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Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Southwestern Daze

We were blogging a bit about hiking last week, which made me go and look for some old pictures. Amy and I have a friend who has a place in the hills of extreme southern Utah, outside Kanab. Last time we were out there I got some pictures of a few side trips we took. The scenery in that part of the country is just spectacular, at least to an East-Coaster like me.

The spectacular red hills outside Kanab-



We took a day trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The north rim is just a few hours south of Utah, and gets about 1/10th of the traffic the south rim gets, which means there is no traffic going in, you can actually find a place to park when you get there, and you can take your beer out onto the terrace and relax. This looks Photo-shopped, but it isn't-



We took an overnight tent-camping trip to Zion and Kolub canyons. These are pics of Kolub, with my original captions-


You want to hike all the way to where?!?!?


Amy points out that if the stream can get down, we can go up...


So let's go!


well ok, maybe not up there.

We fly in and out of Las Vegas on our trips to Utah. This trip we had rented a fancy Jeep Wagoneer which had a thermometer on the dashboard telling us how hot it was outside. On the way back to Las Vegas we saw with delight that it was only a crisp 102 degrees, and so we took a quick side trip to very aptly named Valley of Fire-



The Valley of Fire was damned hot. It also features some spectacular rock formations. These are "beehives"-



I found a shady spot, as the entire Valley melted around me-

11 comments:

Catalyst said...

That Amy is a slave driver!

If you ever get to the South Rim, you're only two hours from Catalyst's cave and cool drinks! As Bob Barker would say, "Come on down!"

Mike said...

Unfortunately for the normal people in the rest of the world, Utah does have some beautiful scenery. As a matter of fact, if someone would send all the Mormons to Mexico to live, I am sure Utah would be one of our top tourist attractions.

Beautiful pictures and I almost hate to say this, but after 8 month in this hell hole known as Utah, if you've seen one red rock formation, you've seen 'em all.

Yeah, I'm ruined.

Anonymous said...

Now Mike...if you haven't seen the Red Rocks in Sedona, then you haven't seen all the Red Rocks there are to see...

Beautiful pictures.

Forrest Proper said...

Catalyst- I just say "which way?" and keep walking... and next time we are down there will will walk to your place!

Mike- we weren't there 8 months, which might have changed our perspective... the oddest thing I've ever seen is driving from Las Vegas to Utah, which is also the road people use to get to Lake Powell. You are driving through the hottest, more barren and desolate steekin' desert you ever saw- and there is a parade of pickups and SUVs going past you towing boats.

Kerstin- You tell him! I'll bet after, oh, fifty or sixty years back in Michigan Mike will be homesick for Utah and Wal*Mart.

Well, ok, maybe 80 or 90 years.

Forrest Proper said...

BREAKING NEWS: Police have confirmed reports of a ground-level sonic boom which rattled windows around Salt Lake City this afternoon. According to one local Mormon eyewitness the boom was caused by a pickup towing a U-Haul trailer going "Like a bat out of H-E-Double-Toothpicks!" Reports of scorched pavement and a lingering cloud of dust in the vicinity of a local Wal*Mart have not yet been confirmed by the authorities.

In other news, in mid-mrning trading on the Utah Liquor Exchange, gin futures were down sharply.

Sara Sue said...

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Excellent, Colonel! Mike, happy trails home, buddy! Check in when you can.

This whole country is gorgeous ... I love how different and vast it is. Y'all should walk to N. Cal, the foothills are amazing and still a small town atmosphere.

Great shots, Colonel ... and Amy is WOman!

Mike said...

Well technically I haven't left yet. Still packing. Anne will be here tomorrow to pack, er, ah, I mean help me pack the truck and the U-Haul.

The thing I miss most about Michigan aside from bars and normal people is the water. I want to go back to Michigan and get married to The Great Lakes and have their babies.

Phoebe Fay said...

I don't suppose they got air conditioning on those trails?

It sure is purty, but I'd want air conditioning.

Cissy Strutt said...

I'm with Phoebe - love the vistas but fear the temperature.

Forrest Proper said...

Sara Sue- Only been there once, but I hear NoCal is LOT nicer than SoCal... we'll put it on our list!

Mike- Watch out for those lakes- I hear you have to get a variety of shots after "carousing" with several of them.

Phoebe- No air, sorry. But it was only about 115 in that valley.

Cissy- It's not the heat, it's the humidity. Well, ok, at 115 it's the heat.

Sideon said...

NoCal IS a lot nicer than SoCal - because Sara Sue and I both live up here. Oh, and there's wine country. And redwoods. And Yosemite.

Lovely pictures. I miss southern Utah.