I just stumbled across a few pictures that I took of the Sundance ski area last summer. It's truly one of the most spectacular alpine settings in the lower 48. It feels very European, very alp like.

The North Fork of Provo Canyon and the Alpine Loop should be on everybody's list of places to see in Northern Utah.


From the Sundance lodge.


This is the "backside" of mount Timpanogos. Check out Stewart Falls cascading down the hanging valley from the snowfields above. I could bore you all with geological descriptions of the classic U-shaped glacial valley, and all that, but I won't.


A better (closer) shot of Stewart Falls.

The Sundance area provides a myriad of recreational opportunities year round. Mountain biking and hiking during the summer and fall, skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling in the winter. Having grown up literally minutes from it, Sundance is one of my favorite places on earth.

You should check out the resturaunts at Sundance as well. The Tree Room is among the best in the state, and the Foundry Grill is good if you are looking for something a little less likely to empty your bank account.

Last September Shauna and I took a trip to the golden state, to Disneyland. My wife loves Disney, more than just about anything, I think. I don't share her adoration, however. I hate the crowds, the lines, the noise, and the grubby, sugar buzzed little monsters that run the place. After two full days inside the park, I needed a vacation! So, we hopped in the car and headed north, to points unknown.

We made our way through the San Gabriel Mts. via I-5, then we took the 99 into the central valley, and Bakersfield. From the 99 we hopped on the 198, through Visiala, and more orange groves than I thought existed in all the world. We followed this road through the foothills, and past Kaweah Lake. Into Chaparral country.


A chaparral canyon, viewed from a turnout.

We continued through the foothills and canyons, until the road began to climb more steeply, into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here the scene began to change. More and more evergreen trees were mixed into the landscape, and the air felt tangibly cooler.


As we drove further the smell of smoke began to hang heavy in the air. There was a fire, a big fire, somewhere near. Desptie the haze, though, the views were stellar.

Soon, we found ourselves in one of the finest conifer forests I've ever seen. Then, suddenly, there they were...


the biggest trees on God's earth. The giant Sequoias.

I'm not sure how to describe these things to those who have never seen them (pictures don't cut it). In truth, they seem less to me like trees, and more like megalithic towers. Or, like monuments, columns cut from stone.


This large Sequoia called "The Monarch", stands outside the visitors center in the Giant Forest. It literally dwarfs the two story visitors center, and the other Sequoias in the area.


A few more sequoias near the main road through the park.


And another.

Read this plaque.



Here it is! The biggest of the biggest. The baddest of the baddest. The largest tree (by volume), and the largest single living organism on earth. The "General Sherman" tree. Words cannot describe it, and pictures do it no justice. You must see it for yourself. You will be humbled.

As always, more to come.

Here are some pics that I had trouble posting last night. The Bayou is teaming with life. There's always something crawling, walking, slithering, swimming or flying past you.


Like this guy.


Or this little fella.

The south is different than anywhere else in the US; and no single thing contributes more to the south's unique feel, in my opinion, than the Live Oak. Nothing screams dixie like a big live oak with spanish moss hanging from it's huge, gnarled branches. Here are a couple that I liked.






Alright, that was technically more than a couple. But, you get the idea. Louisiana (at least the parts away from New Orleans) is beautiful. I can't wait to go back. I want to get to know the bayou, the Atchafalaya, much better.

The Louisiana bayou country is unlike anyplace I've ever been. The trees, the water, the animals, the people, THE FOOD, all combine to create a completely unique sensory experience. After having spent a little time on the bayou, I understand why the Acadians made this place their home.

I often day dream about buying a little houseboat, loading it with as many supplies as it will safely carry, and losing myself in the Atchafalaya swamp for awhile. No Job, no stress, no taxes. Just me and the gators and the mosquito's (I imagine my wife would be there too). Maybe I'll do it and write a book about it sometime. In any event, here are a few photos I took of the swamp.


I took this one in a backwoodsy area called Four Mile Bayou. As I was standing on this spot, snapping this photo, I heard a vehicle coming down the road. A few moments later a huge 70's model ford pickup/uber-swamp machine came roaring around the bend. The thing skided to a halt right beside me and two guys, both looking like the lead guitarist for zz-top jumped out. As they approached I swear I could hear dueling banjos playing in the background. It turns out they were just genuinely concerned that I might be lost, and I think a little excited to see an "outsider".

I asked them if I was on private property, and, if so, would it be alright to stay and take a few more pictures. To this one of them replied "yeah, you're the right color, I suppose."

I guess the "old south" is still alive and well in the Bayou.


Another reminder that I was in the deep south.


Swamp Cypress are some of the coolsest trees in the world. Check out the buttressses on some of them.


Another nice spot on the bayou.


One of my favorite things about the south is the spanish moss that hangs off everythinng. I sat and ate my lunch on that little dock, beneath that big live oak. Good times.


After lunch I decided to go bushwacking, and I'm glad I did. I saw alot more wildlife than I could have seen from the road. Like this little turtle.

I have alot more photos, too, but the blogger is acting buggy. I'll post more later.

Last year I had the opportunity of traveling to Southern Louisiana to perform post hurricane environmental assessmet for the EPA. While it certainly wasn't a vacation, it was perhaps the greatest adventure I've ever had.

As an EPA contractor I had access to areas that few others did; most notably the lower 9th ward of New Orleans. I took literally hundreds of photos during my deployment, but have held off posting them until now for obvious reasons.

Some of the pictures are very low quality because we were advised to carry only disposable cameras (people were being robbed and beaten for their digital cameras in the days immediately following Katrina). I apologize.


Here's what I saw as I entered the lower 9th ward for the first time. The place was a mess, downed powerlines everywhere.


One of the innumerable houses that had floated off its foundations and ended up somewhere else. This one was blocking a road we needed to get down.


Another road block. It took us several hours to pick our way through only a few city blocks. Note the water level lines on the back of the stop sign.


This is creepy. Every structure in the greater New Orleans area was searched in the days following Katrina. Search crews spray painted large X's, forming 4 quadrants, on the surface of each structure as they left. In each quadrant they recorded specific search information (Unit designation, date searched, etc.). The bottom number always indicated the # of bodies found within the structure. If you look hard, you can see a 9 painted in the bottom of the orange
x, on the window. Apparently 9 bodies were recovered from this house.


Here, above the car, is one of the main levy breaks on the industrial canal.


In the distance you can see the break in the 17th street canal.


This was the scene at the municipal airport on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The winds coming off the lake were strong enough to pick these planes off the tarmack and set them down a half mile away. The larger plane in the foreground was a 5 to 10 million dollar private jet.


This was taken in St. Bernard Parish. Read the grafitti on the front of the house.


This was taken near Ft. Pike, on a narrow little swatch of land between Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico. The storm surge here was unreal...20 feet plus. These people never had a chance.


This is blues singer Fats Domino's house in the lower 9th ward. He was thought ot have perished in the flood water that destroyed most of the other structures in the area, but, apparently he had fled before the storm. Smart man.

Like I said, I have literally hundreds of pictures of post-hurricane Southern Louisiana. I'll post more sometime. Perhaps I'll post some of the pictures I took of Bayou country. Ahh...Jambalaya.

Here are a few pics we took of the Capitol Reef area a few weeks ago.


An un-named Bluff near Torey, Utah.


Approaching the Park Entrance.












A few petroglyphs we spotted in the canyon.

More to come...

From Boulder, we continued North on Highway 12. The views became spectacular as we ascended Boulder Mountain. The road climbed to over 9,000 feet, and we snapped a few pictures of Grand Staircase below.


Lower Browns Reservoir.


The Henry Mountains, and Mount Ellen in the distance.

We followed the 12 to the 24 in Torrey, and took the 24 through Capitol Reef National Park. We took some photos in Capitol Reef, but these will appear in another post on the Capitol Reef area. From Torrey, we followed the 24 to I-70, then took highway 6 north. Near Wellington, we took the Soldier Creek Road up Nine Mile Canyon. Nine Mile Canyon is one of Utah's lesser known gems, and home to some of the finest Fremont Rock art in the West. Panel after panel of petroglyphs adorn the canyon walls.




















These are just a few of the panels that we saw. We could have taken photos all day, but it was sunday evening and we had to get home. Work sucks!!