This week is all about one of our favorite places on this fine earth, Lake Tahoe. After zero (!) days of skiing this season, we may have one last opportunity this upcoming weekend as we finally make our way up there. The condo is out of commission, so we're going to stay at the brand new Hard Rock Casino. Hopefully we'll have some beautiful sunsets like this one, which was from last summer.
The Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle, Washington, is a very cool stop to make in your travels in that great Pacific Northwest city. First, the building itself is fantastic. Apparently designed to convey the energy and fluidity of music, the building is curved with a stainless steel "wrap", and includes several very colorful sections as well. But don't just stop to take pictures on the outside. Definitely go in and check out the EMP for a fun, immersive educational experience all about music. My favorite exhibit there is the Jimmy Hendrix exhibit, which featured a ton of great stories about, and music from the local music legend.
This is Delicate Arch, which is one of the more well-known arches inside Arches National Park. You might recognize it from the Utah state license plate. Here's something you may not have known (thank you Wikipedia!): The 2002 Olympic Torch was carried through Delicate Arch! I haven't been to Mars, but while we were driving and hiking around in the park, it occurred to me several times that Mars might be a lot like this area. There are a ton of other arches, turrets, rock formations, and even fossilized dunes, that you can explore in a day at Arches. Put it on your Bucket List!
Our first couple of nights at Yellowstone, we stayed in an RV park in the little town of Gardiner, Montana, otherwise known as the Gateway to Yellowstone. On the second night there, I decided to walk around with my camera to see what I could see. The town is very charming, and it is surrounded by beautiful mountains, which really stuck out even past the sunset. So, I decided to shoot the mountains, and to also try to capture the drama of the clouds, all just after the sun had already been down for a bit.
The Botanical Building at Balboa Park in San Diego seemed a fitting Fun Photo Spring Equinox Friday. Enjoy your first day of Spring 2015! Us? We're headed to the beach to camp for the weekend!
Back to that 2009 trip to Alaska. The bulk of the transportation the first week of the trip was by train, on the Great Alaska Railroad. After spending a very warm night in Anchorage, we woke up very early to catch the 6am south to Seward. The scenery along the Seward Highway is possibly the most beautiful I've ever seen, and catching the sunrise along a good portion of that trip made it even better. If you ever find yourself with just one day to spend in Alaska, my recommendation is to take the train ride along the Seward Highway.
This photo is available as a print from my gallery, just click on the photo to jump directly to it. Or you can take a look at all of the Alaska photos I have in my gallery.
Wishing you a very Happy (and safe!) St. Patrick's Day!
Here's my Fun Photo Friday, which combines a Friday the 13th theme with St. Patrick's Day weekend. This is the cemetery at St. Patrick's Church at the very sacred Hill of Tara, County Meath, Ireland.
Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park is a beautiful place to hike around and take pictures. Darcy and I decided to take our time returning to San Diego from Lake Tahoe on of our summer trips, and wound up taking the east entrance into Yosemite. We drove toward the meadows, parked the car, and then hiked a little to find the perfect place to have lunch, which is pretty much anywhere in Yosemite. We had our dog Phoenix with us, and this was in her twilight years, so did not hike very far, but wound up here. It holds a very special place in our hearts.
We love to stop at Mono Lake throughout the year on our drives to and from Lake Tahoe. It is a very peaceful place, located a very short distance outside the eastern gate to Yosemite near Lee Vining, California. Almost every time we pass by it, it seems like Bailey is poking us to make the stop (usually because she has to go to go pee or poo). On a trip back in 2003, we had my kayak, so I launched it (with the Ranger's permission) and paddled around the tufas, which are the calcium-based limestone rocks that are formed from the chemical reaction they have with the carbonate in the lake water.
I'd say "stop and smell the roses" as a summary to this one, but you won't likely find any rose-smells near mono lake. Still, it's a beautiful place, and is a high-encouraged stop along your travels.
Check out my Mono Lake photos in my gallery by clicking here.
Puebloan GranaryThere are a lot of great things to stop and see along "The All-American Road" Scenic Byway 12 in Utah. After leaving Escalante, we stopped at a roadside marker that pointed out an ancient Puebloan granary that can be seen right along the road. The granary was carved in the sandstone several hundred years ago by the Puebloans, who used it to store and protect food supply.
