It breaks my heart to know that in the year of the National Park Service Centennial we have chosen a President who will choose pipelines over parks and sacred lands, and likely support introducing a tram and other development in our most wild places, including the Grand Canyon. This park has always been under …
The Grand Canyon was beautiful, and of course grand, but I ended up taking just as many pictures at the Ten X Campground due to the chillest herd of elk in the lower 48. The print I ended up making from these pictures had some Princess Mononoke vibes (one in black and white and one …
"To subdue a river such as the Colorado--not simply to whip it into submission for a season or two, but to break and yoke the thing by taming its rampages, vanquishing its moods, and converting its kinetics into energy that serves human beings--such a task is not only a colossal technical undertaking but, perhaps even …
As I was driving towards the entrance tunnel, a car in front of me stopped for no apparent reason. At first I was annoyed, I had after all been driving for at least half of a Harry Potter audiobook to get there, until I remembered that this was a National Park in the west. Randomly …
My first visit to Island in the Sky was the same day as Needles, just after I had set up camp at Horsethief Campground. I didn't stay too long at Mesa Arch, heavy winds kicked up and I was worried about my tent. I was right to be worried, and today I spent some time …
I started my trip to Arches with an early morning hike to Delicate Arch, glad I went early to avoid the crowds. For some reason I had thought the iconic arch would be much smaller, but it was an odd combination of familiar and surprisingly awe-inspiring. The print I made of Delicate Arch may have …
I planned to find a campsite in Moab before going to Canyonlands, but the combination of the obvious geographic convenience of going to the Needles District first as well as the call of nature led me to swing west to the Needles District. I made a brief stop at Newspaper Rock (and the nearby bathroom), …
Driving from New Mexico to Colorado was almost exactly what one would expect. I saw snow covered mountains in the distance after hours of desert, and within an hour I was in Colorado. As promised to my cacti-growing father I took pictures of blooming prickly pears, and made my first (of many as I travelled …
Palo Duro Canyon State Park was a pleasant surprise. I had intended it to just be a spot to sleep on my way to the National Parks of the Southwest, but this little Texas State Park was awesome, and I ended up going for an evening hike. The park itself was mostly in the bottom …
onehappycamper 