3/22-24-2009 -- Zion National Park

We left Grand Canyon by noon, traversing Navajo Nation during the afternoon in a rather amazing sandstorm. The winds were probably gusting upwards of 60-70 mph. That didn't stop us from purchasing some buffalo jerky at one of the numerous wind-ripped Native American stands along the highway -- stuff was damn good. Anyway, we headed onward to Glen Canyon -- a site I've wanted to see for a very long time after reading one of my favorite books -- Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang. I like the quote on the book from the National Observer: "A sad, hilarious, exuberant, vulgar fairy tale... It'll make you want to go out and blow up a dam." Ha! After Glen Canyon, we headed over to Zion National Park -- my second favorite park out there behind Canyonlands. We booked a room for a couple night at this nice mom-and-pop, which featured a hot tub and pool surrounded by the Zion cliffs -- how cool is that!. Man, I could live at this place ... if it weren't for the tourists in the Summer ...

Glen Canyon Dam posing for a view in front of the sandstorm.

Looking south of the dam into the remaining (unmutilated) parts of Glen Canyon.

Ah, Zion!

That's our rental -- we aptly named "Lil' Blue" -- in front of Angel's Landing. You're my boy blue! Piece of crap Toyota Yaris. Sometimes being a cheap bastard doesn't pay off. I mean, why even manufacturer an automatic car without cruise control these days?

Cottonwoods were just starting to bud. The greens in the summer offer a beautiful color contrast.

More cottonwoods in the valley floor.

One of the many tunnels along the Mt. Carmel-Zion Rd.

Views along the less-traveled Kalob Road -- I highly recommend this drive!

A brief snow shower providing a hazy-like sky in front of the cliffs along Kalob Road.

Farm along Kalob Road.

My very own gas station in Kanab Utah!

Okay, a couple pics from Vegas. This was our view from the Venetian, which I was able to Hotwire for $90! Ha!

Monica (kissing "Yellow"), Sharon, and me posing somewhere along The Strip. I'm still trying to figure out why "Red" is so "mad" in the background.

3/21-22/2009 - Grand Canyon

I've finally found a bit of free time to process and post some of my pictures from my trip to Nevada, Arizona, and Utah in March. This trip was anchored by a presentation at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. Though Vegas was fun, I tend to prefer the sensory overload of nature in this region, which I'll highlight in these two posts. First up, is the Grand Canyon:

We arrived at Grand Canyon late on the 21st. The clouds -- signifying the approaching extratropical cyclone -- provided a beautiful skyscape, but left the landscape below blanketed in grays.

Back at the hotel, we found this unique pseudo-wannabe water fountain. Hmmm.

The next morning we got up real early to take in the sunrise on the South Rim. What an amazing experience that pictures fail to capture.

Posing at the big crack.

Sharon and I, and the crack.

Sharon taking it all in.

A little later, we took the road along the South Rim -- stopping every so often to take in the vistas.

Hey, at least the tree had a good view while alive.

That's a long hike to the Colorado!

The crack.

Desert View lookout, which is a rather amazing structure. At this point, winds were gusting over 50 mph as an extratropical cyclone dryslot surfaced.

View from inside the historic tower.

We left the Grand Canyon and traversed Navajo Nation in a blinding sandstorm. Really a fascinating event that stills won't reveal. Oh well ... onward to Glen Canyon and Zion (next post).