographing a special place like the Grand Canyon is the drive and adventure to get there. Especially when it’s a remote location such as Toroweap. The drive from Southern Utah into Northern Arizona presents some classic western scenes along the highway where I could picture John Wayne mounting a Calvary charge. (He actually filmed some great movies in this area).
On the road to Arizona’s Grand Canyon at Toroweap.
A storm appears on the road to Arizona’s Grand Canyon at Toroweap.
A field of blooming Indian Paintbrush.
A Red-Tailed Hawk flies into stormy clouds at the desert environment of Northern Arizona.
You can drive up to 45 MPH on this stretch of dirt road.
About 20 MPH here.
About 2 MPH here. The last couple of miles are on something resembling a road.
Zero MPH. I actually decided to back up here. When you’re 70 miles from the nearest town, you don’t take chances. This was at the end anyways.
On the way back, I almost ran into a deer. For some reason, I couldn’t get my Ford Ranger out of 4-wheel drive low!. I tried everything to do so. So I drove home totally in 4-wheel drive, very slowly. A few days later and after talking to my mechanic, I was able to disengage the 4-wheel drive by driving backwards for about 75 feet. Something to remember.
Fiddlenecks?
I never heard of fiddlenecks until I tried to find out what kind of flower I was photographing because there were about a billion of them. In the foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains along Highway 58 are acres and acres of them blossoming.
The foothills of the Tehachapi Mountains are in full bloom with Amsinckia, a genus of flowering plants commonly known as fiddlenecks.
