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.