Adventure Travel Photography Blog
Well, I considered driving an extra 155 miles to Hamburg, IA last night so I could start off my day exploring Waubonsie State Park while it was slightly cool. I’m so glad I didn’t do that for two reasons. Continue reading “Day 236 – Loess Hills Scenic Byway”
I finally tore myself away from Steamboat on Wednesday and traveled to Dinosaur National Monument where I found a campsite near the Green River and tried staying cool in the shade for the afternoon and evening.
Today was simply crazy! I don’t even know where to begin. For what felt like a blistering hot morning (though I suspect it wasn’t even 80 degrees) and an afternoon full of thunder showers, I have to say, my day was nothing short of excellent.
I began the morning in Dinosaur National Monument, a park that spans across the Utah/Colorado border. I took a variety of short hikes beginning with a short uphill climb to Cub Creek Petroglyphs where I found some of the largest rock carvings I have seen on my adventures. The carvings included triangles, swirls, and faces in addition to large lizard like animals and a figure that looked like a flute player. The well defined petroglyphs seemed to have weathered the harsh, desert conditions. Continue reading “Day 203 – Flaming Gorge Getaway”
The full moon glowed through the dust filled sky and the wind continued in force for a few more hours. Midway through the night, the gusts subsided and we awoke to a glorious day. As we left Hovenweep National Monument, we passed by prairie dogs, sheep, goats, and a herd dog as we headed south toward the Four Corners Monument, where we will say farewell to Utah and hello Colorado.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We started our morning drive to Capitol Reef National Park, a park we quickly passed through at the beginning of the week while traveling to Bryce. I recalled seeing a trail to Chimney Rock, so I stopped there on the way into the park and started the trek that ascended 240 feet in the first quarter mile. It was already relatively late in the morning and a somewhat warm day, so after reaching the plateau for a panoramic view, I returned to VANilla to rescue my dog Petey instead of continuing on the 3.5 mile journey.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Indian territory in Arizona recognizes daylight savings, unlike the state, so I ended up losing an hour and got a bit of a late start this morning. VANilla carted us about 60 miles through the Monument Valley area to Navajo National Monument past an interesting pair of buttes called Elephant Feet. As one would guess, these sandstone monuments look like wrinkled, leathery elephant feet.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I got a late start to the morning. My sleeping bag was warm and VANilla wasn’t! Once we finally got going, Petey and I spent the morning taking the historic tour around Council Grove. Council Grove played a key role in the growth of the Santa Fe Trail when a treaty signed in 1825 between the U.S. Commissioners and the Osage Indians resulted in free passage for Americans and Mexicans through Indian Territory in exchange for $800. We intended to take a walking tour, but after about five minutes in the cold, windy elements, my frozen feet turned back to VANilla for a toasty warm drive.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I logged another travel day into the books as I drove from the Florida Panhandle to Gadsden, Alabama. The uneventful drive took me past some fields, some farms, and mostly brown winter grass. Fortunately, I enjoyed a few places to the East of Destin before I left. These places included Watercolor and Grayton Beach State Park.
Today was close to an 8 hour travel day from Southeast Florida to the Florida Panhandle in the Northwest. I think in the last five days I’ve donated at least fifty dollars to Florida tolls. I imagine I could have purchased the Sunpass and paid for it through reduced tolls already! That way, I could have avoided the “change provided” toll plazas as well! So far, Florida and New York break the bank in the toll category. On the positive side, at least I saw a bald eagle wading in a small marsh alongside the turnpike. I sure would have liked to snap a photo!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
After dropping Carol at the airport, I continued on to Wellington for another night at Page’s before heading to The Everglades National Park in the morning. I passed by acres of farmland, some merely plowed and barren and others planted with vegetables and fruit. The Everglades in Southern Florida span over 4,000 square miles. The area is so large that the 1.5 million acre National Park occupies only 20% of the area. The widest river in the world, 50 miles, slowly flows through the grassy wetlands whose highest elevation reaches only ten feet.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!Well, I don’t have much to add for today. Carol and I didn’t make it very far on the Reader’s Digest Florida Keys drive as North Key Largo was our only stop. We spent the morning laying out by the pool at Buccaneer Island and tooling around The Fishing Village. Shakey and Jennalie joined us for lunch at The Raw Bar.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!