Photos from the Painted Desert

After leaving the meteor crater we headed towards the Painted Desert. The Painted Desert is the entry to Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. Since the day was drawing to a close and I have visited several petrified forests in the past, I decided that we would skip this one and just enjoy the beauty of the Painted Desert. I have seen it from the opposite side, but it was nowhere near as nice as this. After photographing the Painted Desert we headed on to Springerville, where we enjoyed a great meal at the Safire Restaurant & Lounge. They make most …

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Photos from San Rafael Reef

Since the weather was not cooperating in Utah, we thought we would try to make it to the Valley of Fire in Nevada for sunset. It was a great idea, and we were there on time, but the clouds had only grown worse. Luckily, I-70 in Utah is a beautiful drive. These photos were taken in the San Rafael Reef area of Utah, which was a big uranium mining area in the 1950’s. Back to San Rafael Reef Photos Back to San Rafael Reef Photos

Photos from Arches National Park

Our last day in Utah, we decided that we would go ahead and venture into Arches National Park. We had visited it last year, but Tanya’s storage drive failed and she lost a significant number of the photos she took. Since there was a threat or rain, the clouds were moving in; and while clouds can add an interesting perspective to photos, they also dampen the bright colors that might otherwise be available. Tanya said she just wanted to drive to the first arch, then we could leave. About three hours later we decided we really should head out before …

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Photos from Lake Powell and Hite, UT

When we left Natural Bridges National Monument we had two options. We could backtrack, or we could continue on towards Lake Powell and just make it a large loop for the day’s drive. Since the road ahead of us looked pretty amazing, we opted for taking the long way back to Moab. While the scenery was magnificent, it appeared to me that the lake’s water level was way down. I later asked a “local” and she told me the level was actually up. I guess we were at the wrong part of the lake. That is okay, the lake is …

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Photos from Natural Bridges National Monument

I am not really sure what happened. The last I heard, we were going to Arches National Park. After all, that is why we stayed in Moab. Right? Apparently not. I guess Tanya was surfing Google images after we got settled in. She found a couple places we had not yet seen that appeared to be quite photogenic. The fact that it was a four hour drive each way mattered little. One of the locations was Natural Bridges National Monument. Discovered in 1883, it is Utah’s first National Monument. It is also a location that we will return to. In …

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Photos from Hovenweep National Monument

When we left Cortez we saw a sign pointing to Hovenweep National Monument. As we had never heard of it before, it sounded like a new destination. The Monument consists of six clusters of Native American ruins. The natural foliage made it a picturesque setting. These photos are from the Hovenweep area. Back to Hovenweep Photos Back to Hovenweep Photos

Photos from Four Corners Monument

When we made our trip last year, we had no direction. We had somewhere we had to be on a certain date and the route we took to get there was of no consequence. There was one thing I wanted to do and it was stand in four states at once at Four Corners Monument. Somehow, we completely missed it even though we had to have been within 50 miles of it. I have no excuse, I must have missed the sign. Luckily, it was directly on the route from the Grand Canyon to Cortez, CO. I mean, I did …

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Photos from the Grand Canyon

As we continued towards the Grand Canyon, we were given two options. Grand Canyon Village or Desert View. I did not know where I wanted to go. Desert View sounded cool, so I took the turn fully anticipating to go a few miles, then backtrack to Grand Canyon Village. As it turned out, the turn towards Desert View was definitely the right way to go. We just followed the road all the way around the park. Back to the Grand Canyon Photos Back to the Grand Canyon Photos

Photos from the Arizona Snowbowl

When we left Flagstaff, we decided to avoid the Interstate and took the 180 Hwy towards the south rim of the Grand Canyon. On the way we saw a sign for the Arizona Snowbowl. I had never heard of it, but had seen it mentioned around Flagstaff, so naturally, I had to take the turn off to check it out. These photos were taken at the Arizona Snowbowl. Back to the Arizona Snowbowl Photos Back to the Arizona Snowbowl Photos

Photos from Flagstaff, AZ

After leaving Sedona, we took a scenic drive up Arizona Hwy 89A to Flagstaff. When we were at the Oak Creek Brewing Company in Sedona, the owner told us about the Lumberyard Brewing Company in Flagstaff, so that is where we headed for dinner. Their food was so-so, but priced as such, so it was okay. Their beer was very good and priced right. Tomorrow, the Grand Canyon. These photos are from Flagstaff, AZ and the Lumberyard Brewing Company. Back to the Photos of Flagstaff Back to the Photos of Flagstaff

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