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Entries in Road Trip USA (25)
USA Road Trip: Zion National Park
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 2:36PM 
Zion National Park is situated in southern Utah.
Remarkably photogenic landscapes around Zion . . . this may be one of the best photos I have ever taken . . .
The geology and topography of Zion National Park is truly fantastic.
We stopped often along the winding road to marvel at the rock formations.
Massive stone mountains.
A lone pine with a geological marvel as a backdrop.
I cannot imagine what geological forces created this formation. AMAZING!
Around every curve in the road was another magnificent geological scene. WOW!
This road!
I love this scenery: pine trees nestled within desert rock formations.
Inexplicable shape and pattern.
Ancient trees among the desert mountain scenery: perfect.
Dry desert stone, a lone lizard . . .
A stack of giant stone pucks . . .
Yes, actual cactus in the desert . . . who knew?
A mix of many different geological formations . . . all overlapping.
Along the road that goes up and out of the park.
Just another grand and gorgeous landscape.
Zion must be a rock climber's dream!
A desert stream falling through a rocky canyon. So beautiful.
Three rocky peaks along the road . . .
Morning wild flowers.
The most popular part of the park are the deep, narrow orange canyons. To access this part of the canyon you have to board a shuttle bus. It's a good idea . . . it keeps the pollution down, and there would have to be huge parking lots in the narrow canyon.
The route to the park visitors center on the bus goes into an ever-deepening canyon.
Into the deep canyon . . .
More photogenic scenes than I had time to capture . . .
Sheer stone cliffs towering above the stream and greenery below.
Beautiful light on these carved cliffs . . .
Giant blocks of stone all around.
The trees contrasted against the backdrop of black and orange cliff faces was a magical sight.
Blackened cliff, greenery.
The Virgin River flows at the bottom of Zion Park canyon.
Many tourists visit Zion National Park every year. The path up into the famous narrow gorges crosses this bridge.
It was a hot day in June, so some of the tourists were cooling off in the Virgin River.
Looking up the Virgin River from the bridge. The path follows the river on the left bank up into the steep valley.
The path up into the park is well-worn by millions of tourists every year.
The path follows the Virgin River, offering wonderful views.
Up we went toward the "waterfall".
Hot tourists stopping to cool off to the steep uphill path.
Massive cliffs overhead at the "waterfall" - if you look closely you can see a trickle of water falling over the cliff.
The path under the "waterfall."
The "Waterfall." The display at the visitors center said it was a massive waterfall in late spring and when sudden summer flash floods made the streams rage. OK.
These squirrels and a few lizards were the only wildlife we saw.
And onward we hiked into the deep cliff-sided Virgin River valley.
The sight of these rapidly forming clouds convinced us not to go any further. We headed back down the trail to the visitors center.
The walk back down was just as beautiful.
Such a pleasant walk in such grand Nature.
We grabbed a bite to eat at the visitors center and sat on the big lawn under a tall tree.
We purchased a bag full of Zion park themed tourist curious at the visitors center and headed for the tourist shuttle bus.
The shuttle system works very well in the park.
The views from the shuttle bus were fantastic too.
Back to the camper and a drive out of the park . . . with a few stops for more scenic grandeur.
Back at our hotel. There was a small tourist town where we found a "cowboy steak house" - expensive, but delicious.
USA Road Trip: Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 7:23PM 
Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the great natural wonders of the world. The area around Bryce Canyon was originally designated as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and was redesignated as a national park by the U.S. Congress in 1928.
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Out in the beautiful south Utah desert landscape. Red rocks, wild geology, and hoodoos. . . . .
It was a very interesting drive up in altitude to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Roadside hoodoos.
Such scenic views on the road up to the park!
An old snag, perhaps a lightning strike, along the edge of the canyon.
Weathered red rock spires . . .
Strangely carved cliffs with inviting caves . . .
The closer we got to the canyon, the more interesting things we saw.
Amazing geology.
The trail along the rim of Bryce Canyon offered many viewing points . . .
. . . and grand views!
Amazing rock formations!
Thousands of wondrous stone spires into the distance.
Just incredible! NATURE!
If you look closely, you can see that there are many walking trails through the spires . . sadly, we did not have time to walk any of them. Next time.
Another burnt lightning snag along the rim trail.
A phenomenal sight!
Standing out on a promontory above the canyon.
Different color rock formations . . .
An angry storm approached very fast. At this altitude there are always summer thunderstorms.
A light ran began as we hurried back to the camper.
We made it back to the camper as the skies opened.
The Storm.
USA Road Trip: Driving the Oregon Coast to the California Redwoods
Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 7:11PM 
The beautiful southern Oregon coast in early April.
A rugged coast for several hundred miles.
The old 1996 Chevy 4X4 camper truck working well.
A classic lighthouse on a high bluff above the raging Pacific Ocean.
Sea Lions abound along the southern Oregon coast. We saw them at almost all our stops.
The famous beauty of the Oregon coast in all its magnificence.
The drive south on the Oregon coast is wonderful because at every turn there is a new sweeping panorama . . .
A beautiful bay just south of Crescent City, California after sunrise.
People out on their morning beach walk.
I'm glad I had the V8! Not exactly a tourist trap . . . but a pretty good dinosaur park roadside attraction.
We made many stops along Highway 101 to ogle at the incredible scenery.
Of course, my wife wanted to stop and look at every golf curse along the way. This one, near Brookings, looked so Scottish! A real links curse, yellow gorse and all!
Arriving at the Crescent City bay.
Crescent City bay and lighthouse.
Crescent City lighthouse.
A beachcombers' stick sculpture.
I love these Pacific Northwest coastal scenes.
On of my favorite photographic subjects: driftwood.
Worn by sea, sun, and sand into fabulous textures and patterns . . .
A visitor's cartouche . . .
A damaged surface. The orange scrape revealing the natural color behind the grey aged driftwood.
Twisted driftwood.
A revelation of the history of the forces and conditions this particular tree has experienced in the past represented in these patterns.
Ice plant! Stained all my clothes as a child. Here, at Crescent City, in flower on a rainy morning.
We stayed the night in a motel in Crescent City, California and went out for seafood on the pier . . . and discovered the sea lions at sunset.
Sea lions are fascinating to watch. Very entertaining sea mammals!
The Crescent City harbor . . . a gull supervises a log-full of sea lions.
Sea lions on a log in the sunset.
It was early April . . . time to take down the Christmas decorations . . . but cute.
Crossing the Smith River on the way to a redwood stand.
Arriving at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
One of many foreign tourists that visit the giant redwoods of California every year.
A fantastically dramatic redwood snag left from some past burn.
Ancient giant redwoods.
We walked for hours on the park paths among the towering redwoods.
The park service did a good job of keeping the paths easily accessible by cutting back fallen redwoods.
An incredible space, line, color.
Ancient plant spirits . . .
Sturdy, solid, immense, strong, tall . . .
Walking in the giant redwood forest is a spiritual experience.
Wonderful shafts of clear, bright light illuminated the forest.
A single lit redwood in the dense forest.
A giant redwood healing an old wound.
A beautiful path through a magical forest.
Deeper into the redwood forest.
The sturdy foot of a giant redwood.
The existential redwood.
Redwood bark.
We could have stayed in these woods all day . . . but the call of a seafood dinner beckoned.
Out through the small trees to the camper . . and then, the next day, back to Keizer, Oregon on I-5.Dr. Jeff Harper
Redwood Burls
I became fascinated with the redwood burls in this forest.
Burls are growth gone astray . . .
Every burl is different.
fascinating.
USA Road Trip: Grand Canyon (North Rim)
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 4:13PM 
The morning of our Grand Canyon adventure began here . . .
The Grand Canyon (North Rim) barely visible in the distance. We stayed in Kanab, Utah and drove up to the canyon on a full day trip.
It was a very long climb up to the north rim. The road eventually flattened out in a series of high meadows.
We didn't see any bears here, but we stopped for coffee nearby and were told that there had been many sightings that day.
The National Park Service offers these cabins for rent at the lodge on the canyon rim.
Very sweet cabin. We stayed in one like this at the Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming many years ago.
The park lodge is magnificent.
We had a surprisingly good brunch in the lodge cafe. Highly recommended, if a bit expensive. But, of course, we didn't come all this way for the brunch . . . . .
As far as canyons go, this one is definitely grand . . . as grand as a canyon can get.
The Grand Canyon is so immense it is difficult to capture the true size of the place. Yes, panoramas can give the scope of the image, but you would need to plaster that panorama on the side of a sports arena to really get the true awesomeness. A first peek of the canyon. The first overlook, just below the park lodge. Jaw dropping . . . .
Awe inspiring views at every turn.
There are many foot paths up on the ridges and rim of the canyon leading to different viewing overlooks.
It was a very pleasant day to be up at this altitude . . . much cooler than the 100f+ (40c+) we had seen in the valleys.
The overlooks were situated in very dramatic, and frightening locations. This very beautiful and friendly tourist posed for me. Sweet.
The path led us out to a precarious viewing point high above the canyon floor.
A wonderful walk. A new view.
I have, like most of us, seen many TV documentaries on the geology of the Grand Canyon. Each strata in the rocks representing millions of years. The age of the planet on display, like the rings of a tree.
Not all 'view points' are authorized. We saw several fools doing this kind of thing. Not recommended.
I love these framed views of the canyon. You can see the excessive smoke on the far horizon from the many wild fires in the western States. There was also a small lightening fire on one of the nearby ridges. It was extinguished by the end of the day.
The lightning fire can be seen in the middle left of this view. This is also a nice view point for observing the geological strata. Looks like a storm coming.
There were some very beautiful trees along the rim path. I love trees.
Lovely tree.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed from late Fall to late Spring because of the deep snow. This old tree shows snow weight damage.
Old tree. A New Yorker left his/her mark. Dumb.
Photographing the Grand Canyon is not as easy as one would think. The grand vistas can indeed be capture in several photos, but then what? The huge panoramas can end up all looking the same. Even moving a half mile one way and the other still yields pretty much the same perspective. I tried to add interest in the shots.
Such a pretty view of the canyon.
After a wonderful day spent at the North Rim, we headed back to our hotel . . . to plan the next day's adventure!Dr. Jeff Harper
As we neared our hotel I spotted this display of sandstone carvings and petrifies wood.
I pulled over to take a look.
The 'system' for payment . . .
. . . take what you want, and leave your money in the can. I did. I passed on the petrified marshmallows.
A nice collection . . . I took a couple of pieces of petrified wood for pocket flotsam.
A table full of organic shapes.
Wonderful shapes and shadows.Road Trip USA: Leesville, Louisiana - A Childhood Home
Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 6:10PM 
I lived in Leesville, Louisiana from 1958 to 1960, three years in all, from the age of 8, 9, and 10. The house I lived in is now gone, but I noticed this house and it fit my memory of the kind of house we live in . . . a two story wooden duplex.
This house sits at the actual address of our old home - Vernon Terrace. It is now across the street from a modern hospital and medical offices. I played for hours and hours and had innumerable adventures in that forest behind this house. At that time the forest and wetlands within it went on for miles and miles and were teeming with snakes, wild boar, fish, salamanders, frogs, and bugs of all kinds. Yes, I was a little disappointed that our old house was not there any more. I was also disappointed that the area behind the houses were not accessible . . . I wanted to go back there and look around.
I had the family chore of riding my bicycle the 1/2 mile from our house to this very burger stand and fetch the family order . . . and ride like the wind to get the burgers and fries back home before they were cold. I remember these burgers as the best I have ever eaten. I am amazed it is still there . . . and that I remembered it.
There are still houses around the old neighborhood that have survived from the older times.
I was very curious about the downtown of my childhood memories. We used to ride our bicycles the 7-8 blocks to the movie house there for the double features. Downtown Leesville showed all the signs of the consequences of a Walmart somewhere on the road leading out of town. The businesses had mostly died a silent death, but it looked like the city fathers had, and might still be, fixing it us.
Halloween was only a week away . . . and I was racing to Delaware to trick-or-treat with my two grandchildren. These decorations reminded me of that. Everything here seems to be named 'Vernon', after the name of the Parish. All the fire hydrants in town are painted this red, white and blue.
The old Dreamland Theatre is now an event venue. This is the movie house I remember so well as a child . . . watching cowboy movies, cartoons, and news reels. Also, I have a memory of the entire balcony collapsing during the middle of a movie . . . fortunately we were sitting up near the screen, and there weren't other people in the movie house at the time! Leesville High School had just held its Homecoming Dance there!
I distinctly remember this ticket booth . . . and buying my tickets with such eager anticipation. I also remember the Milk Duds and Necco Wafers I bought inside before the movies.
It's nice to see that someone other than me remembers this wonderful small town movie theatre. There is (was?) a large military base nearby, Fort Polk, where my father was stationed while we lived there. There were always a few soldiers sitting alone in the dark theatre, quietly sobbing. Homesick.
There is a charm to these old 'dead' small town commercial districts that have been brought back to life.
The task of bring the Leesville Historic District back to life is not complete. This building has an asking price of US$37,000.
There is very little real business going on in downtown Leesville. Still, this key shop caught my eye. I went in.
This man, and his son, have been running this key shop. for 36 years, since they bought it from the old man who had it for 55 years. Yes, this shop would have been here when I was 9 years old . . . more or less exactly as it looks now.
These keys gave me an idea of what kinds of doors are in the area . . . still some old skeleton key doors.
Assuming Hundai changes their car key masters every few years, there were either very few Hundai's sold in Leesville, or the local Hundai owners were very responsible. Dusty Keys . . . potential income locked up in blanks.
This mural of the New York City skyline with the World Trade Towers intact really caught my eye. Leesville is in the deepest of the Deep South, so one would not expect to find anything about New York City, but the impact of the 911 bombings had a profound effect on Americans everywhere. The sense of having our country 'invaded' meant something in small town Louisiana.
The old Vernon Parish Courthouse . . . decorated for Halloween.
A public 'book nook' in old Leesville.
A walk up 3rd Street, the old 'main drag', brought us to the Museum of West Louisiana. In addition to these old historical buildings that had been reassembled on their grounds, there was also a restored historic train station.
The old rail station, now the Museum of West Louisiana. A lot of young soldiers passed through here on their way to and from Fort Polk . . . especially during the Vietnam War era. "In 1962, Fort Polk began converting to an advanced infantry training (AIT) center. A small portion of Fort Polk is filled with dense, jungle-like vegetation, so this, along with Louisiana's heat, humidity and precipitation (similar to Southeast Asia) helped commanders acclimatize new infantry soldiers in preparation for combat in Vietnam. This training area became known as Tigerland. For the next 12 years, more soldiers were shipped to Vietnam from Fort Polk than from any other American training base. For many, Fort Polk was the only stateside Army post they saw before assignment overseas." (Wikipedia, Fort Polk). And a lot of those young soldiers never came back from Vietnam . . . the rail station is full of their ghosts.
The rail station doors. Imagine the emotional send-offs from this platform. The station was closed in 1968 when regular passenger service ended.
I assumed this to be the old station safe sitting outside rusting away.
This coin operated kiddie car still sits outside the rail station waiting room. This relic is actually too new to have been there when I was a kid in Vernon Parish.
The Museum of West Louisiana placed a few old farm implements around the rail station. This old horse drawn tiller was fascinating.
Old tiller seat.
The old rail workers' bunkhouse had fabulous color and texture.
The weathered old bunkhouse door.
An old bunkhouse window, darkened from the light rain that was falling.
Whenever I see these old, weathered windows and doors I am made aware of the man or woman who made and installed it. What kind of day was it? What did they have for lunch?
Among the old buildings the museum transported to Leesville was this broken well.
There was no shortage of artistic still life arrangements around Leesville.
The Museum of West Louisiana spared no effort in obtaining authenticity!
The view back up 3rd Street. That tea house looks promising.
Hazel's Tea Parlor . . . and its open!
Hazel's Tea Parlor is somewhat new to Leesville. A retired military man and his wife, originally from Philadelphia, came back to Leesville after being posted to Fort Polk many years ago. It was their lifelong dream to open a tea house.
A very cozy place . . . and the scones and tea were excellent.
This is what I expected to find of my childhood memories of Leesville. An old wall with the grocery store sign fading . . . and it was actually there!
