Archive for category Travel
Arches and Canyonlands
After breakfast at the Lodge we spent the morning hitting the parts of Arches that we didn’t get to yesterday afternoon, especially Delicate Arch, Sand Dune Arch and the Double Arches where I spent a lot of time taking photos and watching a pair or ravens cavorting on the peaks of nearby monoliths. Then we made the short drive to the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands. This north region of the park has splendid vistas of the Colorado and Green Rivers some 2,000 feet below the canyon rim. The views are very different than those in the Grand Canyon because here the canyon is much wider and you can see for many miles. The bewildering twisty path of the rivers is somehow mesmerizing and the bright sunshine and puffy clouds provided great light and shadows. The day ended with another stunning sunset viewed from the Red Cliffs Lodge dining room.
Here are some Arches National Park photos (23); and a set of the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands (18).
Canyonlands: Grand View viewpoint
Sunset in Utah
We drove from Richfield, UT to the Moab area and spent the afternoon exploring Arches National Park. Our day ended with this lovely sunset seen from the patio of our room at the Red Cliffs Inn.
Sunset over the Colorado River
777 miles – Home at Last
Walking out into the 1 degree temperature in Ogden certainly got us moving this morning. Once we cleared a dense, freezing fog around Brigham City we had clean sailing the rest of the way. Listening to the Seahawks exciting, but disappointing, 30-28 loss to Atlanta provided a few hours of diversion along the way. The topography along this route isn’t all that interesting but we were treated to a stunning and long sunset that I photographed at the Selah rest stop just north of Yakima.
Mt. Rainier in the sunset
Phoenix to Ogden, UT – 698 miles
Today was the first of our two-day journey home following the same route we took returning from Sedona in 2011. Except this time it’s the middle of winter. The first 400 miles to Long Valley Junction were uneventful with clear skies, dry roads and little traffic. Once again in northern Utah we got a glimpse of the incredible Vermilion Cliffs escarpments off Route 89 south of Page, UT. This little niche of the U.S. is just so fascinating. Looking to the west from the highway you know the eastern end of the Grand Canyon is just 70 or so miles away, Bryce and Zion lie just about 100 miles north, and the road passes right between the Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. It’s a geologic wonderland of every imaginable shape. As I had done for the outgoing trip, I checked the weather forecast for cities along the way and everything looked great. I forgot that that little 40-mile section of Route 14 between Long Valley Junction and Cedar City is a major mountain pass with elevations around 9,000 feet just south of Cedar Breaks National Monument. So we did have to navigate about half an hour of snow but the road surface was mostly well-cleared or sanded. Once through the snow squall, we began the descent toward Cedar City with absolutely stupendous views of the surrounding rock formations and valleys shrouded in fresh snow. It was breathtaking. Photos (19)…
Desert Botanical Garden
Road Runner
From Taliesin, we drove to the Desert Botanical Garden where our afternoon began with a salad at the Patio Café where we were entertained by a road runner. A couple of hours flew by as be wandered the many park paths marvelling at the endless variety of desert plants and occasional whimsical garden artwork.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
Today began chilly and clear as we wrestled with the GPS and sub-optimal signage to find Frank Lloyd Wright‘s famous Taliesin West complex in the foothills north-east of Phoenix. Mr. Wright’s designs are always fascinating and in this desert setting the Taliesin West structure is majestic in a subtle way, less visually compelling than Falling Water in Pennsylvania but somehow captivating in its tranquility. We were in a small tour group of six people and the morning light added a lot to the wonderful angles of the buildings. Additionally, there were scores of elegant sculptures, many by Heloise Crista, adorning nooks, table, and ledges both inside and out. All in all it was a lovely 90-minute stroll.
Apache Trail
A beautiful morning greeted us and somewhat recovered from our long sojourn to Texas and back, we set out to the famous Apache Trail scenic drive, in the Superstition Wilderness east of Phoenix. The terrain here is desert-like for sure but also features rugged mountains, buttes, cliffs and lakes formed by the Roosevelt Dam. Mild temperatures and very little traffic (save the FedEx truck that sped by at 50 mph on the incredibly rough gravel road) allowed for numerous stops to admire the vistas and take photos. Along the way we had a picnic lunch at the stunning Fish Creek overlook and sampled prickly pear ice cream at the little town of Tortilla Flat. We completed the day with a scrumptious dinner at Del Frisco’s Grille. Photos…
Sampling Prickly Pear Cactus ice cream at Tortilla Flat
Saguaro National Park East
Our approach back into Phoenix allowed us to pass through the east section of Saguaro National Park and explore the Cactus Forest Drive. This section of the park is quite different from the West portion with a less dense concentration of Saguaros, more changes in elevation and more rocky vistas. We began the drive with a picnic lunch at the Javelina Picnic Area where we were entertained by birds and spritely little Harris’ Antelope Squirrels. It was really a pleasant change of pace from the hectic events and long hours in the car of the previous two and a half days. Near the end of the drive, we passed by this beautiful formation called the Javelina Rocks. Here are some additional photos of the park.
Javelina Rocks, on Cactus Forest Loop Drive
Back to Phoenix
We decided to head back towards Seattle immediately so Trisha could have a couple of days to recover before returning to Texas for Mrs. Dvorak’s memorial service on January 18th. We split the trip back to Phoenix into two segments this time, doing an overnight in Las Cruces, NM, then on to Phoenix on Wednesday. Trisha enjoyed this sign at one of the rest stops along I-10.
Off to Texas
After dinner last night Trisha received news that her mother was not doing well so we decided to get to Texas as quickly as possible. Thus we arose early, checked out of the Hilton Conquistador and drove 903 miles from Tucson to New Braunfels, TX–an exhausting 15-hour trip.
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