What I did on my summer vacation... This is what comes to mind with a broad smile as I reflect on the 7 week adventure of camping and photography which made up my "summer vacation" this year.
Miscellaneous stops along the wayThere were many items of interest that I took a photo of which didn't warrant a gallary of its own but certainly deserved to be recorded.
Albert The Bull was one of the first "Big Things" that we detoured to see on our trip. Of course a few images of the actual water falls from which
Sioux Falls South Dakota derives its name are included. The
Crazy Horse Memorial was a special place where we spent a few hours looking around and hearing the story of its creation. Images of the geography found along the
Needles Highway in South Dakota are included as we found South Dakota to be a special place we had never been to, but was very different than we had imagined it would be.
Mount Rushmore, while smaller than what we imagined, was truly an amazing place reflecting a beautiful artistic achievement. It was in South Dakota that we encountered our first
buffalo. Little did we know that we would see thousands more on our journey. This gallery continues with a sampling of images throughout our trip.
As one of the things that I have heard about for years in the western part of the US involved the issue ranchers face with the
wild Mustang herds and the efforts underway to manage these herds in a humane way, we decided to visit one of the places that has made a difference in the preservation of wild Mustangs and other horse breeds. The
Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary is a working horse ranch with a few registered cattle as well. Of course their primary mission is to care for wild Mustangs. This tour and the resultant photos was a highlight of our trip.
As we crossed the mountain range from the northeast into the huge volcanic basin which is Yellowstone National Park the first of June we were caught in a snow-storm which caused some white out conditions as the winds blew. Average speed was less than 15 MPH as we wound our way around the mountain. Several hours later we had descended from the mountains and found ourselves on a muddy road leading into Yellowstone's NE entrance.
In addition to the naturally beautiful landscapes filled with mountains, fields, canyons, rivers and geysers, there is an abundance of wildlife in this natural setting. You quickly become certain you have left your land and entered their home. If you drive too quickly, you will miss an opportunity to witness natures miracles. I must say there were many people who should have stayed home as they sped along at 45 miles per hour not seeing anything unless it was big and standing next to the round. I wondered why they bothered to come to Yellowstone at all. A close encounter wit a Big Horn Ram was my highlight, but I saw everything from Bull Elk to a mother moose birthing a calf. Really could have spent an entire month here in Yellowstone and never had experienced a boring moment.
Entering Moab from the north along the Colorado river you begin to get a sense of what you are in for. The last 15 miles of road presents many geographic formations which have been carved by the Colorado of many thousands of years - and are most spectacular!
Entering Arches you drive up a fairly steep and winding road. Unless you are camping up in Arches - with a reservation - leave your trailer behind. You don't want to pull it into Arches and nobody else wants you to either. Once topping the entrance climb a majestic view opens up to you that will have you mumbling under breath in amazement. The red rock formations, spires, and walls, etc that are found along the drive into Arches defies description. It is something that must be witnessed first hand or secondly viewed through
quality images as the landscape is nothing short of artistic.
We entered the park from the east on hwy 211, entering the Needles District. We found that without an offroad vehicle (read 4-wheeler) you really can't explore the needles district. There is some limited camping in the park, but there's little if any privacy and little to do and explore even if you do camp there. So we took a minor detour and headed out on the BLM Lockhart Basin Trail. This is a 4-wheel drive high clearance vehicle unpaved road which was carved out of the desert with a grader, but I was able to pull my tear-drop trailer up steep terrain and through the canyons. We found an excellent campsite snuggled within a small canyon out of site from the road and made it base camp for a week of traveling around and shooting some beautiful red-rock formation.
On the road from Canyonlands National Park to Bryce Canyon we came upon White Canyon which ran along the road for miles and miles before hitting one of the most scenic areas we encountered on our journey. Glen Canyon is a drop dead gorgeous area. You must have a look at the images in this gallery to appreciate what we stumbled upon as we made the drive from one camping spot to another.
The entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park is well developed and is a great spot to re-energize if you've been camping and on the road for a month! Bryce boasts some of the most unique erosion formed spires and hoodoos you will ever see. Some of these hoodoos are 100 feet tall and make you wonder how they stand there instead of simply falling over. Mule and Whitetail Deer as well as pronghorns wander the canyon landscape as well.
What a unique place. Just when you think you have figured out the canyon scenes and you fear they will begin to look alike, you take the drive into Zion National Park. The long and winding road into Zion is filled with beautiful vistas and formations. There are many pull-outs from which to admire the views. The primary canyon can only be visited by riding their bus as the canyon itself cannot handle the volume of cars that would otherwise need to traverse it.
Certainly one of the great wonders of the world. After visiting the less developed North Rim for a day (there is a hotel) we headed through the desert to the South Rim where we would spend the next five days. The South Rim is a 50 mile long expanse along the Grand Canyon with the Colorado river visible at many junctions. It was very easy to sit on the edge of the canyon for hours just taking in the awesome views. Of course the setting sun was simply majestic as it lit up the red rocks of the canyon walls. No matter what you have seen in your lifetime, the Grand Canyon will impress you greatly.
When our time at the Grand Canyon had come to an end we headed towards Colorado and purposefully went through Monument Valley. While the rock formations were lovely I was disappointed in the lack of control concerning where people put structures and the dilepated form these structures would take. The indigineous people did not display any pride in their land, their home and it appearance. I understand its Indian Land, but all along this area there were few structures that demonstrated any pride in ownership. Seemed every vehicle the family had ever owned remained parked on the land. This eye-sore was a negative distraction to the natural beauty of the land.
Once out of the desert plains the Rockies began to dominate the landscape. Telluride was a beautiful little city nestled among some very tall mountain peaks with a grand waterfall at the head of the town. Taylor River in Almont, CO is one of the most pristine areas I have ever spent time in. The trout flyfishing was wonderful, the scenery spectacular, and the summer weather heavanly. Traveling over a couple of 14,000 foot mountain passes we headed over to Colorado Springs where we visited the 14,000 foot high Pikes Peak and the unique red rock formations within the Garden Of The Gods park. All up Colorado might be the most beautiful state in the union - next to Alaska.
As a stop over place on our way back to the Carolinas we spent a little time on Lake Carlyle which is located in Illinois along the Missouri/Illinois border. The lake was gorgeous and very peaceful. We visited St. Louis and did some of the tourist things like go up in the Gateway Arch and tour the Budweiser brewery.
I hope you enjoyed viewing the photos from our summer journey. It was a most excellent summer camping trip for us!
Cheers,
Monty
Photo: A violinist for Lost In The Trees performing at The Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC Sept 4th 2009 - my favorite image for Sept.
