Beavertail cactus blossom in Arizona

 During our Spring Break 2017 trip through Utah and Arizona, Bob got this photo of a beavertail cactus in bloom.  Notice a little fly on one of the petals.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

California Condor over Horseshoe Bend, Page, Arizona

 Bob was just looking through his folder covering our trip during Rick's spring break in 2017 and came upon this image of a tagged California Condor flying over Horseshoe Bend near Page, Arizona.  Condors have been reintroduced to the Vermilion Cliffs area in northern Arizona and this female is probably from that reintroduction.  You can see the tags on this condor on the front edge of each wing.  Also, on the left wing, on the right as you look at this photo, you can see the antenna of a transmitter. This condor was Number 53, which turned out to be a five-year-old female, according to The Peregrine Fund researcher that we ran into later in the trip.

Not that long ago, only 22 condors were left in the world, but thanks to captive breeding and reintroductions, there are now over 200 in the wild.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

The Eye of Alabama, in the Alabama Hills, west of Lone Pine, California

 

One of the bigger natural arches in the Alabama Hills is the Eye of Alabama (also labeled as the Eye of the Alabama). This arch looks to me like a left side of a face with a very large eye and the left end being the nose. But that's just me. When you're driving up to it, you might not see it, because it's not at the top of the ridge, but part way down. We got to this feature from a small pullout along the Movie Road and a short trail uphill, then off-trail. You can climb right onto it with a little scrambling. 

Photo details: Canon 70D, 55mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/180 sec., with polarizer

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Mobius Arch moonlit at night with Mount Whitney underneath, and Jupiter

 On our trip to the Alabama Hills, which is east of the Sierra Nevada's highest peak, Mount Whitney, I got this nighttime photo of the world-famous Mobius Arch. Mount Whitney is seen underneath the arch to the far right (it's not the highest-looking peak from this view). Mobius Arch is named for the Mobius strip, a mathematical/topological concept of having a single twist in a strip linked to itself such that it has only one side. The thin portion of the arch must've made someone think it had a twist in it, hence the name. 

This feature is along the Arch Loop Trail, a little over 1.5 miles off of Movie Road, which is off of the Whitney Portal Road heading west out of Lone Pine, California. The trail also passes Lathe Arch, Heart Arch, and Behind the Heart Arch. You can see Heart Arch from the parking area before you even start to hike. Mobius Arch is the largest of these with the largest opening and span. Jupiter is brightest object in the sky.

This photo was taken by moonlight at 30 seconds, ISO 1600, f9.5.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Trinity Arch, Muley Twist Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

 

This is Trinity Arch in Muley Twist Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.  It apparently is called Trinity, because it is a triple arch.  The first two are obvious, but the third is a much smaller arch just visible in the rightmost lower corner of this photo.

Bob saw this and many other arches on the 5th day of the 2021 Arch Rally conducted by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society from September 18th to the 25th.  The trip on this day was to and through Muley Twist Canyon in the middle east portion of Capitol Reef National Park.  We saw more arches on this day than any other trip of the rally.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Salmonback Double Arch, aka Laurel and Hardy Arches, Utah

On  Friday, September 24th. the 7th day  of the 2021 Arch Rally that Bob attended, the group hiked to Salmonback Double Arch.  This feature is also known as Laurel and Hardy Arches with the higher, thinner arch being Laurel and the lower, thicker arch being Hardy.  This is in the Tantalus Flats Area southwest of Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Getting to the view of the first photo involved about a one and a half mile bushwhack and a climb up to a huge sandstone outcrop that was very steep on the side we climbed up and a sheer cliff on the other.  Getting to the spot for this first photo, Bob took advantage of hand lines that the trip leaders set up.  The leaders were concerned that slipping on this surface might lead to a slide all the way down to the canyon floor with nothing to grab onto to stop the slide.

The second photo shows our view of these arches from below when we were hiking in the canyon.  Just a sliver of light shows through the lower opening in the center of the picture.  The higher opening shows up more clearly.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

All Seeing Eye Arch, Burr Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

 On his second day of the 2021 Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, Bob chose to go on the hike to Laminate Arch.  On the way, while driving the Burr Trail to the trailhead for Laminate Arch, the group got to see this bonus arch called the All Seeing Eye Arch.  The boulder in the opening appears to be the pupil of a giant eye.

This arch was within the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Death Valley mud-cicles

 

Death Valley has lots of exposed minerals and rocks throughout the park. Rain is rare, but when it does arrive it can appear torrential. This photo shows the side of the canyon that has the Natural Bridge feature. After getting photos of the bridge, we started looking up the canyon a bit to see what other features we could find and noticed the patterns on the walls. These could be called mud-cicles. Or how about mud chandeliers? They were totally dry, but it's obvious how they formed.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Sheets Gulch Arch, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

 

Bob just attended an Arch Rally held by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society from September 18th to the 25th in and around Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.  He enjoyed eight days of going on drives and hikes to see arches and bridges.

This image is of Sheets Gulch Arch, which he hiked to on the fourth day of the rally.  The arch is on the east side of the park up against a canyon wall almost looking like it's just leaning against the top of the sandstone formation.  The group could see it from the canyon bottom, but several of the hikers, including Bob, scrambled up the slope to get a closer look and even walk through the opening of the arch.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Balanced Rock, Arches National Park, Utah

 

This image is from 2008 when we were still using film. So this is a slide that was scanned and edited. This feature in Arches National Park is called Balanced Rock. We can speculate as to how long it will be before the huge rock on top falls down, but it will eventually, such is geological forces. You can view this feature right from the road about 9 miles from the visitor center. If  you park and hike the trails, you can completely encircle it. This photo was taken in the afternoon with a westward sun lighting the scene and storm clouds starting to build.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Desert bighorn ram near Arch Rock Campground, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

 Bob was looking through video clips from a trip we took back in December 2017 when he found video of a desert bighorn ram walking past the entrance to the Arch Rock Campground in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.  He cropped this frame from the video, since it seemed to show the ram the best.

The bighorn sheep in this park seem to be used to visitors enough at least to not mind being seen by humans.  They sometimes hang around the campground area for a long time.

One of their adaptations of living in the desert is that they can go without water for longer times than other bighorn sheep in wetter areas.  Valley of Fire State Park only averages about 4 inches of rain each year.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Arch Rock along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, Sierra National Forest, California

 This is the rather generically named Arch Rock along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway in the Sierra National Forest.  This byway is east of Oakhurst, California and south of Yosemite National Park.  Rick is crouched behind it in the first photo and we're both in front of the arch in the second to give you an idea of its size.  This arch is made of granodiorite and has a span of 28 feet, a height of 3-1/2 feet, a thickness of 17 inches, and a width of 26 inches.  It made us think of a big, exposed pipe or a big lathe.

We've produced a video about out visit to this arch.  You can see it on our YouTube Channel at:

https://youtu.be/tOcCNc-ZFwo

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

El Capitan and the Big Dipper by moonlight, May 2018

 Bob was looking through his photos when he happened upon this photo that he took of El Capitan by moonlight.  The Big Dipper is in the upper left of the image.  He took this picture in May 2018.

El Capitan is one of the largest granite cliffs in the world and is a draw for rock climbers from around the world.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.