The grand, Grand Canyon!

Hello dear friends, it’s good to be back!  I missed all of you!

In the next weeks I’ll share some of the 2000 photos I took.  Don’t worry! You won’t be seeing all of them! haha!  

We began our stay with good friends from college at their home in Prescott, AZ.  I take back anything I’ve said about the heat in the summer in Prescott!

It was absolutely delightful.  Lovely breezes, low low humidity (one day it was 2% !!) and temps in the 70s and 80s F.

 It actually was much cooler there than back home in

Michigan,where the awful heat wave we’d had since June, continued unmercifully.

Sunrise on the way to the Grand Canyon.

We left Prescott at 6 AM one morning in order to reach the Grand Canyon around 8 AM, and have some good early morning light for photos.  The canyon shuttle runs about every 7 minutes during the summer.  We wanted to go to Hermit’s Road first.  I’ve been on that road before (in Feb. ’11) and I liked the views.  We hopped the shuttle and stopped at the first overlook.  Because I prefer to enjoy my surroundings and take my time to look at every aspect of the beauty before me, shooting lots of photos, we missed the next shuttle.   That was fine with me.  It’s not a marathon race!  Instead, we began to hike the Canyon Rim Trail to the next overlook,  and were able to get some great shots in between overlooks.  In fact, we liked it so much we continued to walk the Canyon Rim Trail for quite a distance.  Along with getting some awesome photo opportunities, there were very few people on the trail…a bonus for summertime!

Morning light beginning to show in the depths of the canyon.

It was a special treat to be alone on the Canyon Rim Trail and catch some great early light photos.

I’ll never forget the feeling of peace and serenity we had, as we walked along the edge of this spectacular setting.

I call this “Gold Standard”!

I love getting big hunks of rock in the foreground of my shots.  In the canyon that didn’t seem to be a problem!

Stone ledge….

  The sun is higher now and I struggled with brightness the rest of the day.  I didn’t stop taking photos, though!

I was lucky.  There were clouds in the sky that helped offer some lovely shadows and some overcast conditions, rather than full-on sun.

As near as we could tell, these “paths” are now washes, where earlier in the year they probably had water in them.

(However, they also could be trails.)

I call this “Canyon Neighborhood!”

I pushed my regular lens (Nikon 18-135) all the way out to shoot the canyon floor in this spot.  I thought this looked like two front yards!  

There are steps and a “fence” and the houses are the tall rocks!  Okay…so I have an overactive imagination!  Just wait until I get to Bryce Canyon! lol 

I call this rock formation Castle.

I think this looks like an awesome, ancient castle.  I wish I had better light for it.

 It’s a stunning example of nature’s work with wind, water and the movement of the earth.

A beautiful amphitheater.

*******

Last, but not least……a family tradition, started by my son, when he was hiking in Colorado.

We all do “feet photos” when we are on trips!

My feet!

Here’s my version at the Grand Canyon!

I hope you enjoyed this short version (!) of my trip!  I may toss in a few more sometime.

Thanks for all your support while I was gone.  I appreciate it!

I’m glad to be back!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

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Canyon View

Dear Blogger Friends….

I’m on a trip in the Southwest U.S.   Today I’m sharing a photo of the Grand Canyon with you.   I will return shortly.

I apologize for not answering comments and visiting blogs.  I’ll play catch-up when I get a chance.

I have taken 1000 photos so far!   So, I’ll have lots of images to share with you!

Take care….

Judy

A view of the Grand Canyon

Weekly Image of Life: Adventure

“We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character.”
~Henry David Thoreau

Life’s adventures are what keeps our heart pumping with excitement.  Adventure encourages our zest for new sights, and keeps our quest to seek the unknown sharp in our minds.

On an adventure:  Hiking the trail past beautiful St. Mary’s Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA.

Some of the mountains surrounding St. Mary’s Lake are: Reynolds Mountain, Mt. Jackson, Gunsight Mountain and Mt. Logan.

Saint Mary Lake, Glacier N.P.

Adventures don’t have to take you far from home.  They should expand and enlighten your mind and give you an experience you’ll remember.  You can find adventures in your own town!  Go have an adventure!   (grocery shopping doesn’t count!)

If you would like to do the Weekly Image of Life, go to Island Traveler’s blog and join up! click here!

 Thanks for joining me today!

Judy

All text and images are copyright © 2002-2012 and are the exclusive property of Judy Johnson (unless otherwise indicated). All Rights Reserved. All Images are protected under United States and International copyright laws. None of the images on this site are in the Public Domain.

Wild Goose, Logan’s and Salamanders. Where are we?

Logan’s Pass sits on the Continental Divide, in between mountains, in Glacier National Park and is listed at more than 6600′ in altitude.  Logan’s Pass is often the last area to get cleared of snow in the summer.  They have recorded more than 100 feet of snow in one season.  When we were there the third week of July, 2008,they had cleared the last of the snow and opened the main highway: Going To The Sun Road, on July 4th!

There are a few hikes that you can do from the Logan’s Pass Visitor’s Center.  We took the Hidden Lake hike.  It’s a short hike of 3 miles, but has the benefits of beautiful scenery, mountain goat sightings, and even traveling through snow in the summer!!

 

Wild Goose, Logan’s and Salamanders. Where are we?

We are in Glacier National Park, Montana!  It’s one of my favorite places.  I have some photos to share with you.  I took them on our last trip in 2008.  The first picture is of Wild Goose Island on St. Mary’s Lake. Hopefully you can see the tiny island in the middle of this 10 mile long lake.  

It’s a beautiful spot for photos, especially in the morning.  It’s on the east side of the park, so anything on the east side will be good for morning shots.  The west side is perfect for late afternoon and early evening photo shoots.  I’ve read that you can go to Wild Goose Island in a boat…but I haven’t tried this.  Yet!