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Joshua Tree National Park is a vast protected area in southern California, near the community of Yucca Valley. This high elevation national park is characterized by it's rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes. Named for the region’s twisted, bristled Joshua trees its uniqueness draws thousands of visitors each year.
The Butler Wash ruins (a cliff-dwelling) are located 14 miles southwest of Blanding, Utah, on Highway 95 and is within the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. It was an easy 1/2 mile walk on a slide rock base to a canyon, perched viewing platform. The ruins themselves were located across the the way (across a deep canyon), and it was from here that I took this photo. Although this photo isn't my favorite it's the memory (story to follow) that goes with it that makes me chuckle. The Anasazi people inhabited this area around 1200 AD and although the site had been stabilized and reconstructed to some degree, the authenticity remained true to the original site. As I shot this photo my mind wandered to the life of the Anasazi whom farmed on the canyon's floor; imagining their simple lives, children playing, the winter's cold and the summer's heat. Although the ruins were the highlight of our stop, it was the memory of being locked out of my brand-new motor-home that comes to mind first! I had the keys and the fob (to both the coach and the driver's door) in my hand but neither worked! Why?! Noting that it was late in the day and the cold of night would be upon us soon, I began to worry. Unfortunately, we didn't have cel service so calling a tow truck was not an option. Fortunately however a kind gentleman saw our dilemma and drove us to Blanding so we could buy a new battery for the key fob (presuming that was the problem), and with no money in our pockets, he lent us some. By the time we got back to my motor-home, it was getting dark and very cold (I was wearing a t-shirt). We were anxious to get in but... surprise! You can imagine our surprise when, even the new battery in the fob didn't fix the problem! "No way!", we exclaimed! So, left with no other alternatives, we borrowed an axe from our new-found friend and smashed the small passenger side window. Oh dear, as you can imagine, it exploded and tiny bits of glass flew everywhere! It was in the vents, under the seats and even to the very back of the RV; we cleaned for the next 2 hours! But at least we were warm :-) Sometimes when things go wrong it becomes the biggest story and the most memorable! 🙂 *We later discovered that the locking mechanism within the door was not attached during manufacturing, thus we got locked out.
We visited beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park (in Utah), in 2015. Having never been there before I was in absolute "Awe"! We were lucky to arrive on a sunny day (after a snow fall) and everywhere I looked the colors seemed saturated. I happened upon this view and knew it would make an amazing abstract. These colorful pinnacles are called “hoodoos”; they’re eroded limestone, some of which reach 200 feet (60 m) high. They extend for more than 20 miles (30 km), from north to south within Bryce Canyon National Park. We purposely arrived early for this photoshoot; when the sun was still relatively low and the shadows were strong and long. Together, it made the vivid colors of the hoodoos strikingly vibrant and the contrast separated some of the columns. “Oh wow”, we remarked (thrilled and with complete amazement). It was chilly here, on this February day (at 9000 feet above sea-level in February) but I was so fixated on getting (these) amazing shots that I forget how cold my hands were! *See the other Bryce Canyon photos. I named this photograph, “The Hoodoo Expressway” because the pillars remind me of people, whom appear to be making their way through the canyon's exit, in the far-off distance.
