August 21, 2023
Though the St. George area of Utah is a busy gateway city to some of Utah’s mind-blowing national parks, there is plenty off the beaten trail and free of the summer mobs, like Snow Canyon State Park, which I happen to drive through trying to get some vegan breakfast at Read more…
August 18, 2023
Utah has the imprint of many native cultures on its rocks. The Parowan Gap Petroglyphs are a compact and busy space for these ancient communications. Whatever these people intended to communicate I cannot help but fixate on just how much more peaceful now would be if it took patience, time Read more…
August 17, 2023
I learned about this hike from some signage at Cedar Breaks National Monument and I was very glad I did. Not only did I have the hike to myself, but there were spectacular views every step of the way, including Zion National Park in the distance. The waterfall is fed Read more…
August 16, 2023
And night came at Cedar Breaks National Monument… along with its billions of stars. I spent most of the time of my night shoot in an empty parking lot near my campsite where it was a bit darker than my campsite. That’s my rental car up there. And a gorgeous Read more…
As with any of my summer trips west, the goal was star shoots. Camping ensures easy access to an International Dark Sky park’s starry skies. But first you have to fill your day with the park’s beauty as the sun beats strong. On my last visit to Cedar Breaks National Read more…
August 20, 2020
The Navajo Nation has been hit hard by Covid-19. In the initial plan of this trip, which was thought up before the pandemic hit, included a stay at a Navajo “Hogan” or yáʼátʼééh–a traditional and primitive home with a dirt floor, no running water and, I am sure, dark undeveloped Read more…
Sometimes river beats rock–with breathtaking results. In this case it is the San Juan River, a tributary of the Colorado River, that carved several 1,000 foot high curves into the land, creating the main draw for Goosenecks State Park. It is a primitive site without designated hiking trails–or barriers. Because Read more…
Now officially on my trek south to Flagstaff, Arizona, I hit a series of relatively easily accessible scenic stops along the way, starting with the Sand Island Petroglyph Panel. The Anasazi, ancestors to the Pueblo, carved up this panel good and well, possibly since occupied as early as 6,500 BC. Read more…
August 19, 2020
As thee first IDA-certified park ever, I was really looking forward to visiting Natural Bridges National Monument. One of the darkest skies of the National Park system, my daytime exploration would provide me with an evening plan. I wanted to talk with a Ranger and I wanted to secure a Read more…
Another set of significant sites within the Bears Ear National Monument is part of the Shash Jaa unit, and, more broadly, part of the Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway.. Its Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings made it a must-see on my way to Natural Bridges National Monument, specifically the House Read more…
Who’s got the gossip? This rock does! The Newspaper Rock, a notepad nearly 2,000 years in the making and 200 feet tall along a cliff in the Indian Creek Canyon, tells countless stories. As one of the busiest slabs of ancient communication, the Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument is officially Read more…
August 18, 2020
I re-entered Arches National Park when the sky grew dark and found it to be just as busy as it was in the daytime. Perhaps it seemed more so as every passing vehicle would impact my every shot. I decided I’d go to the area called Wall Street for several Read more…
With more than 2,000 arches within its 76,000 acres, Arches National Park is a huge tourist draw. And given the accessibility and relatively short hikes about their most iconic arches, I knew I couldn’t pass it up during the daytime hours… and during the night time hours. Which meant two Read more…
These folks know something I was about to learn: That watching the sunrise through Canyonlands National Park‘s Mesa Arch is a magical show. So rather than deconstruct sunshine, I’ll just show you how beautiful it was to see. You want to watch that orange glow and what it does to Read more…
August 17, 2020
Even though true night would start hours later and because of dangerous cliffs and the prospect of losing my footing in the dark, I began shooting at the start of the Milky Way rise… 9:10 to be exact. Look how visible it is despite the sky still being very light-filled. Read more…
After having spent 2 days munching on my road snacks, nary an eatery in sight, Moab’s Desert Bistro was going to be a splurge. And what a place to finally get some sustenance… Name two things I love about this pictures below. (Print upside down on the last page: 1) Read more…
There are several legends surrounding the origin of Dead Horse Point State Park’s name and each is upsetting and unfortunately quite literal, having to do with dead horses. The most popular version begins in the 1800’s when the area used to have herds of wild mustangs about, living their lives Read more…
Those of you who have followed my adventures may remember my becoming semi-obsessed with petroglyphs on my trip to New Mexico a couple of years back. With this area’s ancient history vivid on the surrounding walls, I would rekindle this love and seize the opportunity to find and document these Read more…
I have this thing that happens at sunrise. I bolt up and grab my camera, often leaving within the same minute of the bolting up! Since these sunrise pictures of the hoodoos at Goblin Valley State Park are in my view better than the sun-drenched ones mid-day, here they are Read more…
August 16, 2020
Another extraordinary sky fell upon this extraordinary landscape. And I had some big photo plans. First, I’d need the Milky Way. And boom, there it is. Next, I’d need a good spot. Yes, this would be perfect. Then–become a Galaxy Fighter! Yes, a weird idea I had on my couch Read more…
In yet another fascinating display of what time and the elements can do to the land, it would be a hunt for whimsical Jurassic-era sandstone creatures of all shapes and sizes within Goblin Valley State Park. Used in the film Galaxy Quest, the otherworldly landforms span three free-roamable square miles Read more…
August 15, 2020
The Great Starry Way continues with my dark sky park number 10, Bryce Canyon National Park. Much like Cedar Breaks the previous night, this park also boasts a high altitude and pure deep, unadulterated darkness. Though I was skeptical that a sky could come close to last night’s, Bryce Canyon Read more…
Every once and a while you need to splurge on yourself. You are, after all, your most important supporter. So on this night, watching the pink landforms catch the last rays of the day’s light on their outdoor deck, I showed myself how good I can treat myself–at Stone Hearth Read more…
After my strenuous dip into Utah’s national parks, starting at Zion, Bryce Canyon National Park was very “user friendly.” You can drive and park to all of the gorgeous viewpoints–offering the best perspective in which to view its prominent features: 14 amphitheaters of hoodoo action, layers of time-worn rock–some gracing Read more…
Peekaboo Canyon in Kanab, Utah offers clearly labelled vegan pizza and burger options. Shying away from packaged vegan cheese, I got the Something Special with their housemade basil pesto, roasted tomatoes and artichokes. It was so good–reminded me a bit of an old staple I used to eat years ago, Read more…
August 14, 2020
The first of 9 IDA-certified Dark Sky parks I plan to shoot within on this journey, Cedar Breaks National Monument’s altitude sets it apart from any place I have shot in the dark. I’d be 10,000 feet closer to them. I know I say this a lot, but this night Read more…