Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Part 2

Part 2 is finally here!

Make sure to click older posts at the bottom of the page to view all of this post.

July 12 & 13: Craters of the Moon

A Cedar Waxwing

Craters of the Moon, Idaho

A Barren & Forbidding Landscape

Our first stop of the day was Inferno Mound

There is a constant wind of
about 30-40 mph with gusts that exceed 60 mph.

This tree was supposed to be 1200 years old.

Beauty amidst the rock

I guess when you don't have many rivers you have to
keep all the ones you have.


July 14: The Great Salt Lake & Bingham Canyon Copper Mine

The Great Salt Lake

The salty sand beach that we were on.


I wonder what it could be...

Nothing else but the largest man made excavation on earth:
Bingham Canyon Mine.

One of the giant shovels under repair.

Industry


July 15: Bryce Canyon



Bryce Canyon, Utah

The day we were there the sun was unusually active,
they had a telescope set up so you could look at the sun. Really neat!

I wonder how long until this tree joins
the other ones on the bottom.


Bryce Canyon:
One of the most beautiful canyons I have seen.


The Beautiful Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon

Water is a very important necessity in the west.


The switchback that got us out of the canyon.

You never know what the sun and dryness will do to people. ;-)

July 16: Zion Canyon

Zion Canyon:
Home of some of the tallest sandstone walls in the world

Checkerboard Mesa

A hole in the wall

A blue tailed skink

Miss Dorothy

Angels Landing



One of the very abundant ground squirrels

The Narrows

July 17: Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon, Arizona


Friends to the end

The Canyon in July

Ancient Indian Ruins

Angels Window

The canyon holds it all, even a wedding site.

The Aisle

Lover's Leap

It's a long way down!


July 18: Lake Powell & Four Corners USA

Lake Powell, Arizona

Four Corners USA

Since the actual four corners was under construction,
we had to content ourselves with going through four states
in under a minute.


July 19: Mesa Verde



Balcony House

The Only Way Up

A kiva, minus the roof.

A View over the Canyon

One of the tunnels that caused this tour
to be rated "Strenuous"



Spruce House

A reconstructed kiva

Back on our side of the continental divide
we find water flowing east.

Colorado Mountains

A beautiful double rainbow.