Arches National Park

This iconic view of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park is seen on many Utah license plates. It is located at the end of a one and one-half mile trail that includes soft, fine sand and sandstone "slick rocks" which are as large as a football field. It rises 500 feet along the way and takes about 45 minutes to complete. The hike is quite demanding, especially in hot weather (which is most of the time!). However, there were a substantial number of groups going up which included small children as young as four or five years old. I even saw one guy carrying an infant in a back-pack, and one couple who each had a toddler on their back.

Immediately behind the arch is a several hundred foot drop, but none the less, people scrambled all over around the base of the arch.

How Little We Humans Are

After posting the photo of Delicate Arch earlier, I realized that it was impossible to judge the size of the formation as it was shown. If you have never seen it you could have imagined that it was, for example, six feet tall. Here is shown how massive the formation is by the inclusion of some "tourists". (Isn't it always those other people who are tourists?)

The Trail to Delicate Arch

This is part of the trail to Delicate Arch and depicts some of the huge sandstone "slickrock" that you cross along the way.

If you enlarge the image by clicking on it you may be able to see the parking lot and trail head in the background. The hike was strenuous, and I would think twice before doing it again, but I might if it were earlier in the morning when it was very cool.

This photo shows one of the nicer and easier portions of the trail to Delicate Arch. It is only gently inclined and is a smooth, hard surface. The red color of the sandstone is natural and and has not been emphasized.

Another, less famous, arch located near to it's more spectacular sibling, Delicate Arch.

There are so many photogenic scenes in Arches NP that you can't begin to see or capture them all. Suffice it to say that there has been a lot of film burned up over the years trying to do just that. This location has been used to film so many western films that it would be hard to name them all, and photos from here have graced the covers of a lot of photo magazines and calendars. I look forward to returning again soon.

Utah Color Country

My wife and I went to Moab, Utah, over Labor Day weekend with my step daughter and her husband and kids. I have wanted to see Arches National Park for a long time, and I did and it was stunning, but this photo was taken from Dead Horse Point located within a State Park of the same name (No kidding!). This scene is part of the Colorado River Basin located just 30 miles outside Moab, Utah.

I look like I'm ten feet tall here, but it's just because I'm standing by a bunch of little people (including my wife) These are my step daughter Jaime's children (left to right) Nick, Brooklynne and Brigham.

This viewpoint is accessible only via a rustic trail composed of fine sand, sandstone rocks and brush. We biked in, which was quite challenging, and is a story in itself!

The background looks like it's fake, but I guarantee you that it isn't. The drop-off into the canyon, located just eight or so feet in back of us, will literally take your breath away if you get too close to the edge. Brookie, as she is affectionately called, is one of those kids who knows no fear. In fact, you might say she is wreckless! She scared us so many times by trying to get closer to the edge of the canyon that we ended up making her hold onto one of our hands until we left.

The Tourists

This picture (expertly photographed by yours truly!) shows our group that went to Moab. From left to right, Nick, my wife Paulette, Brooklynne, Ben Griffiths (with Brigham on his shoulder) and my step daughter Jaime. It seems awkward for me to call her my step daughter because she was only eight years old when her mother and I were married. Ben is a dentist and his practice is in Mapleton, Utah.

Little Brigham is a joy for me. He calls me "Gumpah" and next to his mom and dad, I am number one! He picks up the phone at home, hands it to his mother and says, "Gumpah", then breaks out laughing when I begin to talk to him!

White daisy with critter

A quick shot of a beautiful white daisy. When I downloaded it to my computer I could see that it was playing host to a tiny critter.

The Little Critter

Many times I am startled to find tiny insects present in my photos that I had not seen with my naked eye. Considering that the entire daisy in this photo is about the size of a silver dollar it is amazing to me that something this small is a living creature.

The Air Force "Thunderbirds" air demonstration team

I am fortunate to live close to Hill AFB which hosts an air show every year. Every four or five years we are privileged to have the Air Force Thunderbirds attend and demonstrate their amazing skill with the F16. We had about 200,000 people show up this year for the event. (The crowd is always larger when the Thunderbirds are performing.) These are a few of the photos I took.

You can imagine...200,000 people = 50,000 cars. We had to park about two miles from the show, and after it was over it took us two hours to get off the base!

Is there anything more beautiful than this?

Tradition

From the top: P-51 Mustang, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-4 Phantom.

Flying formation at 400 miles an hour is hard enough, but upside down?

UTAH SPRING FLOWERS

A typical April event in Utah. A flower garden full of flowers, buried under two inches of snow!

Rejoice, rejoice! Spring has brought the flowers!

Some of my most favorite flowers are those that come just after the snow has melted. Tulips, daffodils, pansies, crocuses etc. Maybe I like them so much because they signal the end of winter, with its cold weather and drab colorless scenery. My spirit is lifted up as I see the beginning of new life and the start of another fresh year!

So this morning my beautiful flowers all lie under a blanket of snow and ice! The temperature for the next two nights are forecast to drop into the mid 20's. Mother Nature, please don't kill my flowers!

The Second Sign that Spring has Sprung

 

Everyone should know by now that honey bees are almost an endangered species and that their dwindling numbers are a mystery, but their demise would be a castastrophe for farmers who depend on them to pollenize their crops, and therefore, by extension, for anyone who likes to eat. This little guy is out early and maybe this is an indication that things may be on the upswing.

Spring Has Been Put On Hold

 

A couple of days ago my flower bed was beginning to come to life, with crocuses blooming and tulips and daffodils about 4 inches high. Today they all lie under a blanket of snow. Will this Winter never go away?

Spring has Sprung

  When we went to bed last night our little flower bed was drab and bare except for a few sad looking pansies that had survived under the snow. The sun came out today and south winds raised our temperatures to the low sixties. I went outside my front door, and, much to my surprise, a dozen or so little crocus' had poked their blossoms out and unfolded them to take in the warmth. My attitude has just improved immensely!!

Bug and Rodent Killer

This is a Swainson's Hawk which thrives on large insects (grasshoppers, dragon flies, etc.) and, during breeding season, small animals, including mice, rats, bats and other such creatures. They are very fast and graceful in flight and will sometimes hunt in pairs. As you can see from this photograph, they are well camouflaged and can be hard to see if you don't see them land.

THE MOST REGAL OF ALL BIRDS

The Utah Waterfowl Management Area on Farmington Bay is the temporary residence of constantly changing variety of birds. As an landscape and wildlife photographer it offers me countless opportunities to see these beautiful birds up close and in a natural state. I am fortunate, also, that it is only a 10 minute drive from my home! In the last several weeks there have been a plethora of pelicans and bald eagles. One bird that is usually present, but absent so far this year, is the Giant Blue Heron. Maybe they will stop by. I'll be watching!

Stare Down..A Seagull With A Death Wish!

 

Whenever Bald Eagles are feeding, you will find a swarm of California Seagulls present to enjoy the leftovers (California Seagulls the Utah state bird? Yes!). Strangely, contrary to the implication of this post's title, they interact peacefully. Though I frequently see the eagles get into territorial fights, the seagulls hover in close proximity with narry a ruffled feather.

Team Work

 

Pelicans are so interesting. They "fish" as a team, swimming back and forth in the open water in the Farmington Bay like a highly discipined group of soldiers in formation, dipping their heads underwater periodically, most often in unison, and then, when a fish is caught, raising their bills in in the air to swallow their prey.

Two Bald Eagles, One Hapless Fish

Have you ever seen a cat play with a mouse it's caught? Well, I guess eagles do that too! While taking photos as the Farmington Bay Water Fowl Managment area I observed an eagle catch a fish from the open water you see in the background. It then walked a few feet toward me and laid it on the ice and then walked a short distance away from the fish. It was almost as if it was daring anyone (or anything) to take the fish. Sure enough, another eagle was up to the challenge. As you can see, there ensued quite a squabble. The eagle that caught the fish won! After the the aspiring "thief" flew away, the defender again walked away from the fish. I never did see him eat it.