Betatakin Ruin - Navajo National Monument

The first time I ever saw Betatakin, I was a teenager visiting with my parents. I was overcome by the enormity of the alcove in this hidden canyon. We viewed the ruin from the opposite canyon rim and the ruins themselves were difficult to distinguish from the rest of the sandstone cliff. The next day, we headed into the canyon, climbing down a rickety wooden staircase fastened to the sheer canyon face. In my youth, I feared that every step would be my last, yet I was drawn seemingly headlong to my certain death at the canyon floor. Once firmly on the bottomland of the canyon, I found myself in a verdant valley filled with the sounds of crystal clear spring water rushing over the sandstone puctuated by the voices of birds and the wind in the aspen leaves. It was as if a small piece had been plucked from heaven and placed in this desert wilderness. I trod the path where countless Anasazi children had walked leading to the village on the edge of the alcove. Hundreds had lived here centuries ago, and then mysteriously, one day walked away from this paradise home. The trail I followed no longer exists. It was considered unsafe with age and was not rebuilt in a time where we have come to understand how we impact these fragile sites. The trail leading to this site now follows another route three miles longer, but barely visible from the rim and today's visit can only be made with a park ranger. Some day, I would like to make the 17 mile journey to Betatakin's sister city, Keet Seel. My parents brought me here and taught me to honor those whose country this was before we came. I have now brought one of my children here and hope to return again. I wonder if those who left thought they too would come back to their home on the cliff.

Upper Antelope Canyon - Arizona

Almost within the city limits of Page, Arizona you will find that a photographer's paradise awaits you. There are two parts to this canyon - Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon. Both are part of the same intermittent stream bed and about a mile or two apart. Since they are on the Navajo Reservation, you must go with a guide and pay a fee, but don't worry - it is worth every penny. This stream cut through the sandstone of the Kayenta formation on it's way to Glen Canyon of the mighty Colorado River (now Lake Powell). You enter the canyons near the Navajo Power Plant, a coal fired plant with three belching smokestacks visible from parts of each slot canyon. This is one place that you would not want to get caught in a flash flood. I don't think very many people could climb out of this canyon with it's narrowing upper walls. The Navajo women who took us in to see this were friendly and talkative, and they took great pleasure in showing us their version of sunscreen. They mix the finely ground sandstone dust, almost a flour consistency with motor oil and then smear this all over their faces and exposed skin. They swear that it works and keeps their skin soft and supple. Trust it to a Native American to use every part of the things they have available to them and waste nothing. I can't wait to go back again.

Island in the Sky - Green River

My wife and I happened to be driving near this location this week on a business trip. We had gone on a short hike up Courthouse Wash when it started to rain pretty hard. Narrow canyons are not the place to be when it rains in canyon country, so we got ourselves out of there. With the air recently cleaned up by the rain, we headed out to Canyonlands National Park to see if we might be able to catch a rainbow looking to the east from Island in the Sky, but to no avail. Gazing to the west we could see the Green River on its way to the confluence with the mighty Colorado. Even though we were looking into the sun, we could see farther than we ever have been able to do in the past. It's interesting to me how the human brain can see a smoggy view and just "know" that there is beauty there, and compensate for the reduced vision. But just try to commit that image to film, and you get nothing but overpowering haze. This time the film gods smiled on us and we were able to pry a good picture from their steely grasp. Fifty or sixty years ago, my grandfather would come out here with the same hope, to take a small piece of this grandeur back home for others to enjoy, travelling on unpaved trails (before they became roads) sometimes at great peril to his own life. He thought it was worth it then. I think it is worth it now, even though we now need to wait out the days of haze and smog to get a view like this.

High Uinta Meadow near Trail Lake

After an afternoon hike in the Provo River drainage near Haystack Lake, I decided to head for home. The road goes through an area that was clearcut in the 50's, with quite a few trees that are now about fifty years old. I remember as a kid thinking that it was a horrible thing that they had logged this area out completely. I am still amazed every time I come across a big stump that is over four feet in diameter in this area of trees that are no larger than a foot across. What must this area have looked like with all the old growth trees? This meadow was there before the logging, the remnant of a glacial lake, and there are a few surprises out in the open area including a pristine spring where water bubbles up through the rocks forming a nice meandering stream that heads out through the grass and ends up in Trail Lake below. The evening sun lit up the meadow, with the glacier lilies and the peaks beyond for a perfect photo two feet off the road.

Hidden Lake - High Uintas Wilderness

Located at the head of the Weber River drainage, this High Uintas lake is not visited very often. In fact, the holiday weekend that I was here, I was the only one on the lake. I pitched camp 3-4 hundred yards east of the lake in a heavily wooded area near a nice clear mountain spring. As is usual here, the evening brought a torrential downpour with a little hail, but after the storm, the clouds lifted a little and the sky lit up in the west. This just proves that this is God's country, as my grandfather was fond of saying. The dark clouds will eventually lift, as they do in life, and the rainshowers feed the hillside and the lakes allowing the wildflowers to bloom and the trout to thrive. That night, after the sun finally set and it was too dark to film, I was joined at the lake by a bull and cow moose. I was content to listen to the babble of the spring over the rocks as I watched the stars come out, followed by a full moon later on that evening. Ahh...

Capitol Reef - Frying Pan Trail - Utah

Some days it seems like you can point the camera in any direction and get a good picture. This day was one of those days and what an incredible place to visit. This view toward Thousand Lake Mountain of Capitol Reef can be seen from the top of the Frying Pan Trail. You get here by climbing up the Cohab Canyon Trail to the junction and then heading up the mesa to the top. There is a reason they call this the Frying Pan Trail, and it's not because some old prospector left his frying pan here. If we were using real film, I would worry that the film would be no good from heat exposure. This would be a great place for a sunset or early morning picture, but I didn't like the idea of climbing down in the dark, and I couldn't imagine getting up early enough to be here at sunrise.

San Rafael Desert near Black Dragon Canyon

On our second trip to photograph wildflowers in the San Rafael Desert this year, we were on the lookout for the salmon colored Globemallow plants that bloom in wet years. We were excited as we found several of them along the highway, so things were looking promising for us in the desert. Once we got there, we were surprised to find these desert daisies. I don't know what they are really called, but they were found in huge clusters in pretty improbable places. I didn't see anything special about this location that would permit such a large group of flowers to grow there. You can see from the background, that this is a bleak and foreboding place, but then right in the middle of it God chose to plant this beautiful cluster of light. I wonder sometimes if that isn't a lot like our lives. We think we have been put in the middle of a dreary desert trudging along and wearied by all of our cares. But if we look for the bright spots (like we had to hunt for these daisies) God has a pleasant surprise in store for us.

Salt Lake City LDS Temple

Someone told us in church one day "You need to go to Temple Square to see the tulips". My first thought was " I better take my camera". I found a lot more than tulips in bloom. It was a beautiful day, the weather cooperated and I was able to get a few good shots. It's amazing how creative the gardeners are with their plantings. Everywhere I looked, there was a scene similar to this one.

Key West - Florida

While attending a conference earlier this year, we got a chance to rent a car and head out through the Everglades and then south through the Keys (and there are a lot of them) all the way to Key West - the southernmost point of the United States. I can now say that I have been to both ends of the continental United States having already travelled to Point Barrow, Alaska years ago for work. A beach sunset on the east coast? I think this is probably the only place you could catch this kind of scene in the east. The snorkeling was fun too!

San Rafael Swell - Utah

It's hard for me to believe that this is not part of a National Park or Monument. The view from the Wedge overlook looks down into the canyon of the San Rafael River. The river runs year round in this desert setting, although at times the water is not very deep. We have hiked through some of this canyon - sometimes in the river, and sometimes along the banks. Our most adventurous hike was about a nine mile stretch through a narrow slot called the Upper Black Box. It really does feel like you are in "black box" once you are in the narrowest part of the canyon. It's a pretty dangerous hike with lots of places where you have to swim, waterfalls, and no way out once you are in the "box". The water can be extremely cold and there are few places to get out of the water to get warm. Another memorable experience in Utah.

Perfect Kiva Ruin - Utah

Imagine being able to climb the ladder into an Anasazi Kiva. We decided to hike in to this ruin somewhat on the spur of the moment. We grabbed the camera, some water and a snack and headed into the canyon, not really knowing where we were going. The canyon was filled with ruins, granaries and pictographs. We arrived here just as sun was beginning to set and were headed back out of the canyon in the dark on a moonless night. As we neared the canyon exit, our way was directed by the gleam of starlight shining on an ancient stone tower on the canyon rim. What an adventure!

Sunset over the Henry Mountains - Utah

When I was young, I remember that during the day, work was to be done, according to my Grandfather Morton. But as sundown approached and the light could be seen filtering through the aspen leaves at the lot west of Midway, it was time to gather up all the camera gear and head out to catch the sunset. I got to tag along a few times carrying the tripod as Grandpa would wait for just the right moment. My mom could probably tell some great stories of spectacular sunset chases. Janene and I caught this one after driving as fast as we dared to the cliff edge, running out to the point, and scurrying around trying to set up the camera. As the sunset progressed from a few pinks and yellows to the blazing colors we finally captured, the light got too low for our camera and we sat on the point until the stars came out. The memory of that evening lingers whenever I see the sky start to turn a little pink in the west.

The Sacred Grove - New York

Our family was able to visit the Sacred Grove in New York on a cross-country trip in a rented motorhome. We all had an enjoyable day here, but I think our oldest and youngest daughters enjoyed catching frogs in the stream most of all. I was able to capture this precious moment in our family by a stroke of luck. It pays to keep your camera with you at all times.

Hansel Valley - Utah

Hansel Valley is located just north of the Great Salt Lake. At one time this was a very productive area and is now dry farmed by people who no longer live here. The old homestead has been abondoned for years now, with the old equipment left for old codgers like me to enjoy. I love the solitude the desert provides. It's good to get out once in awhile alone to think and enjoy the scenery. I have come to appreciate the hard work others went through to support a family in a place like this.

Cistern in Instanbul

This isn't a sight you see everyday. While we were in Turkey on Thanksgiving weekend, we visited an old Roman cistern in the heart of Istanbul. This used to store water for the city in case of long sieges when the city was attacked. It is underground and all of the columns hold up the roof (which is slightly below street level). I don't know the particulars since I don't speak Turkish, but an artist had hung all of these balls from the roof with fishing line and then illuminated the interior of the cistern. It is kind of hard to tell where the water line is with the reflections, but the sight took your breath away.

Lodgepole Pines

One of my favorite places is located in the High Uintas near Haystack Lake. My dad's father called this area "God's Country" and I can understand why. The beauty of the area has never ceased to amaze me. I take my children and grandchildren there several times a year, just like my grandfather took my dad my brother and me years ago. These needles went brown because of the pine beetle infestation in the area. My wife and I returned to this spot last year only to find that the entire tree and most of it's neighbors had been killed by the disease.

Monument Valley - Utah

Most take this picture and say it is in Arizona. The truth is that The Mittens are actually in Utah. The foreground is in Arizona. Of course, the members of the Navajo Nation know the real truth - that all of this is in the Monument Valley Tribal Park. I happened to catch the scene just as the sun was going down. A lucky break on a day that had been plagued with poor visibility due to a spring duststorm.