|
Southwest Exploration with Dad Shortly after returning to the United States from the Peace Corps, I flew to New Mexico to visit my father and embark on a trip around the southwest. We drove from Albuquerque to Mesa Verde National Park, where we checked out the Anasazi ruins. From there we went to Silverton, Colorado, where we spent the night before hiking Handies Peak, one of the 14,000 foot peaks in the Colorado Rockies. From there we drove to Moab, Utah, where we spent the night before visiting Canyonlands National Park the next day. Our next stop was Bryce Canyon National Park, and from there we traveled to Zion National Park. The premier stop on our trip was Grand Canyon National Park, where we hiked from the rim to the river to the rim in one day. We finished our trip by meeting Pam, my Dad's wife in Arizona, and spending a few relaxing days at resort. The most amazing thing of all was that we did the entire trip in less than two weeks! For professional quality photographs of the landscapes we visited during this trip, check out the Landscape Photography gallery.
|
|||
 |
 |
 |
|
| Ancient Anasazi ruins | The Anasazi were cliff dwellers, click here for more information | A study in contrast | |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Silverton Town Hall | Silverton, Colorado - an old mining town | The hike up Handies Peak | |
 |
 |
||
| Further up the trail | Colorado valleys down below | ||
 |
 |
||
| Dad and I at over 14,000 feet | Lunch with a view | ||
 |
|||
| Spectacular panoramic view of the Colorado Rockies from Handies Peak | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| We left Silverton... | ...and headed over the mountains to Moab | A map of the area | |
 |
 |
||
| Canyonlands National Park, Utah | Dad plays his flute on the canyon edge | ||
 |
 |
||
| Canyonlandscape | The road out of the park | ||
 |
 |
||
| Aspen trees in fall gold | Our cabin at Bryce Canyon National Park | ||
 |
 |
||
| Bryce Canyon landscape | Sunrise at Bryce Canyon National Park | ||
 |
|||
| Dad and I at the top of Angels Landing, the most difficult one day hike in Zion National Park | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| Wading up the river in Zion | Zion National Park | Overlook | |
 |
|||
| Grand Canyon National Park | |||
 |
 |
||
| We began our hike into the Grand Canyon well before dawn | The fog lifted slowly as we descended | ||
 |
 |
 |
|
| High above the river | The sun hits my face for the first time that morning | The Kaibab Trail sign | |
 |
 |
 |
|
| We reached the river early... | The tunnel to the suspension bridge... | ...over troubled waters | |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Dad at Ghost Ranch cabin | Ghost Ranch - on the banks of the Colorado | We cross back over... | |
 |
 |
||
| The two bridges we crossed | Looking up one of the canyons from the river | ||
 |
|||
| The mighty Colorado river rushing through the Grand Canyon | |||
 |
 |
||
| DO NOT attempt to hike to river and back in one day... | Our climb back up the canyon | ||
 |
 |
||
| The cover of rain clouds kept us cool in the heat of the day | A self-portrait | ||
 |
 |
||
| We shared the last part of the trail with mountain goats | We did it! | ||
| ◄ Back to Index | Southwest Exploration with Dad | Next Event ► | |