In spite of my poor photos, I assure you the rocks around Sedona are really red. Drove a long loop road through Sedona, Cottonwood,and Jerome. The arts and mining plus lots of retirees seem to be the basis of the economy. But best of all they may get a dusting of snow.
Well it certainly is grand, beyond my imagination. Again I think it is the huge scale of things that makes everything so impressive. Havng to drive 25 miles from the entrance gate to the visitor center gives you a heads up that the place is huge. This week has been National Park Week so park admission is free, usually $25 each vehicle, and has contributed to lots of visitors filling up parking lots. Roadside pull offs for views are full. I am staying in the park at one of the park lodges so have a parking place. I have tried to get out ad about early before the crowds so have not always had the best light for photos. Today my favorite view point was Moran's Point. Claimed to be the view that most inspired Thomas Moran. The first photos are from that viewpoint. The rest are just a few of the many I took today. Photography quickly becomes addictive. Note the photo of the woman taking pictures sith her laptop or skyping. You will recognize photo taken yesterday evening by a friendly tourist.
A real treat located near Kanab, Utah. That's not pine trees in snow but pine trees and Utah Juniper in coral pink sand. The dunes are created when wind carries tiny grains of sand eroded from the Navaho Sandstone cliffs through a gorge or canyon. The wind experiences a venturi effect and the tiny grains drop out onto the dunes. Just think how many millions of years this takes!
This is a huge tnree part protected area. The grand staircase is the western third and consists of five distinct cliff and plateau sections all caused by plate movemets and erosion. Beginning at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and ending at Bryce Canyon there are the chocolate, vermillion, white, grey and pink cliffs. Photos are of the vermillion and white. I drove up a canyon road tnrough the vermillion to the grey cliffs. Definitely worthy of monument status.
Impressive drive into this park includes a 1.1 mile tunnel. You can drive your car 12 miles to the visitor center where you have to park and ride a park shuttle. I understand the ecology involved but found it hard to take interesting photos at six prescribed stops. The best way to see this park is on foot. As it was cloudy with showers I rode the senic drive route then moved on to see the Kolob Canyons in tne north section of the park. A couple of photos from the Kolob Canyon Section. At Kolob there are five parallel canyons. The scenery is great. A small wilderness gem.
There are many interesting sights to see. So I did some unplanned driving today. One thing I discovered was the hoodoos are more interesting when you look up at them. Next I learned that petrified wood has wonderful color. Finally I saw a canyon that was entirely red without the layers of colors. Sometimes the unplanned days are the most intetesting. As for Kodacrome Basin, the main attraction is stone formations called spires. Apparently they are only found in this area.
This relatively small park has Hoodoos by the millions. The geology is complex and significant to the formation of the Hoodoos. Again a bit beyond me even though I listened to the park presentation very carefully. A hoodoo is a pillar of rock usually of fantastic shape left by erosion. Never mind the how and why. Just marvel and enjoy. The park has a 18 mile drive with 7 well planned view turnouts. Viewing walkways are close to parking and each focuses on a different area. Although because the park is not really spread out you can see the formations from different angles in different area viewing areas. The colors once again are spectacular. During my drive a huge dark cloud hung around but didn't seem to spoil the photos. Again here is a small sample of about 50 photos.
