One of the wonderful things about hiking Zion is to move between sharply different terrains from woods to more desert like conditions. In reviewing some of my iPhone pictures this morning, some of those desert shots stood out for their dry, stark beauty.
These shots were on the top of the Sentinel trail on a 100 degree day while hiking with my son Jack. It was glorious. Here are a couple more shots of the dry vegetation.
This is one of my favorite places on earth, and we humans are loving it to death. Zion, Bryce and Grand canyons were the first national parks our family visited 50 years ago.
A must see visit…Modoc forest and the Lava Beds War site.
If you ever wanted to disappear or make someone disappear, this the place to do it. The rangers are spooky. Has a museum too. I spent a week in there.
The Modoc Indian war of 1872-1873 was similar to Little Big Horn. Rangers said, it is still possible to find human bones and guns there.
The war began when troops tried to force Captain Jack’s band, camped on Lost River, back to the reservation on November 29, 1872.
As the Indians fled, they murdered thirteen (or eighteen) settlers. The Modocs retreated to “The Stronghold,” a vast lava bed honeycombed
with outcroppings, caves, and caverns, making it a virtually impregnable rocky fortress.
Biggest pine cones I’ve ever seen.
Plus, you can gamble on the Nevada side of Tahoe. Some great hiking around that most pristine lake.
Annie ~ yes the Austrian Alps are spectacular but I can only counter with Lake Tahoe as a true wonder of the world.
Incredible landscapes made Western movies popular and compelling because of the unique beauty of the region. Of course it didn’t hurt that it was easy to tell who were the good-guys and the bad-guys unlike today.
I’ve been to many states and several countries, I’ve yet to find a match for the beauty of the Austrian Alps. Western Wisconsin reminds me of the foothills in some ares. I also find the Pacific Northwest beautiful, wouldn’t mind living there.
By the way Professor;
Did you do (I may have missed it) a story on Massachusetts Supreme Court decision to permit the command of Pledge of Allegiance to have “under G-d”
as okay?
As a Christian studying Judaism (learned late in life of yiddish roots);
I find that issue perplexing – Greatly!
Rain – during your working “Area 51” case!
Are you sure it wasn’t just an issue of them releasing LSD sprinkles in the air?
And you were seeing mirages?
Beautiful.
As someone on the East Coast, I am also used to more lush forests and enjoy hiking in our mountains of Virginia and Maryland. It is some of the most spectacular hiking anywhere. However, there is a special beauty found only out West. The incredible hues of the rock, the splashes of color in desert flowers and green trees, and of course the sunsets. Perhaps the most spellbinding moment that I have had in nature was when I was doing the Area 51 case and was out in the deep desert around the perimeter of the base. It rained and suddenly the dusty and burned landscape came alive with green plants and an overpowering smell of creosote bushes and sage. It was intoxicating and I just sat there for hours mesmerized by what I was seeing and smelling. It is a harsh environment to be sure but the contrast and power is unique in this ecosystem.
Until the age of the photograph, people in the East did not believe the stories about the beauty of the West. I have been to the Area 51 area and there is next to nothing there. Rain would be a nice break.
However, if you enjoyed the rain at Area 51 you must drop by the Phoenix area for an afternoon haboob. The power is overwhelming, both literally and figuratively.
angryman, There is no cure for provinciality. I think it’s genetic.
Annie,
It’s like Poi or Potatoes. If you are not used to them; the flavor seems bland and almost un-noticeable but after you eat a bit; the subtle flavor creeps up on you and you an awakening.
The browns show themselves to be yellow, purple, red, and blue and a plethora of shades of all of these; and brown.
Greens become vibrant against a background of more subtle colors and an entirely different “life” becomes evident.
I’m always found it quaint that mankind calls turning paradise into a parking lot
an “improvement”
Paul, Arizona is an underappreciated state. It’s as diverse as NM but doesn’t get the same love.
Nick – if people do not move here we are not upset. That is their loss.
Beautiful. I do not understand provinciality. This is the most wondrously diverse geography of any country. Each has its own beauty and majesty. I grew up near the ocean and have a nostalgic affinity for that. But, as I have visited all but 4 US states, I appreciate the diversity. Provinciality is a myopia prescription lens cannot fix. Great photos. The beauty of digital age is the ease of photography. We have volumes of scrapbooks from our travels. Our kids always open them up when home.
What amazes me is that
I’m no longer in charge of many hundreds of persons, have no business empire remaining, am homeless more often than not;
and I’ve less time available to smell the roses, view the parks
than ever in my life.
Beautiful pictures!
It is beautiful, but I personally prefer the lushness of a deciduous forest. Green, green and more green, with the gold of sunshine through the trees. All that brown in the southwest is a bit depressing.
Annie – I had a girlfriend like that, she got over it. What you are seeing as brown are shades of different colors. And we do have the forests you like, if you want them. The West has everything. Arizona has all the climate zones within the state. Here in the desert Southwest you never have to shovel sunshine.
Awesome.
Scenes like these are why we live in the West. 🙂