tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229781902024-03-17T01:18:27.697-07:00Atom's Picture BlogAdam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.comBlogger278125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-87202530320550074542017-10-31T13:17:00.000-07:002017-10-31T13:17:37.479-07:00Walter's Wiggles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWZhYKqTqZqsqWe0D0MJTMgR9y3JlqyCHMmqSNybSgzQwi88O1lyWTrkhkvQFGJXS6kEu5ij1JVeDTac5GbgXlblQ-gyVci4-AobJq-ejZrYkAnG3o8Wz8Lcr2lqY8_-SyEdJ/s1600/WaltersWiggles-49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWZhYKqTqZqsqWe0D0MJTMgR9y3JlqyCHMmqSNybSgzQwi88O1lyWTrkhkvQFGJXS6kEu5ij1JVeDTac5GbgXlblQ-gyVci4-AobJq-ejZrYkAnG3o8Wz8Lcr2lqY8_-SyEdJ/s1600/WaltersWiggles-49.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">There's a famous section of the Angel's Landing Trail called Walter's Wiggles. Last winter I was able to view it from an unusual location. It was mid December and there was a warm spell between snow storms in the park. I decided to go to Zion and feel things out up above Angel’s Landing. The temperatures that day were perfect in the sun but whenever the breeze picked up it was a bit icy. <a href="https://adamelliottphotography.com/zion/zion-winter-walters-wiggles/" target="_blank">Read more at AdamElliottPhotography.com</a></span></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Zion National Park, Utah, USA37.2982022 -113.0263004999999937.2982022 -113.02630049999999 37.2982022 -113.02630049999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-56335570931470128592017-09-30T14:28:00.000-07:002017-09-30T14:28:04.627-07:00The Virgin River Gorge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnU1150k5mtIPWQhyphenhyphen6l7N7w-bxb8SW9cdXxSOgtlO8Kvvv07Vsg48glDYPkvp8pvlmI3LsHnY5UcVhqK7lqIFBFXKV3z-HAmG5sYIU1c3gYtiE5baBC-DHcV0_MxqiCpBcswF/s1600/VirginGorge-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnU1150k5mtIPWQhyphenhyphen6l7N7w-bxb8SW9cdXxSOgtlO8Kvvv07Vsg48glDYPkvp8pvlmI3LsHnY5UcVhqK7lqIFBFXKV3z-HAmG5sYIU1c3gYtiE5baBC-DHcV0_MxqiCpBcswF/s640/VirginGorge-1-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
One of my fun places to go and get away from the crowds of late has been the often neglected Virgin River Gorge in Northwest Arizona. There are no official trails there so once you leave the roadside you can be fairly certain you won't see many more people until you get back. In the middle of the gorge is a huge jagged slope of rocks that catches the eye from a distance. I decided to go there.... Read more at <a href="https://adamelliottphotography.com/hiking/introduction-virgin-river-gorge/">AdamElliottPhotography.com</a></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0BLM 1004, Littlefield, AZ 86432, USA36.752974569370082 -113.7832117080688530.225857569370081 -124.11036020806884 43.280091569370079 -103.45606320806885tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-26655070144709128082017-08-06T19:29:00.001-07:002017-08-06T19:29:31.273-07:00Huntress Canyon (Diana's Throne)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKqWoiOrWY6kM8Ut2ljmp2mG321EFYUGgV7-IYQFY4NLZ-qphghT8vwvEvweyd3wg_BSoDdE03Q3Y_KgF_kkxfeH6aZPlp4Y8Cym20GDfPu1Fsj9EsiAAFcxCcDNTwgjy1qIv/s1600/Huntress+Canyon-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeKqWoiOrWY6kM8Ut2ljmp2mG321EFYUGgV7-IYQFY4NLZ-qphghT8vwvEvweyd3wg_BSoDdE03Q3Y_KgF_kkxfeH6aZPlp4Y8Cym20GDfPu1Fsj9EsiAAFcxCcDNTwgjy1qIv/s1600/Huntress+Canyon-1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-size: 16px;">I had to opportunity to go on an guided canyoneering trip to Huntress Canyon, in Utah. Part of my job for the last year has been active networking. One of the groups I belong to is called Corporate Alliance. I always wanted to be a member of a Galactic Alliance, but for now I suppose a Corporate Alliance is good enough. In addition to our monthly meetings, </span><a href="https://www.corporatealliance.net/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2199e8; cursor: pointer; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease-in-out;">Corporate Alliance</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-size: 16px;"> offers extracurricular activities and, from time to time, weekend gatherings. This spring Paul Hatch, the owner of the Southern Utah chapter, invited me to attend one of these sessions that was reserved for CEO’s or owners of local companies. <a href="https://adamelliottphotography.com/commerical/corporate-canyoneering/">See more at Adam Elliott Photography...</a></span></span></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0US-89, Kanab, UT 84741, USA37.19073593585194 -112.5939331389963637.089491935851939 -112.75529463899636 37.291979935851941 -112.43257163899636tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-17679960696324730522017-07-18T09:56:00.000-07:002017-07-18T09:56:21.818-07:00Pine Peak Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5X1-9uIFOHnl0IuhLx8wIcyOYOO1KWHAVMs_qwvLfp6i1Obi3LQnrZ8z5xww9MbXnFIgq5fmK_VwRfPDkg0Hp2Wmz4Ym_C76ANuNPoX2xFRb76vc5gXCtqOXtLUpuhzBwx7Q/s1600/PinePeak-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5X1-9uIFOHnl0IuhLx8wIcyOYOO1KWHAVMs_qwvLfp6i1Obi3LQnrZ8z5xww9MbXnFIgq5fmK_VwRfPDkg0Hp2Wmz4Ym_C76ANuNPoX2xFRb76vc5gXCtqOXtLUpuhzBwx7Q/s1600/PinePeak-3.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Zion is crowded these days. It's so crowded, in fact, that it can take me two hours to get into the Eastern portion of the park. Once i arrive there is often no parking anywhere. So, last summer I spent most of my time hiking around the edges of the park and exploring, among other things, </span><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/zion-national-park-kolob-terrace-2015.html" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2199e8; cursor: pointer; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease-in-out;">the Kolob Terrace</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #6d6e71; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. This was the beginning of a habit i developed that is still ongoing, to explore all the open slickrock areas of the Kolob Terrace. <a href="https://adamelliottphotography.com/zion/zion-national-park-pine-valley-peak/">Read More.....</a></span></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Zion National Park, Utah, USA37.2982022 -113.0263004999999911.776167699999998 -154.3348945 62.820236699999995 -71.717706499999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-51501443947909438562017-07-02T19:27:00.000-07:002017-07-02T19:28:54.144-07:00Kanarra Creek<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwPqPolaM2G3zpzsn6au8u5zMw81KbG9Jb8wgp3wkovrMMG0yJwBCAoAviPld7tnTQW-wKTWi9YdU_YovQZNCivEBlwb25ewrS_ArUDiSkZ8hCHl4v3T435bl5UsicQIxOkPT/s1600/P6A0087-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwPqPolaM2G3zpzsn6au8u5zMw81KbG9Jb8wgp3wkovrMMG0yJwBCAoAviPld7tnTQW-wKTWi9YdU_YovQZNCivEBlwb25ewrS_ArUDiSkZ8hCHl4v3T435bl5UsicQIxOkPT/s1600/P6A0087-2.jpg" /></a></div>
Kanarra Creek is one of those places i've meant to go for many years but was always turned off by the crowds and not knowing exactly how it works to get there. There's a fee too, so that was also a turnoff. Eventually i could resist no longer and decided to make the trip with Maree at the end of the summer.<br />
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We waited until school had started hoping that would reduce the crowds and i think it worked. Read more at <a href="https://adamelliottphotography.com/hiking/kanarraville-creek/">AdamElliottPhotography.com</a></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Kanarraville, UT 84742, USA37.5388676 -113.1841165999999837.5262766 -113.20428659999997 37.551458600000004 -113.16394659999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-35386356938051381442017-06-22T16:48:00.000-07:002017-06-22T16:48:23.302-07:00My Prints and Portfolio Are Now Available<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'd like to announce my new website: <a href="http://adamelliottphotography.com/">AdamElliottPhotography.com</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EyzqmRqkT3WehS5CbtRRPqrPyVa64hPs81CYdXDfnHp_TKUaFq2pme1Nh9Ewn9qsBbfbPCIznUUdpP4zhrJ-YMGL9-GuKturlKrNEwAAMuoY-Elv70fTViYt8oziA3btgAdS/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-06-22+at+9.17.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1600" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EyzqmRqkT3WehS5CbtRRPqrPyVa64hPs81CYdXDfnHp_TKUaFq2pme1Nh9Ewn9qsBbfbPCIznUUdpP4zhrJ-YMGL9-GuKturlKrNEwAAMuoY-Elv70fTViYt8oziA3btgAdS/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-06-22+at+9.17.35+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i>Atom's Picture Blog</i> has been running for over 10 years now, i think. There are pictures on this blog that i would have a hard time finding in my computer if i could find them at all. Some, i think, are on DVD's in a box somewhere. Some of the posts on here include pictures of places that no longer exist.<br />
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The new website will combine by blog and my portfolio in a much more modern setting. Additionally, it will for the first time, allow you the viewer to purchase prints of my images or secure digital rights to them.<br />
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The site is pretty big and took a lot of work. I'm very excited about it. If you are one of the followers of <i>Adamspictureblog</i> i recommend you subscribe to the posts on the new site, as they should have larger images to look at and a gallery style lightroom.<br />
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Last year i started another adamspictureblog through a wordpress site. I will be discontinuing that site because it's unacceptably slow. Ironically i had started it because i was unhappy with the image size options here on blogger, but the wordpress and hosting was so slow it made it worse.<br />
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The new site get's rid of that issue entirely. Check it out!</div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0St George, UT, USA37.0965278 -113.5684163999999936.893907799999994 -113.89113989999998 37.2991478 -113.2456929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-43474252424368526312017-06-04T11:31:00.002-07:002017-06-04T11:42:31.914-07:00The Vortex<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7vvEt1qIfzTta1kjlXORucGD4VHtFOvHYtBZdjDS2SxcEM9375PaD2zMn5Rwgi0o4Uu3HY5ItmGzgyt0kXPkx9b0MOvuztXBpZpR0GvdAMZ23LSTzfo5kkkPAWUrnZJWdlRo/s1600/Vortex-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7vvEt1qIfzTta1kjlXORucGD4VHtFOvHYtBZdjDS2SxcEM9375PaD2zMn5Rwgi0o4Uu3HY5ItmGzgyt0kXPkx9b0MOvuztXBpZpR0GvdAMZ23LSTzfo5kkkPAWUrnZJWdlRo/s1600/Vortex-11.jpg" /></a></div>
I have a lot of my plate right now and as a result i keep ignoring my blog. It's not that i haven't been doing anything, in fact, i'm a year behind in some cases. For now here's a short hike i did one morning not far from where i live:<br />
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A nice short winter hike to do not far from town is called "The Vortex". I've also heard it called "The Bathtub" and even one other name, but The Bathtub might actually be the best description. I did it on a weekday in November and ran into a fair number of people. On the weekends it's heavily crowded.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yErxNsIzht4LD7OvYbxvPIREiOgofzwfGqg9R2BGwl67DpErKsDNAdld_Y8k1yfnZy4_qME3V9_K-jrxZdhrvjSAD9qPlLioW7s-70aMP-eZtUVlP36NwpXIqXLXP7_YBLkj/s1600/Vortex-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6yErxNsIzht4LD7OvYbxvPIREiOgofzwfGqg9R2BGwl67DpErKsDNAdld_Y8k1yfnZy4_qME3V9_K-jrxZdhrvjSAD9qPlLioW7s-70aMP-eZtUVlP36NwpXIqXLXP7_YBLkj/s1600/Vortex-23.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>The trail starts on a hot (when it's sunny) lava field and descends quickly off a cliff.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3c_Aqk1aB-KSBj1FpMbS-bJ5p4O-PSYddpT22fCbDClFciyW59h4ydrPkHcJh32cQ1KIJQMn2sg8r8pGqgjP7d7K1EzbLU-7utb-Jbhg9u72ObH4wl5o5mA9fHxXBHYujb0H/s1600/Vortex-1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3c_Aqk1aB-KSBj1FpMbS-bJ5p4O-PSYddpT22fCbDClFciyW59h4ydrPkHcJh32cQ1KIJQMn2sg8r8pGqgjP7d7K1EzbLU-7utb-Jbhg9u72ObH4wl5o5mA9fHxXBHYujb0H/s1600/Vortex-1-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span id="goog_1999243354"></span><span id="goog_1999243355"></span>At the bottom is a wash where the lava has been eroded off of the underlying sand stone.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-vj2ZdkQlX_6osA4SgtpFJnFKO3m4-tWA67_Xgyb6RK2LgRaggj3v4CFMKzeS8kempankLYCHEfpH3EljIEEg7ODsz8kpwLiI_zIrEDx0vNvbPTalCKEhbd8t4rA_fo3AeJJ/s1600/Vortex-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-vj2ZdkQlX_6osA4SgtpFJnFKO3m4-tWA67_Xgyb6RK2LgRaggj3v4CFMKzeS8kempankLYCHEfpH3EljIEEg7ODsz8kpwLiI_zIrEDx0vNvbPTalCKEhbd8t4rA_fo3AeJJ/s1600/Vortex-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i> After a short sandy stretch the trail empties onto slick rock shelves and remains that way through the rest of the hike.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREVWKkCTHrGbwQAtERz7ykduk0C-EmRH-AnX6s14UF5kAVDL8Bp0ujMFU3-Ideyfe346PDTGKYxeeENBTREqu4i-qoPSN_RDBIx2Xf1jOLi6sXtHwxxrAYChMxNysrPZbi7Sf/s1600/Vortex-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgREVWKkCTHrGbwQAtERz7ykduk0C-EmRH-AnX6s14UF5kAVDL8Bp0ujMFU3-Ideyfe346PDTGKYxeeENBTREqu4i-qoPSN_RDBIx2Xf1jOLi6sXtHwxxrAYChMxNysrPZbi7Sf/s1600/Vortex-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i> Walking up long plates of cross bedding.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2GQfj_szyW-ccKKkdAjIZmf5wJzkJorYWyb-o_AT7fjUPWkFZkmFHjG4VekRRfDZjIUNxg_h2nmgqGlm3XFyTzMledAG_lBb3wV1v6yFN-k8NuQtNLgPaKqfaWgSCgFM0N6y/s1600/Vortex-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2GQfj_szyW-ccKKkdAjIZmf5wJzkJorYWyb-o_AT7fjUPWkFZkmFHjG4VekRRfDZjIUNxg_h2nmgqGlm3XFyTzMledAG_lBb3wV1v6yFN-k8NuQtNLgPaKqfaWgSCgFM0N6y/s1600/Vortex-3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i> In November there's a chance of seeing water in the pools.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeOaZnGxmfjf6EjvyPfVWj07hUNm6WTPU_Uu_BjE6UI6hliZce6sqnb0AvfKRGI-T5lG4XDCRdKsCibzA018W1SSA-X7wCtOoYQ8W9P5q0xwubFwfT6rS0whNAmmW8rFE8Mki/s1600/Vortex-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeOaZnGxmfjf6EjvyPfVWj07hUNm6WTPU_Uu_BjE6UI6hliZce6sqnb0AvfKRGI-T5lG4XDCRdKsCibzA018W1SSA-X7wCtOoYQ8W9P5q0xwubFwfT6rS0whNAmmW8rFE8Mki/s1600/Vortex-5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i> A larger water pocket hints at what's to come</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_8mBnMAxHREypH-XoCiOK_VkRsn2Tzv_3udnYtpOmLgVEKZAOODqBxjDd-lBzg8lPGEeWPUFGSPpVW7nv2DnIF1nlSDlji9JMkyRxZeZ2BAQZohag5c3c1pXzPjNX9Rl1klP/s1600/Vortex-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_8mBnMAxHREypH-XoCiOK_VkRsn2Tzv_3udnYtpOmLgVEKZAOODqBxjDd-lBzg8lPGEeWPUFGSPpVW7nv2DnIF1nlSDlji9JMkyRxZeZ2BAQZohag5c3c1pXzPjNX9Rl1klP/s1600/Vortex-6.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i> After a narrow point in the valley it opens up into a large basin.</i></div>
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<i>That basin is large and the walls are steep. I didn't know really where i was going at this point. Many directions would be satisfactory but i figured climbing up to those white hoodoos would be a good idea.</i></div>
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I had heard about The Bathtub/Vortex many times and seen pictures as well but it was forever before i knew where it was. It was kind of a face palm moment because i had already been planning to come to the exact spot because of seeing the rocks from a distance so many times in the past.<br />
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<i>Veyo Volcano in the distance.</i></div>
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<i> Once out of the basin you come to... another basin. This is very small compared to the other one.</i></div>
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<i> A dry basin. Maree came here a few months later and it was full of water and ice.</i></div>
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<i> The Bathtub</i></div>
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Once you get to the wash basin you see that it's shockingly deep and steep sided. It's steep enough that you should really hesitate before deciding to climb into it and if you aren't athletic and tall enough i would highly recomend not going down there unless you have a friend with a rope.<br />
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Unfortunately it's completely covered in graffiti. People come and carve their names into the walls from the bottom way up the sides.<br />
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I had heard a barber tell me that he was also a boyscout leader and would take kids there and let them deface the rocks, saying the markings would be gone in just a few hundred years, so what's the problem? I guess he hadn't made the connection that the far less deep Native pictographs are minimum of 700 years old. It reminds me of the attitude of those other scout leaders who decided to knock down rocks in Goblin Valley just for fun. Scout leaders in Utah are not teaching all the right values to their scouts. My scout leaders never would have allowed that kind of behavior.<br />
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And so, i moved on pretty quickly.<br />
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<i> We moved past the ruined Vortex to those creamy hoodoos i'd saw from below.</i></div>
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<i> Getting to the very last tower involves a little exposure.</i></div>
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<i> It was around here that i found a broken bottle and other litter. I had an empty bag and it was unsightly enough i spent a few minutes picking up all the green glass.</i><br />
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<i>Square Top Mountain to the West</i></div>
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<i> The sun came out briefly on the way back.</i></div>
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<i> On the way back i decided to go check out the possibility of an arch on the side of a wall.</i></div>
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<i> The right side of the arch does go all the way through the wall, so i guess it counts as a legitimate arch. It's just a very new one.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-76213625974857283582017-05-07T10:11:00.000-07:002017-05-07T10:21:05.953-07:00Yellow Knolls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISyAJUjWDsnzpMh0ysT_R_02OcXxJMpJr5hA3RxzQJupz6nZmmPLrJ0yF82YvHTILXH_jVOXs_bZcRlJyKgQn_YJw76ijwiaWxNXZOQHsbwl1f9dST6LO_nlOsEqbHxO91phG/s1600/YellowKnolls-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISyAJUjWDsnzpMh0ysT_R_02OcXxJMpJr5hA3RxzQJupz6nZmmPLrJ0yF82YvHTILXH_jVOXs_bZcRlJyKgQn_YJw76ijwiaWxNXZOQHsbwl1f9dST6LO_nlOsEqbHxO91phG/s1600/YellowKnolls-8.jpg" /></a></div>
Yellow Knolls is an easy to get to, short trail north of downtown St. George. It's part of a larger trail network in the <a href="http://www.redcliffsdesertreserve.com/yellow-knolls" target="_blank">Red Cliffs Desert Reserve</a>. The trail is around 2-4 miles in length and has options for climbing around on slickrock if one wants to leave the trail.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpXuPl3bEsyY_TKQdbyO4QtYt2J24WyvRHHQLtsIlxZpWU_JfkKQ1BjtiRqxuC04zasIHdq9fMBxi9KsDv61M9vIasNcPD5zsO2Ou1bIGt-KF7k3FYqViNsvF74buhrh7z49h/s1600/YellowKnolls-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpXuPl3bEsyY_TKQdbyO4QtYt2J24WyvRHHQLtsIlxZpWU_JfkKQ1BjtiRqxuC04zasIHdq9fMBxi9KsDv61M9vIasNcPD5zsO2Ou1bIGt-KF7k3FYqViNsvF74buhrh7z49h/s1600/YellowKnolls-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i> From the parking area you descend from on top of a basalt lava flow to it's base, then head through a contact point between the lava and the sandstone.</i></div>
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<i> There is some great "checkerboarding" along one of the slopes.</i></div>
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<i> Heading up the tortoise shell.</i></div>
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We decided to go one winter day after it had snowed. Even though there was still snow and ice in the shade, it felt close to 80 degrees hiking through the orange sand and basalt boulder fields, so it must be deadly hot in the summer.<br />
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After passing the black cliffs the trail skirts along the base of several large hills of sandstone. It then seems to navigate through a large field of sandstone mounds and washes before heading uphill to some power lines.<br />
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<i>Using the grooves to find footing up a steep slope of rock.</i></div>
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<i>A hidden "valley"</i></div>
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<i>It didn't take us long to get here so we decided to keep going up higher.</i></div>
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<i> View from the top</i></div>
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<i> I had hoped to climb down the other side but it turned out to be cliffy and the route around the next hill was simply along a dirt road lined with power lines. Kona is blending into the rocks on the right.</i></div>
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<i> Instead we decided to make our way back down the steep slopes into that hidden valley we traversed earlier. It was steep enough to scare Maree.</i></div>
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<i> Back into the hot sand. We went and had a break in the snowy shade.</i></div>
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The power lines are a real letdown. Although the sandstone features are better than average, the Yellow Knolls hike has a very urban feel to it, thanks to be surrounded by powerlines on three sides, dirt roads on all sides and even a water pipeline on one side. As such, i can't recommend it as a sightseeing destination, but for a quick getaway from the city or an area to get some quick exercise it works well.<br />
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<i> Taking a slightly different route back below the lava cliffs took us past some neat little pools and cracks.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0St. George, UT, UT, USA37.138140236839476 -113.5629232359374936.935520236839473 -113.88564673593748 37.340760236839479 -113.24019973593749tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-20779744107523472542017-04-16T16:12:00.001-07:002017-04-16T16:12:52.531-07:00The Zen Trail<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Above Santa Clara is a large slope of uplifted rock about 10 miles long and 4 miles wide. The uplift ends abruptly in high cliffs that are popular for rock climbing at some points. There are mountain biking trails along the ridge in some areas, and hiking in others. One dark winter day in January we decided to look for this place called the Zen Trail. It's a maze of rock towers that vaguely reminded me of the Needles District in Canyonlands, but with shorter rocks.<br />
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<i> You can drive all the way up there with a high clearance vehicle but we wanted some exercise so we stopped lower on the hillside and walked up along the top of this wash.</i></div>
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<i> Kona at the top of the first set of cliffs. The ramp continues to rise well above the point.</i></div>
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<i> We dropped down into the beginning of the maze area.</i></div>
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<i> The beginning of a wash that becomes a small canyon farther down. Several of these cul de sacs meet at the top of the ramp forcing you to thread your way between them.</i></div>
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<i> Walking among the tower formations.</i></div>
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<i>This is what the area looks like from a satellite.</i></div>
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<i> Looking back towards Red Mountain.</i></div>
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<i> Some weird guy kept yelling into the sky over there.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoEIfnyzIaENwa4qB9ldJTb5Wr9LahpNcwaXLpWWDGVjLSpOdzX3FWVSGulTgWjRP2YlOVefHjO_7TB87zcparzb0cePyaWB_BbLA1ZunUie7BPySddc-inSMSUXmuFnAGHg5/s1600/TheMaze-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoEIfnyzIaENwa4qB9ldJTb5Wr9LahpNcwaXLpWWDGVjLSpOdzX3FWVSGulTgWjRP2YlOVefHjO_7TB87zcparzb0cePyaWB_BbLA1ZunUie7BPySddc-inSMSUXmuFnAGHg5/s1600/TheMaze-12.jpg" /></i></a></div>
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<i> It was a windy day and we were threatened with rain the whole time.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrSVuI2ugQ0AIVBTLULdTjGwf0VND67Rv0hM3Qq6OlG75C4Fl0Omd-WAhMyxgacFwhnN6_JGhAWLPhClNG18kNmuQl_wpQT5R-yzQGdNoYDS-ZO4o1J-WIra-0bh6W7lbdk3G/s1600/TheMaze-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrSVuI2ugQ0AIVBTLULdTjGwf0VND67Rv0hM3Qq6OlG75C4Fl0Omd-WAhMyxgacFwhnN6_JGhAWLPhClNG18kNmuQl_wpQT5R-yzQGdNoYDS-ZO4o1J-WIra-0bh6W7lbdk3G/s1600/TheMaze-13.jpg" /></i></a></div>
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<i> Kona is choosy about which water pocket she'll drink out of.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCj4tXY5pQ5eHycOwKWSyYeIMP2UEKcW7UEqdc_PfTH6irQd1LCePOuup_hJQdJUAmfWNE-ZsT0ZS8mDQwpP-iGSlYd472-Y_dj-tXL4r22G1GXJ6NDUNCJvvteHCA6RTAIlv/s1600/TheMaze-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCj4tXY5pQ5eHycOwKWSyYeIMP2UEKcW7UEqdc_PfTH6irQd1LCePOuup_hJQdJUAmfWNE-ZsT0ZS8mDQwpP-iGSlYd472-Y_dj-tXL4r22G1GXJ6NDUNCJvvteHCA6RTAIlv/s1600/TheMaze-14.jpg" /></i></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1B1qKzll7gX_LOAb4txm7kE57XL6Hi9TbI_N-Ps9zKToQ7d783HQ_SZQW1mTdEIK435bHc2OTL6W5pwfayJ3uQ7G7CWopH5dtbowSbrclaM809ECLlQdZqra0RmqDa_578WEL/s1600/TheMaze-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1B1qKzll7gX_LOAb4txm7kE57XL6Hi9TbI_N-Ps9zKToQ7d783HQ_SZQW1mTdEIK435bHc2OTL6W5pwfayJ3uQ7G7CWopH5dtbowSbrclaM809ECLlQdZqra0RmqDa_578WEL/s1600/TheMaze-15.jpg" /></i></a></div>
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<i> Some of the rock towers form tunnels and rooms between them.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0St George, UT, USA37.0965278 -113.5684163999999936.893907799999994 -113.89113989999998 37.2991478 -113.2456929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-16231731773872122682017-02-12T10:48:00.000-07:002017-02-12T11:07:51.450-07:00From One Lake City to Another<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWyg5gRbH4ErDt5piH7PmR0FDEz7WZ8g6qOkj0LubicPtW9X-XTupTrHPCjLfp-xN0xCGsBVLbXKfVJNnOXRnuPft68wQyV_q-QMhR4xMmxRcdsRcTa7-Eq7EO3nkstPjXCGb/s1600/LakeCity-blog-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWyg5gRbH4ErDt5piH7PmR0FDEz7WZ8g6qOkj0LubicPtW9X-XTupTrHPCjLfp-xN0xCGsBVLbXKfVJNnOXRnuPft68wQyV_q-QMhR4xMmxRcdsRcTa7-Eq7EO3nkstPjXCGb/s1600/LakeCity-blog-22.jpg" /></a></div>
Did you know there is an Ouray, Utah just a few hours drive from Ouray, Colorado? How do you even come up with a name like Ouray, and how is an American supposed to know how to pronounce that? I would give you all the answers if this was a post about Ouray, but it’s about towns called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_City,_Colorado" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2d5c88; text-decoration: none;">Lake City</a>. But, did you know you can drive a high altitude dirt road from Ouray, Colorado to Lake City, Colorado? See, there is a connection after all, but from this point forward i’m done talking about Ouray (which is a super awesome town).</div>
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This post is from an even older time than the last one but i really really need to be able to burn all these photos to ash, so it’s time it went up. Way back in the fall of 2015 i took a trip to look at buying a commercial property in Lake City Colorado. I had never heard of that town but it’s up in the San Juan Mountains, which i do like, and 3 hours from Grand Junction, or thereabouts. Ironically i had passed relatively close to the town on a road trip only 3 months earlier, when i drove along the Gunnison River. I happened to also want to look into some things in Salt Lake City, so i decided to make a loop trip.</div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-325" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-14.jpg?resize=1140%2C725" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-14.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-14.jpg?resize=300%2C191 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-14.jpg?resize=768%2C488 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-14.jpg?resize=1024%2C651 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-14.jpg?resize=80%2C50 80w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-324" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-13.jpg?resize=1140%2C604" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-13.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-13.jpg?resize=300%2C159 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-13.jpg?resize=768%2C407 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-13.jpg?resize=1024%2C543 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake City is mostly dirt streets one you leave the main paved road through town.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-323" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-12.jpg?resize=1140%2C753" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-12.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-12.jpg?resize=300%2C198 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-12.jpg?resize=768%2C507 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-12.jpg?resize=1024%2C677 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">There is a surprisingly large public library, which must be one of the highest libraries in North America.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-321" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-10.jpg?resize=1140%2C714" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-10.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-10.jpg?resize=300%2C188 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-10.jpg?resize=768%2C481 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-10.jpg?resize=1024%2C641 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-10.jpg?resize=80%2C50 80w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The miners were winning at the Miners and Merchants Bank.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-320" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-9.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-9.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-9.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-9.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-9.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-319" height="513" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-8.jpg?resize=1140%2C692" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-8.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-8.jpg?resize=300%2C182 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-8.jpg?resize=768%2C466 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-8.jpg?resize=1024%2C621 1024w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-8.jpg?resize=80%2C50 80w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-315" height="522" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-4.jpg?resize=1140%2C704" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-4.jpg?w=1497 1497w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-4.jpg?resize=300%2C185 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-4.jpg?resize=768%2C475 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C633 1024w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-4.jpg?resize=80%2C50 80w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">A nifty old chimney</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-316" height="604" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-5.jpg?resize=1140%2C814" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-5.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-5.jpg?resize=300%2C214 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-5.jpg?resize=768%2C548 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C731 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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I’ve been to a lot of Mountain Towns, but not many in Colorado. To be fair, Anchorage could even be considered a mountain town, since there are parts of the city above treeline and it’s surrounded by peaks in every direction. My first impressions of Lake City, Colorado, were definitely mixed. I wasn’t too impressed with the mountains along the way, and it is a heck of a long drive for little payoff. It’s only 20 miles as the crow flies from Ouray, but the mountains are much less dramatic. The town sits at 8,650 feet, so winters are long. In October though the fall colors were at their peak and the air was still warm in the sunlight. The town has a sordid history of kicking Native Americans off their land and eating human flesh, but what’s interesting to me is that today property is bought and sold using the same 25′ x 125′ lots from the town’s founding in 1873. So if you have a house wider than 25 feet you likely own multiple lots.</div>
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There seemed to be a real estate scam going on in Lake City where property prices were all over the place. There were a lot of very expensive seeming homes and lots for sale but when i asked some of the locals about it they said those lots had been for sale for years. Also, and this is the ‘scam’ part of it, when i asked about the very high prices i was told they were appraised at those values by the country commission. When i looked that up i noticed that Lake City is the only town in Hinsdale County, so the 400 residents (and even fewer landowners) who live there seemed to be giving themselves very generous appraisals.</div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-327" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-16.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-16.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-16.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-16.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-16.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">These people build their house on top of a lava tube or something.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-329" height="493" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-19.jpg?resize=1140%2C664" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-19.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-19.jpg?resize=300%2C175 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-19.jpg?resize=768%2C447 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-19.jpg?resize=1024%2C597 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The scenery gets much nicer just south of town. In the distance in Uncompahgre Peak. It’s one of the highest summits in the lower 48, at 14,308 feet high, but it also has one of the highest bottoms in the lower 48 so it’s not a particularly big mountain. There is a trail to the top.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-328" height="509" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-18.jpg?resize=1140%2C686" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-18.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-18.jpg?resize=300%2C180 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-18.jpg?resize=768%2C462 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-18.jpg?resize=1024%2C616 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lake San Cristobal, the second largest natural lake in Colorado. Interestingly, it’s only been around for 850 years, when a huge landslide dammed the valley.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-330" height="538" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-21.jpg?resize=1140%2C726" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-21.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-21.jpg?resize=300%2C191 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-21.jpg?resize=768%2C489 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-21.jpg?resize=1024%2C652 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-21.jpg?resize=80%2C50 80w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Slumgullion Earthflow collapsed from the top of this hill and flowed for 4 miles to the valley floor, damming up the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Another landslide started 350 years ago and is still actively oozing downhill on top of the older one.</em></div>
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I was only in town one night and it took a long time to get there, but i did have time to walk around and then drive up south of town to about 11,000 feet. As soon as you leave town heading south the scenery become much nicer. Lake City is no doubt a nice base camp in summer but the winters sound lonely. The town is on the verge of figuring out how to transform itself into a more popular mountain town destination but has several hurdles to overcome. It has a lot of building and improvements to do. It has to figure out how to overcome the limited access into the surrounding mountains (almost all the nice scenery on the way into town was private property, so why go?), and it needs some good restaurants and shops. It is though, under the radar, and in that regard still offers uncrowded streets and roads. It was nice and quiet when the construction wasn’t going on.</div>
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On the way back i decided to take a less used route back from Grand Junction to Salt Lake City. Instead of heading towards Green River i took Colorado State Hwy 139 to Dinosaur, then headed west through nearly a dozen small towns that ate up a lot of road time. The first few hours were very scenic, and travelled a corridor of the <a href="http://www.colorado.com/archaeological-sites/canyon-pintado-national-historic-district" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2d5c88; text-decoration: none;">Canyon Pintado National Historic District</a>. The long canyon shallow canyon has hundreds of archeological sites and was near the beginning of the 1776 Escalante-Dominguez Expedition. I never would have guessed that a year later i’d be living in Ivins, at the other end of that Expedition’s route. The canyon is full of Fremont and Ute era pictographs and petroglyphs.</div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-332" height="496" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-25.jpg?resize=1140%2C668" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-25.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-25.jpg?resize=300%2C176 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-25.jpg?resize=768%2C450 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-25.jpg?resize=1024%2C600 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Guardian is from 2,000 to 1,500 years old. Some of the glyphs were placed in areas to mark where birds eggs could be harvested.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-333" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-27.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-27.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-27.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-27.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-27.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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Some cool handprints. Tragically nearly all the wall art is ruined by vandals who wanted the world to remember them forever as very stupid jackasses.</div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-334" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-28.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-28.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-28.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-28.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-28.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-337" height="519" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-34.jpg?resize=1140%2C700" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-34.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-34.jpg?resize=300%2C184 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-34.jpg?resize=768%2C472 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-34.jpg?resize=1024%2C629 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-34.jpg?resize=80%2C50 80w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">One of the tributaries of Canyon Pintado</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-336" height="471" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-31.jpg?resize=1140%2C635" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-31.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-31.jpg?resize=300%2C167 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-31.jpg?resize=768%2C428 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-31.jpg?resize=1024%2C571 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">There are some birds and other animals but to the right is the first petroglyph i had ever seen using multiple colors. It’s of corn.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-344" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-41.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-41.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-41.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-41.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-41.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">In Salt Lake City i had half a day to waste before my plane left in the early evening, so i decided to do something that wouldn’t get me dirty. <a href="https://nhmu.utah.edu/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2d5c88; text-decoration: none;">The Natural History Museum of Utah</a> has some cool architecture and a really good dinosaur skeleton display.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-343" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-40.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-40.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-40.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-40.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-40.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-342" height="572" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-39.jpg?resize=1140%2C771" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-39.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-39.jpg?resize=300%2C203 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-39.jpg?resize=768%2C519 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-39.jpg?resize=1024%2C692 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">They made a cool room with multiple levels and catwalks and ramps that gave you a lot of different views of the dinosaurs and ice age animals.</em></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-341" height="564" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-38.jpg?resize=1140%2C760" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-38.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-38.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-38.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-38.jpg?resize=1024%2C683 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-339" height="511" sizes="(max-width: 1140px) 100vw, 1140px" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-36.jpg?resize=1140%2C689" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-36.jpg?w=1500 1500w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-36.jpg?resize=300%2C181 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-36.jpg?resize=768%2C464 768w, https://i1.wp.com/www.adamspictureblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LakeCity-blog-36.jpg?resize=1024%2C619 1024w" style="border-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0470588); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.054902) 0px 1px 3px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 20px; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: middle;" width="846" /></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Lake City, CO 81235, USA38.029996700000012 -107.3153335000000137.979966200000014 -107.3960145 38.080027200000011 -107.23465250000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-91910976729645299482017-01-23T14:28:00.000-07:002017-01-23T14:28:08.396-07:00Double Arch Alcove<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">A few months ago i posted about hiking with my friend Jeff up the South Fork of Taylor Creek on an unmaintained trail in Zion’s Kolob Canyons. That was in March of 2016, when there was still quite a bit of snow in and above the canyons. Five months later my sister came to visit in mid August, which is not a very good time to visit for anything other than swimming. To try and avoid the hottest temperatures i decided to take her up to the Kolob area, because it’s about 3,000 feet higher than the St. George area.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.adamspictureblog.com/2017/01/14/zion-taylor-creek/" target="_blank">Read more at adamspictureblog.com</a></span></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Zion National Park, Utah 84737, USA37.2982022 -113.0263004999999911.774948199999997 -154.3348945 62.8214562 -71.717706499999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-40697988758204931432017-01-03T14:13:00.000-07:002017-01-03T14:14:54.109-07:00A Zion White Christmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When i moved here everyone constantly talked about how it never snows so i thought it was pretty funny that my first Christmas was a white one. On Christmas day i was pretty sick but i drove over the the Beaver Dam Mountains to have a look around. They had gotten a nice light coating of snow. I couldn’t spend all day driving around because i relatives coming into town but days later, we decided to go take a look at Zion. <a href="http://www.adamspictureblog.com/" target="_blank">Read more at atomspictureblog.com</a></span></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Zion National Park, Utah 84737, USA37.2982022 -113.0263004999999911.774933699999998 -154.3348945 62.8214707 -71.717706499999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-45609621432092446522016-12-12T15:07:00.001-07:002016-12-12T15:07:46.396-07:00Black Rock, Arizona<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I was unemployed for a year. But i was generally busy that entire time looking for a new business to be involved in and deciding on a place to live. Being unemployed for that long can teach you a thing or two about yourself. What i learned is that i LOVE not having a job, it just sucks not having money. I meet retired people all the time around here who have jobs because they got bored once they retired. Not me. It would take me 700 years to complete my list of things to do, so i don’t know what’s up with those other people. For me though, it’s all about mobility. Spending 700 years in Kansas would probably drive me insane, or compel me to build my own spaceship and get out of there.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.adamspictureblog.com/" target="_blank"> Read more about Black Rock Road at the new Adam's Picture Blog...</a></span></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Clark County, NV, USA36.706506875558823 -113.9078882421874336.503096375558826 -114.23061174218742 36.90991737555882 -113.58516474218743tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-33266502021120580942016-11-30T17:10:00.000-07:002016-11-30T17:10:08.113-07:00Owl Canyon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">During the summer and spring i kept going up into the Beaver Dam Mountains to get a slight relief from the heat. It’s usually at least 10 degrees cooler up there and the evening shade starts earlier on the Eastern slopes. I noticed on the way down towards Bloomington Cave one time that there was a pretty neat limestone canyon along the way. The limestone is striped like the stuff i had seen only in New Zealand’s cave country. The canyon has got to be well-known as there are roads all around it but i can’t find a name for it on any maps. So for lack of anything better i’m calling it Owl Canyon. </span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.adamspictureblog.com/" target="_blank">Click here to read more at the new AdamsPictureBlog.com</a></i></div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Washington County, UT, USA37.044216689679708 -113.8870239257812536.841623189679709 -114.20974742578125 37.246810189679707 -113.56430042578125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-25809667913916282982016-11-18T11:27:00.000-07:002016-11-18T11:27:22.853-07:00Zions Wild Highlands and High Wildlands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrS1HeotlPS44nyTKPuxHlAtQJIGDuWglgLhyphenhyphenokKcQg3W1RVPoOAx9skbNd_4AfbDNpkg-mj57FnwGfkNBCBd8lYqXPrqIhwYmHACklzcV2e9LidoAduEgjCTKfw17PWJpaF_/s1600/Gifford-blogL-36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrS1HeotlPS44nyTKPuxHlAtQJIGDuWglgLhyphenhyphenokKcQg3W1RVPoOAx9skbNd_4AfbDNpkg-mj57FnwGfkNBCBd8lYqXPrqIhwYmHACklzcV2e9LidoAduEgjCTKfw17PWJpaF_/s1600/Gifford-blogL-36.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm a bit late on this post because i have started a new blog. The url is very similar but because Google has failed to update blogger in a way that would allow me to post larger pictures, i am trying out Wordpress. It's too bad because i like the interface with Blogger better than Wordpress. If anyone has suggestions on how to modify a blogger site so that you can have full screen, or at least wider screen, imagery I would really like to know about it, because i've been running this blog for 10 years or something like that.<br />
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To see what i'm talking about check out my first post at:<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.adamspictureblog.com/" target="_blank">http://www.adamspictureblog.com/</a><br />
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Let me know what you think about the new format.<br />
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While i see how this pans out i will continue to post updates on blogger. See you over there!</div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Zion National Park, Utah 84737, USA37.2982022 -113.0263004999999911.774946699999997 -154.3348945 62.821457699999996 -71.717706499999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-71844051579399065322016-10-13T19:23:00.000-07:002016-10-13T19:23:54.503-07:00Haunted Houses and Ghost Towns of 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Although many places in Utah are unrecognizable from the way they were in the 1990's, some places look exactly the same. Escalante is one of those places. If anything, it seems to be possibly smaller than it was 20 years ago. It was founded in 1875 and got it's name as a suggestion from John Wesley Powell, who travelled through the area in the early 1870's. Ironically, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominguez%E2%80%93Escalante_Expedition" target="_blank">Escalante-Dominguez Expedition of 1776, t</a>he inspiration for Powell's recommendation, never travelled through the area, exploring far to the North in their quest to link New Mexico to California.<br />
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<i>Who knows what terrible secrets were hidden in the tall grass behind this haunted house.</i></div>
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Escalante has never grown significantly since it's founding. The population in 2015 barely had 50 people more than it did in the year 1900. Even so, i love the area and I would live there if i could find an income. At night the town is dark with virtually zero street lights, except for on the main highway. Numerous spooky old crumbling houses loom out of the shadows for those willing to explore.<br />
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<i>This haunted house was build in 1880. This one also has modern electricity and was for sale a few years ago for a quarter million dollars. I don't know who would buy it for that much because it's in serious disrepair.</i></div>
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<i>This one was in worse shape, boarded up and collapsing except for the broken upper window where ghosts stare out at passers by on moonlit nights.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ghost Towns: Modena, Utah</span></h3>
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Far to the West of Escalante is a semi-ghost town that is an old relic of the steam engine era. Modena was established as a watering station in 1899 along the new Utah and Nevada Railway. Soon after that it was a stop along the line connecting Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Although it is in the middle of nowhere the town grew big enough to need two hotels and a saloon.<br />
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<i>An abandoned house that's probably scary at night. It had a triangular board nailed across the front door, probably indicating that Pyramid Head shows up on occasion.</i></div>
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Although Modena is out in the middle of nowhere just a few miles from the Nevada border, we arrived in the town at the end of a day spent far out in the middle of Especially Nowhere, so getting to Modena was like driving into Vegas. It was also a very windy day and something about the town made Kona freak out, so it must definitely be haunted.<br />
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Because Kona had lost her mind, most likely from an attempted possession (Kona has a weak mind and is easily influenced by wandering souls), we didn't spend as much time there as i would have liked, but i did go into the hotel that was covered in DANGER signs. I can attest that, though hideous, the signs were no joke.<br />
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<i>The side of the older hotel</i></div>
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<i>Inside the newer hotel, the stairs looked totally unsafe as did the ceiling.</i></div>
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<i>The building is actively collapsing. You can see through the walls and the ceiling and the floor is piled high with fallen debris, and sinks under the weight. That might not be so scary except for the fact that the building has a large dark basement with a double wide staircase descending into it.</i></div>
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Modena eventually went into decline as diesel trains replaced steam engines. The bigger more powerful gas powered trains never needed to stop, so the town was bypassed. But, possibly because it's also next to a State Highway, Modena never completely died out, unlike numerous other towns to the south. For a more involved and humorous story of Modena you can look at <i><a href="http://far%20to%20the%20west%20of%20escalante%20is%20a%20semi-ghost%20town%20that%20is%20an%20old%20relic%20of%20the%20steam%20engine%20era.%20modena%20was%20established%20as%20a%20watering%20station%20in%201899%20along%20the%20new%20utah%20and%20nevada%20railway.%20soon%20after%20that%20it%20was%20stop%20along%20the%20line%20connecting%20las%20angeles%20and%20salt%20lake%20city.%20for%20some%20reason%20although%20it%20is%20in%20the%20middle%20of%20nowhere%20the%20town%20grew%20big%20enough%20to%20need%20two%20hotels%20and%20a%20saloon./" target="_blank">this guy's blog.</a></i><br />
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<i>The buildings have been picked clean of anything interesting long ago.</i></div>
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On our way to Modena we tried to check out three other stops along the remote rail line. My maps told me there were towns named Horseshoe Bend, Lien and Uvada. The first one we tried to visit, Horseshoe Bend, was down a steadily deteriorating, uninteresting road that we eventually abandoned. Looking at Google Earth later that night, i found two collapsed buildings about 1/2 a mile farther down that road than i drove.<br />
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<i>Another part of town had some old residences. This one had a furnished kitchen.</i></div>
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The next town, called Lien, was blocked with a gate saying it was owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. That didn't sound crazy to me, as i am aware the old railroad companies were incredibly powerful and very likely owned entire towns along their tracks. <br />
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The last town was called Uvada and was only about 200 feet from the Utah/Nevada border. The name is probably a pun, since it is right on the border, combining the words Utah and Nevada. Uvada had two small buildings. They were shacks/homes and one of them was actually constructed out of old railroad ties. Maree found a lot of old junk artifacts in the sagebrush.<br />
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0United States38.017223581222183 -111.7968560999999631.748051581222182 -122.12400459999995 44.28639558122218 -101.46970759999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-76235963274210151042016-09-29T14:10:00.000-07:002016-09-29T14:10:13.696-07:00Valley of Fire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's hard to fly out of St. George so while i was trying to make arrangements to move there i kept flying into Las Vegas and driving to St. George. Sometimes the checkout time between by hotel and check-in time for my flight left a huge gap of time to waste. So, one trip back i took a detour to Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, which is about halfway between the two cities.<br />
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I came into the park via Moapa. Moapa is a tiny town in the Moapa Indian Reservation and they have "Lost City" Museum. The town is easy to make fun of for being in the middle of nowhere in a semi badlands landscape but there is something relaxing about the town and the people were nice. I was disappointed in the Lost City as there isn't anything to see and the name was definitely overstated from the very beginning.<br />
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A long time ago there was a village along a trade route. The buildings were mud and loose rocks and now they are long gone. Some archaeologists did some digging and found artifacts. That's pretty much it. I think the tracings of the foundations may be under Lake Mead now, along with the foundations of a more recent ghost town called <a href="https://www.nps.gov/lake/learn/nature/st-thomas-nevada.htm" target="_blank">St. Thomas</a>. What i did learn was that there were a heck of a lot more people living in the Mojave Desert thousands of years ago than you would have ever guessed.<br />
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<i>Lots of weird rocks in the Aztec Formation that sometimes looked like the underside of mushrooms.</i></div>
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I had only been to Valley of Fire once before, and it was blistering hot that first visit, so my activities were limited to just driving along the road and briefly getting out here and there. This time it was mid-November and the weather was perfect. I still didn't plan anything out, instead finding the end of the road a pretty cool place, and deciding to take the trail that was there. It was called the White Domes Trail and was only a 1 mile loop. It was a fun hike.<br />
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<i> Some people enter a slot canyon.</i></div>
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<i> A nice arch near the back end of the loop.</i></div>
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On the way back i took the only other road in the park out to where it dead ends, then came back and did the Petroglyph Trail. Another short trail, only a mile round trip it seemed like. This one had a ton of people on it but i was also there during a car show. Due the the show the Visitor's Center was inaccessible for me.<br />
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<i> There aren't many trails in Valley of Fire, and even fewer places to park, but i saw a lot of fun possibilities for scrambling around off trail in the future.</i></div>
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<i> There are many petroglyphs on the same named trail and most of them are well above your head. I wonder how many have been chipped of or how many flash floods have deepened the canyon the the 3,000 years since the first glyphs were carved.</i></div>
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I did get dirtier and sweatier than i wanted to be before getting on a long plane ride back to Alaska so i made a change of clothes before i entered the airport. It was a nice excursion that didn't even eat up as much time as i thought it would.<br />
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<i>Unfortunately i wasn't able to stay late into the day when the light would have been nicer. I bet this area looks good at sunset.</i></div>
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<i>The long road back to the interstate.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Valley of Fire State Park, Valley of Fire Hwy, Moapa Valley, NV 89040, USA36.4303452 -114.514330910.908310699999998 -155.8229249 61.952379699999995 -73.2057369tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-61776015793806598562016-09-11T11:22:00.002-07:002016-09-11T12:12:29.632-07:00Hellhole Canyon, California<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp9qQh-748jSKXc6Cz5t5ySrK43srYu1yyK7YuelfCwKKKPRXKq3oRGznA09cYGyECeQUFa-iQuVXEfwM4_ItRqIvZv3lqHoYZn2i8pacS0BQ1bOEul8776AR_TfbZaJxLqEy/s1600/Borrego-99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKp9qQh-748jSKXc6Cz5t5ySrK43srYu1yyK7YuelfCwKKKPRXKq3oRGznA09cYGyECeQUFa-iQuVXEfwM4_ItRqIvZv3lqHoYZn2i8pacS0BQ1bOEul8776AR_TfbZaJxLqEy/s1600/Borrego-99.jpg" /></a></div>
In June i went to my friend <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2279679/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">Jimmy Gordon</a>'s birthday party in Borrego Springs, California. If there's anything i can't stand missing, it's a party. Just ask anyone. So i grabbed Maree and we immediately set out on a 9 hour drive across the Mojave Desert. Our starting point gave me the opportunity to make the trip into a loop that would cover a large portion of the Mojave Desert mostly through areas i had never seen. Due to how long the days were and what time we were in the places we drove through, this blog is almost more about what i didn't take pictures of rather than what i did take pictures of.<br />
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<i>If the Ivanpah Solar Plant is active you can't miss the towers blazing almost as bright as a welding torch.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxO-Lqs3VM43JNDqnPLjLM5LlXMBt45EQ8dOGshRAF4GVDh5omQiyUz47U4NNMMgHwlfdz4xGQ5i1BD-pkienNL37cOt7Alxx0kEWo04E2JH4inKV7Tr8YxmFDDCQNKSl8kP_/s1600/Borrego-57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxO-Lqs3VM43JNDqnPLjLM5LlXMBt45EQ8dOGshRAF4GVDh5omQiyUz47U4NNMMgHwlfdz4xGQ5i1BD-pkienNL37cOt7Alxx0kEWo04E2JH4inKV7Tr8YxmFDDCQNKSl8kP_/s1600/Borrego-57.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>A shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second reduces high noon to midnight but the tower is still molten.</i></div>
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The first day we drove from Ivins to 29 Palms. That took us from the massive solar array at Ivanpah along a horrible dirt road for about 8 miles and then over Cima Dome, which is about 30 miles wide and covered in the biggest, thickest Joshua Tree forest i've ever seen. No pictures though. Also, no pictures of the adjoining New York Mountains. The whole area is part the of the newish Mojave National Preserve. The NY Mountains also make up the southeastern boundary of Basin and Range District of the Western United States.</div>
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<i>Maree is in the outdoor prison cage. The bars provide cooling shade. I kinda think it was more likely a luggage cage.</i></div>
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<i>The back of Kelso Station, which used to be the front. The station exists because trains had to switch over to hill climbing engines at this point, to get over Cima Dome.</i></div>
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<i>This stone walkway used to go somewhere.</i></div>
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<i>The ticket office is preserved in antiquity.</i></div>
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On the other side of Cima Dome is a historic train station called Kelso. It was very hot there and the sun was at optimum position in the sky for murdering you. From there we drove past the very cool and unpictured 600 foot high Kelso Dunes, then south along the limestone Providence Mountains until we went over a pass where those mountains change into the Granite Mountains. The NY and Providence Mountains are pretty much the same range and used to be called the Sierra de Santa Coleta. I don't know what they were called before that.<br />
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<i> The Granite Mountains</i></div>
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<i>All these rocks are much larger and farther away than they look. Those are trees down there between the rocks and cliffs behind them rise up 2,000 feet.</i></div>
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From the Granite Mountains we descended into an especially desolate basin containing the super cool ghost town of Amboy and the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy%27s_Motel_and_Caf%C3%A9" target="_blank">Roy's Motel and Cafe</a>. Amboy has a current population of 4 and i recently saw Roy's Motel in a horror movie called Southbound.<br />
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<i> The first water we'd seen all day, and it looked like poison.</i></div>
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<i> This was some kind of surface mining in a dry lake bed. There was row after row of these trenches and the network was miles wide.</i></div>
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<i> The basin where Amboy lies looked even more desolate than Death Valley.</i></div>
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<i>Our lodging in 29 Palms.</i></div>
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<i> The back of our lodging at 20 Palms made the front side look like a luxurious facade. I only came back here because Maree said she saw someone walk past the bathroom window.</i></div>
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<i> Our room featured a very loud old air conditioner positioned right next to the bed. It was critical to keep the air conditioner running at all times.</i></div>
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<i>29 Palms looks like a town in Fallout Vegas.</i></div>
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I'd like to return to Amboy on a photo trip but not until winter. For the next hour we drove through a real life Fallout 4 environment (known locally as the Wonder Valley "neighborhood") until we arrived at 29 Palms, where we spent the night in a third world hotel. In fact, most of 29 Palms has a post apocalyptic feel to it (so it's great place for the Marines to train). We went for an evening walk and confirmed this.<br />
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The next day we drove South through Joshua Tree National Park (still no pictures) and took Box Canyon Road through the very interesting and unpictured Mecca Hills to the Salton Sea. Soon after that we were partying in the pool at the Palms Hotel of Borrego Springs.<br />
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<i>Birthday Party! (Photographer Malina Li)</i></div>
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I never thought this would be my third visit to the Palms Hotel, a place in the middle of nowhere i had only stumbled upon less than 10 years ago. But, there's something satisfying about it. I've written about Borrego Springs with it's <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-dragons-and-oasis-of-anza-borrego.html" target="_blank">sculptures and hidden oasis</a>, the nearby semi-ghost towns of the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/salton-sea.html?q=Anza+Borrego+desert" target="_blank">Salton Sea</a>, and our first visit to the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/anza-borrego-desert.html?q=Anza+Borrego+desert" target="_blank">Palms Hotel</a>.<br />
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<i>We went to look at some more sculptures.</i></div>
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<i>A bulldozer converted to a Barbie. I think Jimmy took this one.</i></div>
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<i>Jimmy and Kirk on our way up Hellhole Canyon. Photo by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/evildorina/" target="_blank">Dorina Arellano</a>.</i></div>
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I was kind of surprised Jimmy wanted his birthday there. The first time we stayed he complained endlessly about all the black widows and scorpions he found around his bed. But, even though there is a possibility of death, the hotel has it's strengths. One of those is it's set well out of town, and it's a tiny town. There's also the magnificent pool, and lastly the hands off management policy. There were more or less a dozen of us and we were left to do as we pleased well into the night. Best of all, no kids are allowed. YES.<br />
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<i>On our way into Borrego Springs i checked out the Fonts Point area, to see if it was worth a visit at sunset. It was.</i></div>
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So, we partied hard that first day. The next day many of us were nearly inoperable for much of the day, but we did scrape it together enough to try and go on a hike to none other than Hellhole Canyon. Trying to get a big group together for a hike is hard and we got started too late so we didn't really make it all the way up before it got dark. My other extra curricular activity was the previous evening as i snuck away for an hour to go to Fonts Point.<br />
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<i>The road is 4 miles of what starts off as a fun, broad desert wash but eventually becomes deep sand rising uphill. Not recommended for 2WD.</i></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><i>Just like Hellhole Canyon the next day i left late. People were already climbing up out of badlands and they were having a hard time doing it, so i didn't go down there.</i></span></div>
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Fonts Point is a cool bluff overlook the intricately eroded Borrego Badlands, which are the piled up mud and sand from the ancient shoreline of the Gulf of California. Back then Panama didn't exist so the sediment if full of fossils related to Carribean creatures, because the Gulf Stream was able to flow all the way around Mexico. Fonts Point today is 1,200 feet above sea level but quickly descends 900 feet and from there elevations continue downward towards the Salton Sea, 300 feet below sea level.<br />
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<i> The haze is really horrible down there. Visibility was less than 20 miles so i could not see the Salton Sea or the mountains beyond it.</i></div>
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<i>The whole Salton Sea area looks very similar to the Dead Sea. Coincidentally i just saw a movie trailer for a new Ewan McGregor film called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXt5dKQRn2k" target="_blank">Last Days in the Desert</a>, and it looks like much of the film takes place here.</i></div>
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On the way back we traced our steps back through the Mecca Hills but then began a new route home on Interstate 40. I thought the interstate was bad but when we left it for State Highway 177 the level of bumper to bumper traffic of Californians returning from Lake Havasu/Lake Mead (based on the number of boats) made the oncoming traffic dangerous. Our side of the highway wasn't that bad but there were so many people unpredictably pulling out to pass that there were several accidents.<br />
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Our route home took us past the Orocopia Mountains, the Chuckwalla Mountains, Eagle Mountains, Palen Mountains, Coxcomb Mts, Iron Mts., Little Maria Mts., Arica Mts., Turtle Mts., West Riverside Mts., Big Maria Mts., Whipple Mts., Mopa Range., Stepladder Mts., Sacramento Mts., Dead Mts., Paiute Range, McCullough Mts., Eldorado Mts., and the Newberry Mts. -- all before we got to Vegas. And guess what? They all looked about the same! The only notable ranges were the Highland and McCullough Ranges, which share valleys, the interesting Chemehuevi Mountains (which are only about 15 miles long), and the Castle Mountains.<br />
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It's weird to see so many small ranges in only 250 miles. It seems more like they are large individual mountains buried in their own detritus, except for the peaks. In 300 miles of driving from Anchorage to Valdez you would be skirting the edge of the Chugach Mountains for the entire distance. You would see three other ranges over the course of the trip, out your driver side window.<br />
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<i>The Castle Mountains, botanically unexplored until recently. Photo by <a href="http://www.desertreport.org/?p=1261" target="_blank">Duncan Bell</a>. I need to learn more about them.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Borrego Springs, CA 92004, USA33.2558717 -116.3750119999999733.0434182 -116.69773549999996 33.4683252 -116.05228849999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-65193149690817025932016-08-28T12:34:00.002-07:002016-08-28T12:36:00.870-07:00Hell Hole Canyon, Utah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I've noticed that the American West was re-settled and renamed by people with very limited educations/vocabularies. Many of them seem to have only ever read one book, and so the names are repeated all over the map. One bad habit was naming anything that had the slightest negative associations after the devil or hell itself. Everywhere i go i come across Devil This or That or Hell's Whatever. The novelty wears off fast.<br />
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<i>The hike starts at a sandy wash. Distances are deceiving. The wall takes about 45 minutes to walk up to.</i></div>
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Hell Hole Canyon, west of Ivins is one such place. I have heard that it ends in a 30 foot deep pit but although i've been there about 4 times now i have yet to make it all the way to the back. There's a place where i need to climb down a cliff that might be difficult to get back up, so i don't want to do it alone.<br />
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<i>Looking back towards the Beaver Dam Mountains</i></div>
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<i> This tributary must be crossed to get to the south canyon. On another trip this fall i'll head up it.</i></div>
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<i>Spring is a nice time to visit.</i></div>
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<i> We had a hard time getting down right here (it's off the trail) and Kona nearly broke my wrist when i tried to stop her from below during her out of control descent.</i></div>
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<i> There's a nice short section of walking along the water to the narrow portion of the canyon.</i></div>
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<i> When i took Kona and Maree it was already getting hot during the day and we left too late. Kona was very appreciative of the water.</i></div>
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<i> There was a very loud frog here but he was impossible to see. It was the first time Kona had heard a frog and she was mesmerized. It was so loud it was echoing all over the canyon.</i></div>
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<i> There is some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwsG_EzoNt4" target="_blank">amazing video</a> of huge waterfalls cascading down the walls of this canyon during major rain storms.</i></div>
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<i> In the big hole on the left you can see a stone wall. I think it's a modern built wall so i didn't climb over there.</i></div>
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<i> Something got eaten. It's bones were scattered everywhere.</i></div>
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The hike to the canyon begins in a private neighborhood and nearly the first two miles are an uphill trudge through loose sandy scrubland. It can be scorching hot in the summer with zero shade. After that you climb up to where the outgoing wash splits into two canyons. From what i've read the left side canyon ascends steeply and allows access to the top of Red Mountain, something i am definitely going to have to try out in the future. The canyon on the left contains a reliable water source and trickles it's way out into the dry sand where it disappears.<br />
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<i> Shortly after the relaxing pools the canyon changes character and requires frequent climbing. It's not dog friendly past this point.</i></div>
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<i> This canyon flash floods and here you can see on the right where older rubble that once filled the canyon is being eroded back down.</i></div>
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<i>My deepest trip was early in spring so this tunnel of trees was just budding up.</i></div>
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<i> After 20 minutes of slowly climbing up you can look back and tell you are gaining altitude. The canyon seems to be sets of fallen boulders filled up with rubble between climbs.</i></div>
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<i> Some split rocks</i></div>
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<i>The second choke was a more challenging but still fun to climb.</i></div>
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<i> Being from Alaska this first looked like frozen water but it's actually just disgusting water. I thought this was the end of the road but i found a steep scramble through some thorny bushes that climbed along the top of the pool.</i></div>
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<i> My little scramble took me higher than i needed to be. This is as far as i've been. The climb down here is a little risky for a solo return.</i></div>
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<i>The mountain glows for two or three minutes as the coyotes begin howling.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Ivins, UT, USA37.1685907 -113.6794057000000237.067376700000004 -113.84076720000002 37.2698047 -113.51804420000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-43428623652229795452016-08-14T11:28:00.000-07:002016-08-14T11:40:25.036-07:00Introduction to the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The first truly new area i've discovered since moving to Utah has the long unexciting name of the "Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness." Southwest of Ivins are some plain looking mountains typical of what you might see anywhere in the Mojave Desert. Driving up into them, however, reveals a complicated geography that the Zion Historical society describes as "a zone of tortured rock variously called "the transition zone" between the Colorado Plateau structural province and the Basin and Range structural province.<br />
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<i>The mountains harbor the northernmost significant stand of Joshua trees in the United States, part of which is preserved as <a href="http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/st__george/blm_special_areas/national_landscape/wilderness/joshua_tree_national.html" target="_blank">Joshua Tree National Natural Landmark</a>.</i></div>
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<i>Looking down at the tilted plates of rock towards the settlement of Beaver Dam.</i></div>
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This tilted block of the earth's crust includes numerous layers of rock varying in age from just 2 million years ago to 1.2 billion years stretching across multiple episodes of mountain building. Right in the middle of the range the Virgin River has carved out the Virgin River Gorge dividing the range into the Beaver Dam Mountains on the north and the Virgin Mountains on the south. Elevations range from 2000ft. to 8000ft.<br />
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<i>The higher slopes experienced extensive fire sometime before i arrived, leaving vast open areas to walk around in. Unfortunately that killed a massive number of Joshua Trees.</i></div>
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<i>To the north is enigmatic Square Top Mountain, which is visible everywhere and reminds me of an Indonesian Volcano. I have not been there.</i></div>
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Apparently in Utah and Arizona "Wilderness Area" simply means you can't find retail businesses within the boundaries. You will find plenty of roads, heavy equipment, active strip mines, gas lines, tons of livestock, a major interstate and many many power lines. I don't know about other local wilderness areas but i haven't seen any large wildlife in the Beaver Dam Mountains other than deer. In fact, the Shivwits Paiute Reservation that overlaps the mountains is a much better example of wilderness, but i'm not allowed to go there.<br />
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<i>You can see the ground littered with tree corpses. Now is a nice transition time where the ground is revegetated with short grasses but not overgrown with bushes.</i></div>
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<i>Views to the East are of the Hurricane Cliffs and the large steps of the Colorado Plateau.</i></div>
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<i>The mountains still get hot in summer but in spring they feel great and offer a lot of aimless wandering around, and in winter they get snow.</i><br />
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I saw these mountains on the map but the a google search brings up universally bad pictures of the area and the internet is largely empty of any detailed information on the mountains. That's exactly the kind of place i enjoy going.</div>
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<i>Higher up there are pitted limestone peaks (above) and surprising limestone canyons (below). Both are covered in interesting holes that tease the promise of caves.</i></div>
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<i>Coming back out of the mountains this awesome vista looks different every time i see it. There are a couple of major eyesores, including a mining warehouse and a more distant gas compressor factory that is too hard to see at this scale.</i></div>
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<i>One sunset i thought this looked just like a Cherub from an old map blowing the wind and clouds out of his cupped hands. Either you see it or you don't.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Washington County, UT, USA37.027553844763418 -113.9705200865864836.926182344763419 -114.13188158658647 37.128925344763417 -113.80915858658648tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-48571183632655344662016-07-30T20:13:00.000-07:002016-07-30T20:13:36.462-07:00Avalanche on Kolob<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My friend Jeff helped me move from Alaska to Ivins. In early March it took us a week to drive a 21 foot U-haul and my 4Runner through Canada to Edmonton and then finally south through Montana and Idaho. We drove through several snow storms, saw tons of wildlife in the Yukon, and almost died in Calgary.<br />
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<i> The South Fork Canyon as seen from the road.</i></div>
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<i>Early on there was a cool trickle of a high waterfall on a steep slope of slickrock.</i></div>
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<i> Just after that was a high dome in an overhang and it appeared water was coming through the top. The trees were thick in the rough terrain so it was too hard to go see if there was an actual hole through the roof.</i></div>
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<i>Out of the trees you could see another overhang above the first.</i></div>
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<i> To get to the interesting portion of the canyon you have to ascend an ancient landslide.</i></div>
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It was extremely interesting to me on a personal level because when i travelled that road so many years ago it seemed like i was about as far as i could get from civilization. This time i felt perfectly at home through the timeless emptiness of Kluane, the Yukon River area around Whitehorse, the endless forests that finally break into the barren mountains above Muncho Lake (i really need to get back to Muncho Lake in summer), all the way until we exited the Northern Rockies and i began to see ranches, fences and powerlines. It was at that point that i began to get uncomfortable, knowing i was kissing wilderness and my sense of freedom goodbye. By the next day when the narrow bumpy two lane road split into a 4 lane divided highway Jeff was probably feeling better about things.<br />
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<i>On top of the landslide there was a lot more snow. The afternoon sun was melting these trees out <span style="background-color: white;">of</span> the snow. Three of them broke free and popped up into the air while we stood there.</i></div>
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<i>We found a sidewalk of sand that made navigating the trees a lot easier.</i></div>
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<i> There were many signs that something weird had been going on. Here was a whirlpool pattern of and and debris. Some kind of unusual flooding had occurred.</i></div>
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<i>There was also a lot of this. Being from Alaska i am very familiar with these patterns. They are leftover tunnels of muddy water that had been flowing under a compressed layer of snow. When the snow melts away it leaves the choked tunnels behind.</i></div>
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We were pretty fatigued by the time we were done driving and had unpacked the truck. Jeff wanted to go to something fun before he headed back home, and he certainly deserved it so we went to Zion to go hiking. Although i was so used to driving all day every day that i was kind of in the mood to continue driving all the way to Bens' house in Panama, i was, at the same time, not at all in the mood to do any driving at all, especially to some road that might be choked with tourists. So, instead of dealing with the main part of Zion i thought a visit to the Kolob would be a good introduction for Jeff. I think it worked out well because he wanted to bring his girlfriend along for the Zion trip but she wasn't able to make it, so i figured the Kolob would give him a good taste of the park without spoiling the wonders of the Eastern portion of the park. </div>
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<i> As we got farther back snow covered the whole floor of the canyon and all the treetops were seriously damaged.</i></div>
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<i> The ground was completely covered in branches.</i></div>
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<i> It looked like an avalanche had pummeled the trees from above.</i></div>
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<i> Some icicle drip holes about 8 feet deep.</i></div>
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As i said, i was legitimately fatigued, so we chose something easy. I had never been down the South Fork of Taylor Creek. I found out there was an unmaintained trail a ranger had made decades ago that gets you back into that canyon, and the length seemed perfect.<br />
<br />
There are a number of things for me to do still in the Kolob and i'll talk about the geology there later in another post but for now i'll mention we had a bit of a hard time breathing because it is over 6,000 feet high when you start hiking and we were not used to the altitude.<br />
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<i>A stream had carved a mini canyon through the ice.</i></div>
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<i>Rock climbers.</i></div>
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<i> Not far beyond the rock climbers the canyon pinches off.</i></div>
<br />
The hike was just right. It was pretty warm already in the sunlight but we encountered nice cool snow in the shadows and after a short steep section the canyon leveled out, eventually pinching out. When it pinched out it looked like you might be able to put on some crampons and climb up a steep snow chute but it was already late enough in the year that the snow had turned into a thin hollow shell and water melted out from below. In the back we met nice rock climbers.<br />
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<i>About a month later i returned to to Kolob for sunset due to an unexpected visit from my old friend Bret. Looking at this view i realize i'm going to have to climb up to that flat area below the pillar sometime (although the better picture is probably from right here).</i></div>
</div>
Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Washington County, UT, USA37.450822554331985 -113.1900787353515637.425610554331982 -113.23041923535156 37.476034554331989 -113.14973823535156tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-83926739979961980422016-07-16T18:45:00.000-07:002016-07-20T05:45:06.786-07:00Winter Water in Zion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahIhtf_YYELs2Zvmk-MiKjegA9EGcAoRiaWlRLDsgu7qVwyKl_MFbdXvSqSzUSY13PKusmUQPhkA2fRKvYwuNh9cQc0Rzz9a0h-ftiSx3ycGjxJD9jJVSSlDjmbHRxkLwJYCY/s1600/ZWinter-blog2016-26+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahIhtf_YYELs2Zvmk-MiKjegA9EGcAoRiaWlRLDsgu7qVwyKl_MFbdXvSqSzUSY13PKusmUQPhkA2fRKvYwuNh9cQc0Rzz9a0h-ftiSx3ycGjxJD9jJVSSlDjmbHRxkLwJYCY/s1600/ZWinter-blog2016-26+copy.jpg" /></a></div>
Before i decided to move to St. George i made several trips down here, to Grand Junction, SLC and Denver looking at other businesses. If i had time i tried to do something fun along the way. So this past winter i was able to do my first winter hike in Zion.<br />
<br />
There had been a big storm a few days prior. When i got there snow
was still wherever there was shade. The air temperature was perfect for
exercise. I didn't have any big plans so i decided to go to an area i
went to last summer with my friend Jimmy to the south wildlands above
Paranaweap. I saw on the map there was a point of cliffs that went much
farther out into Paranaweap Canyon than the promontory we explored in
summer, so that was my goal. <br />
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<i>More snow than Alaska had at the time.</i></div>
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<i>That morning the pools were all frozen.</i></div>
<br />
I also took a different
route to see if we could have improved out last trip but i can't really
say i found out anything conclusive. I really would have to retrace the
entire second half of that hike and i wasn't in the mood for that. When i
got over to the south side i was disappointed to see that the
promontory i wanted to hike out to was not only much steeper and
irregular than it looked on the map, but was also covered in a lot of
snow and ice in the shady cliff areas i would have to climb around in.
It wasn't worth the risk.<br />
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<i>I was supposed to venture out onto the promontories left of center but there was a lot of snow on them.</i></div>
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<i>The second area i visited was a ridge Jimmy explored last year but i came in from the north and there was still more snow than i wanted to see in the steep shadows. So i moved on.</i></div>
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<i>Slick ice on slickrock is, uhh, slick.</i></div>
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<i>I think it was while i had lunch here in perfect weather that i re-experienced how i used to feel working in Zion years ago. It was here i my decision. A place of solitude i had enjoyed long ago, forgotten, and discovered again. It was what was behind me that made me remember, but i'm not showing that.</i></div>
<br />
That idea went out
the window pretty fast. I decided instead to check out another
promontory to the north, but again, when i got to the critical terrain i
found untrustworthy signs of snow. So, i spent a lot of time wandering
slowly north along the edge of the flatter lands just looking at how the
terrain dropped off to the south, looking for interesting things to
check out during safer conditions. Eventually the day wore on and i
headed back into the East Canyon via a different stream drainage.<br />
<br />
I
was glad i did. The one benefit of snowstorm was that all that snow was
melting and the valley i was in actually had flowing water in it! Very
unusual. The trickle of a stream had filled up a lot of pools that made
for some fun attempts at pictures. I was already running out of daylight
so i couldn't dally very long but i did remember the area vaguely from
decades ago. It made me realize that although i've been up nearly every
canyon in Eastern Zion most of those memories have faded enough to make
it worth the time to do everything over again.<br />
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<i>I came back from the more barren wildlands to this cool hidden valley. After a string of failures it was the perfect way to wrap up the day.</i></div>
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<i> </i><i>I found a flowing stream and decided to follow it the rest of the way.</i></div>
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<i><i> Looks reptilian.</i> </i></div>
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<i> </i><i>The forest began to thin out and i got back into open slickrock.</i></div>
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<i>The stream led to a staircase of drop pools full of dark waters.</i></div>
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<i>The last hole was deep and near the edge of a cliff high above the road. It had another old memory inside it.</i></div>
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<i>I definitely remembered being here 20 years ago. These holes carved in the walls are from an old set of wooden boards pioneer ranchers used to dam up this big water pocket.</i></div>
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<i>Classic Zion: climbing all the way down a long ridge to find out you can't make in or out of the last 25 feet. I had to backtrack and climb up over another ridge into the neighboring watershed to find a way back to the road. From there it was quite a walk back to my car.</i><br />
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Zion National Park, Utah 84737, USA37.2982022 -113.0263004999999911.776167699999998 -154.3348945 62.820236699999995 -71.717706499999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-18431996806155785572016-07-06T09:53:00.000-07:002016-07-06T10:34:42.093-07:00My New Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you've watched enough David Attenborough documentaries you may have noticed that the most interesting places are in Transition Zones. The beach is the easiest transition zone to describe, the place where the land meets the water. Everybody loves the beach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>To the South is the incredible Virgin River Gorge and beyond that is Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Transition zones all over the place. They are interesting because they tend to have a mixture of the flora and fauna from different defined areas, giving them a greater diversity of plant and animal life than the regions that happen to be overlapping. Ecological mixing zones often go hand in hand with geologic or geographic transitions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Dawn over a New World.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent a year and a half looking for a new place to live that could match the spectacular scenery and open lifestyle of Alaska but I knew i wasn't going to find anything that didn't also come with that same heavy toll that living in Alaska incurs. Initially i considered Montana, Oregon, California, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Hawaii. Over six months i narrowed it down to just Utah, Colorado or Hawaii. I even made a bid on a business in Hawaii and came very close to moving there, but i was scared i'd get island fever pretty quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Sunset from an area i have been spending a lot of evenings in.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Walking around my neighborhood. In Ivins, Red Mountain dominates the scenery.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made another bid on a business in Denver, and met with an owner of another in Colorado Springs. I decided in the end that there was no way to even come close to the mountains in Alaska, except maybe in Montana which had similarly long winters, so i started focusing on what Alaska lacks, which is a lot of spectacular desert scenery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Climbing above the Santa Clara River.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Looking into the Shivwits Paiute Reservation.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Snowstorms blanketed Pine Mountain every week in April.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Colorado Plateau, in particular, is my favorite desert area. It's both a blessing and a curse that hardly anybody lives there. The only cities of any size are Grand Junction on the East side and St. George on the West side. I spent time looking at options in both cities and eventually made an investment in St. George. Now i live in Ivins, a few miles to the west.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Red Mountain glows warm in front of Pine Mountain snow showers.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>To the North, up near Cedar City, the road climbs to well over 10,000 feet onto the Markagunt Plateau.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Snow Canyon is right next to my house.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEini85DZxmGo_nqv06F9DBkhADcxf1aqQAF1qLpLBh1jrs51XQQC3ifxqNUfLpfrUzUAm68sBVghYTTUKOmBJy5cc_ADpkPVcX8biSVwI4cmFqttjWfReagwbt-WNXyApe1_ZSc/s1600/Hellhole-blog-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEini85DZxmGo_nqv06F9DBkhADcxf1aqQAF1qLpLBh1jrs51XQQC3ifxqNUfLpfrUzUAm68sBVghYTTUKOmBJy5cc_ADpkPVcX8biSVwI4cmFqttjWfReagwbt-WNXyApe1_ZSc/s1600/Hellhole-blog-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>So is Hell Hole Canyon, which is far more pleasant than the story out of the mouth of whoever named it. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The St. George/Ivins area is in a transition zone. Here the Colorado Plateau, the Mojave Desert, and the Basin and Range Desert all overlap. Subsequently there is a fantastic mixture of animals from Gila Monsters, Desert Tortoise and Circus Beatles in the St. George and Mojave areas to Moose, Antelope, Black Bears and Mountain Lions </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in the Dixie National Forest </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">just a short distance North.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJQt4gk1ut_Jwk0iiCRvyO6nrwtfgw8NUm2uFtwVWY4nj7i7U3L2X3xKh2UmdE6xbgTBHb7I-E03Zl8Znj9bhRbb9xjRd4DEv-KLgAyY2nv32cuQaZl4jeVH24KH_pLpDLWQ2/s1600/UtahInto-blog-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJQt4gk1ut_Jwk0iiCRvyO6nrwtfgw8NUm2uFtwVWY4nj7i7U3L2X3xKh2UmdE6xbgTBHb7I-E03Zl8Znj9bhRbb9xjRd4DEv-KLgAyY2nv32cuQaZl4jeVH24KH_pLpDLWQ2/s1600/UtahInto-blog-24.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Looking towards the Beaver Dam Wash Mountains.</i></div>
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<i>For a few brief minutes right at sunset Red Mountain glows.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>To the West are the harsh basins of the Mojave Desert at elevations of 2,000 feet all the way down to below sea level.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In terms of plant life we have palm trees in St. George and Ivins. In my experience that is as far North and East as they go in Utah. We also have Joshua Trees, various cacti, Red Ocotillo trees (in town), and fragrant desert bushes that smell like they'd work well as incense or even spices. To the north and at higher elevations are Juniper Forests leading up to Aspen and Spruce groves. There is even a Sequoia Tree somewhere on the side of Pine Mountain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Geographically i'm within a few hours drive of an impressive amount of parkland:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zion: 45m</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">North Rim, Grand Canyon: 4hrs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bryce: 2hrs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vegas: 1.5 hours</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lake Mead: 1.5 hrs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lake Powell: 2.5 hrs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Escalante River: 3hrs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Capital Reef: 3.5 hrs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Great Basin NP: 3hrs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Los Angeles: 6 hrs (verified)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pretty impressive, and that doesn't count any monuments, preserves, forests, state parks or public lands. So hopefully that will keep me busy for a while. I've got a lot of exploring to share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And of course to the East, visible even from St. George, there is always Zion. I've already been there 6 times since i moved here.</i></span></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Ivins, UT, USA37.1685907 -113.6794057000000237.067376700000004 -113.84076720000002 37.2698047 -113.51804420000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-18913846065750796152016-06-19T18:17:00.001-07:002016-08-05T16:21:54.318-07:00So Long, Alaska, And Thanks For All The Fish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZefDBiZK92RCJ0CLIuzkyoKxuurqI0rEWyl-PwBQJN-v_Vq1D4NYB1fdB-ERDR4RNX3qBsDe0QG6dyZEhUUMPeKnpRxLA0f_0Gj8pCLU0SWsMeLjqdePB6YkkIKCsnIrfs7mw/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZefDBiZK92RCJ0CLIuzkyoKxuurqI0rEWyl-PwBQJN-v_Vq1D4NYB1fdB-ERDR4RNX3qBsDe0QG6dyZEhUUMPeKnpRxLA0f_0Gj8pCLU0SWsMeLjqdePB6YkkIKCsnIrfs7mw/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-250.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The show is over. The stage is empty. There are no more stories to tell. I'm leaving Alaska. I'm already gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's been with a heavy heart that i've written these last several blogs. A few months ago, after years of deliberation i left my home of nearly 15 years for some place with shorter winters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It wasn't a quick decision, it was a long time coming. I've never been a big fan of winter, instead enduring the cold snow and darkness for up to 7 months a year while waiting for the brief summers, when i would jump into a flurry of activity. But all that waiting, aside from my long distance winter vacations, took it's toll over the years. I was always aware i could be outside doing the activities i enjoy for far more months of the year if i lived somewhere else. Most of my activities outdoors in Alaska would occur during just two months of good summer weather and a month of fall. If the summer ended up being rainy, or on fire, or if i had a major injury, then i could, and did, wait all that time for almost nothing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8ONuD90qDvpysjDSOHcd7b9oifITflvcqOipAUOJaBxwW-I0JbGZ0WEJwoxr7yefJMdHOUUIBknfT70pzOEk6esAzIEnKJ1SttmH7JtA7iTX8OGNjF_lnBBD0Y8bexqcWkJD/s1600/AlaskaL-475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8ONuD90qDvpysjDSOHcd7b9oifITflvcqOipAUOJaBxwW-I0JbGZ0WEJwoxr7yefJMdHOUUIBknfT70pzOEk6esAzIEnKJ1SttmH7JtA7iTX8OGNjF_lnBBD0Y8bexqcWkJD/s640/AlaskaL-475.jpg" width="424" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started my life in Alaska shooting negatives and color slides, like this slide from near the Alaska Yukon border along the Top of the World highway. This was from 2002 or 2003.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChm2jggKxP4emVuEVN57GNERhK3E-eg6UQNeqiGQYRnWT2FtC6JahYR5SECCq0SF_a7ttEl1sGWM2_sRnEKI5RzPBM3SBiUmShUKUpEhZhLnLwEjo5-UPLf362Hy4Z811NYvP/s1600/AlaskaL-481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChm2jggKxP4emVuEVN57GNERhK3E-eg6UQNeqiGQYRnWT2FtC6JahYR5SECCq0SF_a7ttEl1sGWM2_sRnEKI5RzPBM3SBiUmShUKUpEhZhLnLwEjo5-UPLf362Hy4Z811NYvP/s640/AlaskaL-481.jpg" width="554" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A slide from our back yard. The baby was about 3 hours old! That was a good day.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrFx4GaPA327hoDnSSvpgFA7860CBpnZMeD9qk8MGvq5fHfcD-9Ed-VD5rL6Ee7mKa_7lxAd644ayE8Nb_kvEgnHoQlk5mpubc5-inusytS_96n91A45702msS5llhiGkIhgu/s1600/AlaskaL-479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvrFx4GaPA327hoDnSSvpgFA7860CBpnZMeD9qk8MGvq5fHfcD-9Ed-VD5rL6Ee7mKa_7lxAd644ayE8Nb_kvEgnHoQlk5mpubc5-inusytS_96n91A45702msS5llhiGkIhgu/s1600/AlaskaL-479.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Grizzly Bears tear apart a Caribou in Denali National Park and embed themselves permanently into my nightmares. That was back then, in a tour bus with a shaky hand.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEDhfu2mwLv-7qmPYbfpjOB2U2n4EsAWgYoE3fNnYFSb89wxupqpbDxS-gxgCi9AwVs02Rcz2p0zE3vaIYX_yHkbRHhuat_IVXGTEWNfoTiRzwGaLgH0Y5Cp_v2SqXmm16kcb/s1600/AlaskaR-465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEDhfu2mwLv-7qmPYbfpjOB2U2n4EsAWgYoE3fNnYFSb89wxupqpbDxS-gxgCi9AwVs02Rcz2p0zE3vaIYX_yHkbRHhuat_IVXGTEWNfoTiRzwGaLgH0Y5Cp_v2SqXmm16kcb/s1600/AlaskaR-465.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/wild-alaskan-salmon.html?q=fish+pictures" target="_blank">This is now</a>, with patience and the knowledge of where to go find the animals at the right time in the right place. The bears are still there though, always nearby.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The fear behind the Game of Thrones catchphrase "winter is coming" is a very applicable statement in Alaska and other far north lands of the Earth. Every summer with it's nearly limitless daylight seems like it will last forever but every September, like clockwork moving too fast, the sun and temperature plummet relentlessly. Mushrooms spring up and leaves turn yellow long before anything like that is justified.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_0HJzyTO8perLHfatravOlbXQaUusqcmgzfrgjVoFFMcZgvgcw-4c5UttjGgBMeU5z01JrJ8Xg0Q2UV-L_lfH-ey7knFwF57yR_KA38e31MeEISfKXcrPlEcZ4QnK-DcT15t/s1600/AlaskaL-482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_0HJzyTO8perLHfatravOlbXQaUusqcmgzfrgjVoFFMcZgvgcw-4c5UttjGgBMeU5z01JrJ8Xg0Q2UV-L_lfH-ey7knFwF57yR_KA38e31MeEISfKXcrPlEcZ4QnK-DcT15t/s1600/AlaskaL-482.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A slide of Twenty Mile Valley, during my second Fall. I always meant to take this again digitally, or take it every two years to trace the melting of the glaciers. Shouda coulda woulda, didn't.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcxEeA6rmCpEWTI3E3ALJslF7a9MvSU2hU8L5AmWIRWbIzEQJy59S2TSflnjHVvGW8mQVrjTE3KtfOHrzCFxL8ztvzqGjHTOLZHkjST7-wcVMd48othVDu9FKOAIZJOUwkaoB/s1600/Alaska-9-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcxEeA6rmCpEWTI3E3ALJslF7a9MvSU2hU8L5AmWIRWbIzEQJy59S2TSflnjHVvGW8mQVrjTE3KtfOHrzCFxL8ztvzqGjHTOLZHkjST7-wcVMd48othVDu9FKOAIZJOUwkaoB/s1600/Alaska-9-2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>One of my first good digital pictures, i'd always meant to come back years later and do it better. But that never happened. I think the longest rule it took me to learn in photography was that things are never the same. </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_JzTj-9jEkA3WziTOqIS7rxtgcUCsDXS06fexRt8DVDeOb8tSarL9QNgGSbz6NV7RTwLue6Izr-pvESZ7agFXJwXkWAW9fvyGE68DjQw99NzQ-p_BGQcogw_DCNdYCo81hvh/s1600/Alaska-13-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_JzTj-9jEkA3WziTOqIS7rxtgcUCsDXS06fexRt8DVDeOb8tSarL9QNgGSbz6NV7RTwLue6Izr-pvESZ7agFXJwXkWAW9fvyGE68DjQw99NzQ-p_BGQcogw_DCNdYCo81hvh/s1600/Alaska-13-2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Another photo with the same issue. <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/snowbird-glacier.html?q=Snowbird+Glacier" target="_blank">Snowbird Glacier</a> isn't exactly easy to get to but it's well worth the effort. This composition was always flawed to me, as i had my back up against another one of these large boulders and couldn't maneuver. But i never made it back and the glacier has melted tremendously since then. This was a great day, one of my favorite hikes.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrNP4hs8oW4S3p0j_QiX1TXp1htXarclWCuclZibhR8CDQgYxzstjOPdpQTM1I5ztXN8GuWdgmcw7KfG7uudunMUk_5AbKQtCwCEut9hL7iV2s2M8dlgVq6eGcOtRc2e5chbe/s1600/Alaska-100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrNP4hs8oW4S3p0j_QiX1TXp1htXarclWCuclZibhR8CDQgYxzstjOPdpQTM1I5ztXN8GuWdgmcw7KfG7uudunMUk_5AbKQtCwCEut9hL7iV2s2M8dlgVq6eGcOtRc2e5chbe/s1600/Alaska-100.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Back in the first years i would often just drive Alaska's roads and take pictures from pavement. I had no knowledge of what was around me, and the internet still sucked back then.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruGKmhcWxHxqDRcuLMBeDD8nz-s7sG55UikFiUJLaSkJi7SQJUBegUUImzGT52Qr4FXstX8IuYuDCI-OAhRZgHLpSTozBiS9fwZZVQ_taEaV7SzUJ9aKIlwhXGbsg1xHLfEWw/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruGKmhcWxHxqDRcuLMBeDD8nz-s7sG55UikFiUJLaSkJi7SQJUBegUUImzGT52Qr4FXstX8IuYuDCI-OAhRZgHLpSTozBiS9fwZZVQ_taEaV7SzUJ9aKIlwhXGbsg1xHLfEWw/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-262.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <i>Slowly i got better. Slowly. Maree in the Talkeetnas.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO29sSs5tf8pVFqC4X6OvZlHserhlpDMtIcTEemgh4C1omitfiefhZgLil7exD9CjWejxM0eVnIk4_CdPLkTmg_pX9765azAdlBRWLh174LKnTmEDFWVXzWWg3vm3zbOsYpUW/s1600/AlaskaL-480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO29sSs5tf8pVFqC4X6OvZlHserhlpDMtIcTEemgh4C1omitfiefhZgLil7exD9CjWejxM0eVnIk4_CdPLkTmg_pX9765azAdlBRWLh174LKnTmEDFWVXzWWg3vm3zbOsYpUW/s1600/AlaskaL-480.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I slowly got better, and one year when i realized a ridiculous pink sky looked a lot nicer against a green forest than a brown sky full of forest fire smoke i decided to build a web page for myself. That was still before this blog.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1413wiobkbeOOp0P2Mam5GtpbCC1u0difl6fl3Xyn19jymog8NUMFmqC6mwuLVOy0Ur7JVXl-QNIzJLh2EKqrh_UoMyfZHRPU2BRaRTNOTuQ4kIn25LdOgnWHHXlGys3OETl/s1600/Alaska-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1413wiobkbeOOp0P2Mam5GtpbCC1u0difl6fl3Xyn19jymog8NUMFmqC6mwuLVOy0Ur7JVXl-QNIzJLh2EKqrh_UoMyfZHRPU2BRaRTNOTuQ4kIn25LdOgnWHHXlGys3OETl/s1600/Alaska-46.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Years after that my friends started asking if they could make large prints of familiar landmarks. This picture of Carpathian Peak is different than most precisely because i ventured away from the road, even putting on chest waders so i could get as far out in the water as possible without submerging my tripod mounted camera. This picture looks good 4 feet long. A web browser doesn't really work for it.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So after 15 long winters i'd really begun to dread it, and started thinking of other places to be. The timing worked out well. Alaska's corrupt bumbling government began to destroy the economy, health care costs skyrocketed, due also to that same government and arbitrary accounting. My dog died, i got burned out on my job and sold my business, i got older and older and the places i wanted to go in Alaska got harder and far more distant, time intensive and expensive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I lived in Alaska for over 1/4 of it's history as a State, several times longer than the average Alaskan resident. So what did i do for all those years? The pictures on this blog are a look back at some of the things I did, some of the places i went, and some of the things i remember fondly. Some are photos i'm proud of, some are just good memories, and my favorites are when those two categories overlap.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23Mxy97Cmyuq5zF39m132IXVrZqck93Cb1-rYCUuDd9_dOmIM35SLMZ-he6Oe2yydZ0t_zlyaDSzMv7WPeZMXNFGkJPxu1j9Dz1WmdgLdsDefJJ0Jc2_vUtSrvrnt3vyUEfo6/s1600/AlaskaL-483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23Mxy97Cmyuq5zF39m132IXVrZqck93Cb1-rYCUuDd9_dOmIM35SLMZ-he6Oe2yydZ0t_zlyaDSzMv7WPeZMXNFGkJPxu1j9Dz1WmdgLdsDefJJ0Jc2_vUtSrvrnt3vyUEfo6/s1600/AlaskaL-483.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>One thing i did is visit a lot of places that no longer exist, like this gigantic historic gold dredge north of Fairbanks. Vandals burned it down a few years ago.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUumqmqbZ9ZZLnzJzN-GJXVQkGwcGlBhKCY12YuSxRxBLUkJ4he5DMtGdPzYxxrKnvS6Y0uyg18rIeZRN3KW5CagpU33fhq-zs9Jt-2Bbrgox8edwjj-8Z53jEg9Cnrw7LnK-6/s1600/AlaskaR-466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUumqmqbZ9ZZLnzJzN-GJXVQkGwcGlBhKCY12YuSxRxBLUkJ4he5DMtGdPzYxxrKnvS6Y0uyg18rIeZRN3KW5CagpU33fhq-zs9Jt-2Bbrgox8edwjj-8Z53jEg9Cnrw7LnK-6/s1600/AlaskaR-466.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I harassed sad monks on icy glaciers.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHl8_aFJrZtTeXlPGJ-97JHzSmi8U-M_omUJvna7JV9fZJl1vGUb9fBZWEybeouQHyUzsk-K2_Gesl905pCTsdnNrAeVuQ09OgLfdR7PQsYV6CooHIo5PgcV_VO0tCdkMSq6Z/s1600/AlaskaL-484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHl8_aFJrZtTeXlPGJ-97JHzSmi8U-M_omUJvna7JV9fZJl1vGUb9fBZWEybeouQHyUzsk-K2_Gesl905pCTsdnNrAeVuQ09OgLfdR7PQsYV6CooHIo5PgcV_VO0tCdkMSq6Z/s1600/AlaskaL-484.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I learned how to fly a plane. I went into debt for years because of it. You really shouldn't be taking pictures while on final approach.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXP8gQpkaI6lvnb0Vw3vPT6tbUJ46JImYGdK2jDlGSSuWOPelyjR5_vfqvvPQSy5mNWoRdsK-JVazTpEU5LmjQG5ywRnME7IjuCRuD5weWNijG8o7TCwMwev7txv_3zxAM9Sg/s1600/Alaska-124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXP8gQpkaI6lvnb0Vw3vPT6tbUJ46JImYGdK2jDlGSSuWOPelyjR5_vfqvvPQSy5mNWoRdsK-JVazTpEU5LmjQG5ywRnME7IjuCRuD5weWNijG8o7TCwMwev7txv_3zxAM9Sg/s1600/Alaska-124.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZc6HRv4Vl5MKjSYkIWoRUvXJrckTFSpOu24UnJ_7-Gm07VAS8btvkKhyub49zeqIIL_YiBkWCICj7fNkkXssxwkGSUilURM8dINLMrOMISt90072DMpjLevgyvtNqlr-WUaX/s1600/Alaska-117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZc6HRv4Vl5MKjSYkIWoRUvXJrckTFSpOu24UnJ_7-Gm07VAS8btvkKhyub49zeqIIL_YiBkWCICj7fNkkXssxwkGSUilURM8dINLMrOMISt90072DMpjLevgyvtNqlr-WUaX/s1600/Alaska-117.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I learned how to take <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/beginner-tips-for-car-pictures.html?q=car+pictures" target="_blank">pictures of cars</a>.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwi_hzJLak1CAEkN_k3eLLKH0mmyUADQO6FEaQ1kH-Oikqgul7pMuS-7kqcQYdblDkcTlkwaJohaw4Nw7nB1RaztBaWyTn-lGzeSAJReZdAG3av1U_2SJANKYMidTsJGEmwEow/s1600/Alaska-14-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwi_hzJLak1CAEkN_k3eLLKH0mmyUADQO6FEaQ1kH-Oikqgul7pMuS-7kqcQYdblDkcTlkwaJohaw4Nw7nB1RaztBaWyTn-lGzeSAJReZdAG3av1U_2SJANKYMidTsJGEmwEow/s1600/Alaska-14-2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I flew threw some of the most spectacular mountain ranges on Earth.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDddxuaX14c-ZYVjLeLOp9kphSPic0GSUcTrH7uk96bMtzmKo8I4jADnX9eIdrXbAnOLtBOTNzs23nN9yFMl8g1rpZ2uztOSaHUbWr9h9tnn6kQ6NTWAKwttG_6JOdCn9_sMem/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDddxuaX14c-ZYVjLeLOp9kphSPic0GSUcTrH7uk96bMtzmKo8I4jADnX9eIdrXbAnOLtBOTNzs23nN9yFMl8g1rpZ2uztOSaHUbWr9h9tnn6kQ6NTWAKwttG_6JOdCn9_sMem/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-400.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>And i tried to pay attention to the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/weird-fall-fungus.html?q=macro+photography" target="_blank">little things</a> too.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYuGEuJE1QFi4-cTIRwnNU4hTaHkIGyjhNIdU2O6g9USHv61M4Fj_RpcPJkst5S34KOAN4tvsld4Jmg5rl6FSPiTfZSNMM1SJfLHqqLUhRIQxwsy7dR0aai7xR5qcFqfpud9c/s1600/Alaska-103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYuGEuJE1QFi4-cTIRwnNU4hTaHkIGyjhNIdU2O6g9USHv61M4Fj_RpcPJkst5S34KOAN4tvsld4Jmg5rl6FSPiTfZSNMM1SJfLHqqLUhRIQxwsy7dR0aai7xR5qcFqfpud9c/s1600/Alaska-103.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Too infrequently i tried to give my friends a taste of the wilderness.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPZbDXGLARXu1FYums3YagxaE44K7D2cY43agdUu97p84_m1QQ0-LMRt7QTxRpo1YvKNlUduSdtHdsRDzNwnWspBy4EZ-Pw0Pcl0YRxvg-a1ARNXN68Eul83C76m6UhO0dhuN/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPZbDXGLARXu1FYums3YagxaE44K7D2cY43agdUu97p84_m1QQ0-LMRt7QTxRpo1YvKNlUduSdtHdsRDzNwnWspBy4EZ-Pw0Pcl0YRxvg-a1ARNXN68Eul83C76m6UhO0dhuN/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-247.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i>I wish i could have shown my friends a lot more, like the almost endless expanse of the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/harding-icefields.html?q=the+harding+icefields" target="_blank">Harding Icefields</a> (some of these links are to posts so old they no longer format correctly and i haven't fixed it yet).</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Rh0G-WZ8zZJidinqsIvBUB8UipG9HWFtGwc3yY-sYLCrzwc2zZhWOjabGX5Gnt8XmIJrAj_hWRBH3Bhl9Ox6SybpGKdNb410JYXfW4axU_eGnjrFE_V3Qn6AaJNeYyO4TwLS/s1600/Alaska-35-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Rh0G-WZ8zZJidinqsIvBUB8UipG9HWFtGwc3yY-sYLCrzwc2zZhWOjabGX5Gnt8XmIJrAj_hWRBH3Bhl9Ox6SybpGKdNb410JYXfW4axU_eGnjrFE_V3Qn6AaJNeYyO4TwLS/s1600/Alaska-35-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I took pictures of birds in the sky, like this <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2014/07/homer-alaska.html" target="_blank">Eagle with two Ravens </a>on it's wing.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/kenai-fjords-national-park-2013.html?q=Kenai+fjords+national+park" target="_blank">Mammals in the sea</a>.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sheep in the mountains</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RBtI-8-mA4-PxTtn6bc7pQ4AIdYaqMkoFSYfs5GqD-Kls_nUawi5OQ_j3vztorgl8MpqUlYjilKc8fzr58LXcgDpBkgK11nm0ALOBX-5gNRKeNSddFcu_ityDdpajcCbxuAQ/s1600/AlaskaL-450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RBtI-8-mA4-PxTtn6bc7pQ4AIdYaqMkoFSYfs5GqD-Kls_nUawi5OQ_j3vztorgl8MpqUlYjilKc8fzr58LXcgDpBkgK11nm0ALOBX-5gNRKeNSddFcu_ityDdpajcCbxuAQ/s1600/AlaskaL-450.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Fish underwater.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzpb4gXEYVw_W7GAloJobnp_lHeqJBQbvxnsKsFm1ILmTg4mZXaXxD9ayO7j1lrpmPCqIBbMKdOfMmPvo531R6qwdUgDLlPiC8A4bIYkyYSsguPxj35ZLC1QpyXOh3JgofbZv/s1600/FisherMontage-FLAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzpb4gXEYVw_W7GAloJobnp_lHeqJBQbvxnsKsFm1ILmTg4mZXaXxD9ayO7j1lrpmPCqIBbMKdOfMmPvo531R6qwdUgDLlPiC8A4bIYkyYSsguPxj35ZLC1QpyXOh3JgofbZv/s640/FisherMontage-FLAT.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I spent many many great days with Fisher, the best dog i'll ever have.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When i moved to Alaska, (three days after 9/11) I had no job, no girlfriend, no pets and could fit half of everything i owned in the back of my truck. What i did have was an old Canon A-2 with two lenses, a new EOS-3 (with eye-control!) and a tripod that i carried around all over the place (i almost never carry a tripod around anymore). I was so poor i debated over every shot because i could barely afford to develop the film. You can't get very good if you have to debate every shot, so I wasn't a very good photographer. Occasionally i would end up with something nice. <i>Atom's Picture Blog</i> did not start for another 5 years, a few years after i had moved to digital photography.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I finally did switch to digital i was able to mess up as much i wanted and that allowed me to slowly get better. I was always debating whether or not i was really getting better or it was just the unbelievable scenery of Alaska that made my photos look good. It was both. But i did get better, and eventually i started getting paid to take photos. So this post also has another section lower down about my paid work, which i never talk about on this blog.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMBa36_krBqqLOPFqsjFdmjfPF7aJnM3TMENzHBe3PmoZWzVEzgJ6LrpsebLyiJeJ1ot4QQkM0xkb_EL5YJKTe5vs8GElVf7eNK50EQ30spqCRGvlMUaRPn7eBBiFiExHhdEF/s1600/Alaska-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMBa36_krBqqLOPFqsjFdmjfPF7aJnM3TMENzHBe3PmoZWzVEzgJ6LrpsebLyiJeJ1ot4QQkM0xkb_EL5YJKTe5vs8GElVf7eNK50EQ30spqCRGvlMUaRPn7eBBiFiExHhdEF/s1600/Alaska-1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The reflecting pools of <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/sheridan-glacier.html?q=the+harding+icefields" target="_blank">Sheridan Glacier</a>.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL751oYJLNxgsU3_SEjTnBjrlZyU_PUwgUhhF9OrkZlNeC5Cz2o92iWJ3npra_px7xmN4sWZs64LBCsWQnP3N2KADT9ThMrnorsbDvPaCz90Rs03t-Pt0IZm1dqKIv-bD2wo4/s1600/Alaska-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivL751oYJLNxgsU3_SEjTnBjrlZyU_PUwgUhhF9OrkZlNeC5Cz2o92iWJ3npra_px7xmN4sWZs64LBCsWQnP3N2KADT9ThMrnorsbDvPaCz90Rs03t-Pt0IZm1dqKIv-bD2wo4/s1600/Alaska-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/cordova-alaska.html?q=Cordova" target="_blank">Cordova</a></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeKJiEcyFb1q4eSVsQqPk3qOvM9Lr5R7XqqHX1pxXanXojXW92rUB-YzqSGf3NeHN2FZj0v9QdhnyU1hakxze_gRJe1rnm9dcyddooUPqU_9Cwuvlxrv5epgqW_TOb_pUsZs3/s1600/Alaska-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeKJiEcyFb1q4eSVsQqPk3qOvM9Lr5R7XqqHX1pxXanXojXW92rUB-YzqSGf3NeHN2FZj0v9QdhnyU1hakxze_gRJe1rnm9dcyddooUPqU_9Cwuvlxrv5epgqW_TOb_pUsZs3/s1600/Alaska-24.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The high Talkeetnas.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lush creek in a hidden canyon. A real find.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_isaUvS4DIlmqsrpHHkeKU3nOsMDzZU_0kkEWEdgjAaGify-PDBIKQPVrGYDnYKJLU5-8G-iseC10LGigON9FBJvLjlgYy5XI-JE7Y4sTdJmDrJd2sMuUzFVxBnP941ojlRR/s1600/Alaska-11-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_isaUvS4DIlmqsrpHHkeKU3nOsMDzZU_0kkEWEdgjAaGify-PDBIKQPVrGYDnYKJLU5-8G-iseC10LGigON9FBJvLjlgYy5XI-JE7Y4sTdJmDrJd2sMuUzFVxBnP941ojlRR/s1600/Alaska-11-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My infamous time at <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/escape-from-blackstone-bay.html?q=blackstone+bay" target="_blank">Blackstone Bay</a></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gBDPhWpLM3MqJ7LIX3w9QpsBkGy5Hqkcm5GmS2ruKLf5T53sMTGaiDASOIcNUYmke-ThxRA4rXiaQ12kqnRT4mGxz4jgZGlIAsgDoZsBVMkEx5UxLfaE7oMnsn0VMFJSegzk/s1600/Alaska-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gBDPhWpLM3MqJ7LIX3w9QpsBkGy5Hqkcm5GmS2ruKLf5T53sMTGaiDASOIcNUYmke-ThxRA4rXiaQ12kqnRT4mGxz4jgZGlIAsgDoZsBVMkEx5UxLfaE7oMnsn0VMFJSegzk/s1600/Alaska-23.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maree on our first trip to the Matanuska Glacier. None of these formations exist anymore.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJBp5bC7WHGj0uzVBI0_tcsUf8CMNG4dDcMWiIUTsmmLm5E-t9Ur5ad77xOH6CtdFEyBInlJrtHcmewvoqE45Tuc_5naHeCAQNMfSrK7AW1j-wleWZtoaS0C5azP1a3dLBeLh/s1600/Alaska-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJBp5bC7WHGj0uzVBI0_tcsUf8CMNG4dDcMWiIUTsmmLm5E-t9Ur5ad77xOH6CtdFEyBInlJrtHcmewvoqE45Tuc_5naHeCAQNMfSrK7AW1j-wleWZtoaS0C5azP1a3dLBeLh/s1600/Alaska-26.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>A timeless location high above treeline.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9spcBnyCHmfjp2NfZiX_wmIAXZ_WgB_PVuems1hoWD0i-Q75NFw_b0M-YLhat1wVoIpDWLDTeaMHcK_HevKqD2bYiAUnF9Qs0vmQkwiz3fcP77_jCLCtV0co5vE7qkUO3AvY/s1600/Alaska-29-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9spcBnyCHmfjp2NfZiX_wmIAXZ_WgB_PVuems1hoWD0i-Q75NFw_b0M-YLhat1wVoIpDWLDTeaMHcK_HevKqD2bYiAUnF9Qs0vmQkwiz3fcP77_jCLCtV0co5vE7qkUO3AvY/s1600/Alaska-29-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-misty-fjords-of-passage-canal.html" target="_blank">The coastal forest</a>.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIk07Es96Zcj9rjkzk2LKIBB71FqYtEi2gDxaBHph-Rvz8xUTjMkrL4vVIRDGQ0Oeh4qKY4p8GvCwJDu3dOtrVs3aZIO62S6gbD-9Rn63blcOrt5QUUkOEcAFoEasZQZg2ytJg/s1600/Alaska-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIk07Es96Zcj9rjkzk2LKIBB71FqYtEi2gDxaBHph-Rvz8xUTjMkrL4vVIRDGQ0Oeh4qKY4p8GvCwJDu3dOtrVs3aZIO62S6gbD-9Rn63blcOrt5QUUkOEcAFoEasZQZg2ytJg/s1600/Alaska-33.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Near the Pioneer Cemetery in <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/skagway-and-haines.html?q=skagway" target="_blank">Skagway</a>.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm5H6oCPp6hsGTiOjGPeGPezXwyYvDEF610oA-OXDINx_ySIF1aHSZwOWCaabDgEJf6qS71698jA3-22Ly1Q21cUZSfWrjpbEv5XYu8CNI_eXiMgVaoy6ClatU4Mfoj0X3H5b/s1600/Alaska-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCm5H6oCPp6hsGTiOjGPeGPezXwyYvDEF610oA-OXDINx_ySIF1aHSZwOWCaabDgEJf6qS71698jA3-22Ly1Q21cUZSfWrjpbEv5XYu8CNI_eXiMgVaoy6ClatU4Mfoj0X3H5b/s1600/Alaska-34.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I think this was built in 1899.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DmTUoF4FT_LzlwMyxnp2F5H9QPHCFnYwBuglLR7pgKA2kw5iP1txW41mpUDWpsbj2GmkpalnAPEB4W7JKmZ6DUDqKBmjli_SvUYnvg9YIXqLdLI9yJmsB7TB4IHVWd7d-nBQ/s1600/Alaska-37-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DmTUoF4FT_LzlwMyxnp2F5H9QPHCFnYwBuglLR7pgKA2kw5iP1txW41mpUDWpsbj2GmkpalnAPEB4W7JKmZ6DUDqKBmjli_SvUYnvg9YIXqLdLI9yJmsB7TB4IHVWd7d-nBQ/s1600/Alaska-37-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Hiking with Kona.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfeaLmyEqDv7RrF_1Laenr_U3NC8G0FJQayyTUvJzAgT-ulUadjEqGauyOeBIeDKqszw5f2fNKAJRdI23J1Ygmdaqy_XpDedrMreWuYuH2AOgxqwE8EGdtnsKk0-2oKE75xlX/s1600/Alaska-133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfeaLmyEqDv7RrF_1Laenr_U3NC8G0FJQayyTUvJzAgT-ulUadjEqGauyOeBIeDKqszw5f2fNKAJRdI23J1Ygmdaqy_XpDedrMreWuYuH2AOgxqwE8EGdtnsKk0-2oKE75xlX/s1600/Alaska-133.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I am going to miss the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/alaskan-fall-of-2013.html?q=fall" target="_blank">Fall season</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Sunsets in <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/seldovia.html?q=seldovia" target="_blank">Seldovia</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Land of the Lost</i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NReqsR-lPTiu1Hwo77ka4qZ0MXsaGK8HWGqJtMPSFb_0QaO51iqRJA4OslYJuNCjXbmx4ucEEaPJgHPONTnmisksNsEX2ebGyTCPMmIlFy8tRw-EQ_Yd6QUhpsyuoajOHCgF/s1600/Alaska-141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NReqsR-lPTiu1Hwo77ka4qZ0MXsaGK8HWGqJtMPSFb_0QaO51iqRJA4OslYJuNCjXbmx4ucEEaPJgHPONTnmisksNsEX2ebGyTCPMmIlFy8tRw-EQ_Yd6QUhpsyuoajOHCgF/s1600/Alaska-141.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-subcontinent-wrangellia.html?q=The+subcontinent+wrangellia" target="_blank">Wrangle St. Elias</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the last year you may have noticed my post subjects have been bouncing around all over the country. I was searching for another job and feeling out places to live in the Insignificant 48, or Outside as we more commonly call it up there. BUT IT WASN'T EASY!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've lived on the edge of civilization, in The Last Frontier, for so long it's changed who I am. My needs have changed. My perceptions of space, time and distance are completely different. My definition of wilderness is completely different. My standards for freedom, fish and air quality (to name a random few) are completely different than they used to be. My perceptions about wildlife are much deeper and thoughtful. From the perspective of someone who's lived next to pristine, unpopulated wilderness for so long, the lower 48 States appear to be an overpopulated, nearly lifeless patchwork of owned land and fences obscured by heavily polluted air with barely a trace of real wilderness.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA6pMFEjpRoND26LKpSdaoP3L9oqcWyrsjY46YogBAySblyISet4mH-H9fYbEv08dPzSNkYnRZ1NZ6wEudPyzkLbE3iEct4iYxsvsX8bGvZAkXXxZZmVOIAdDPxPXwoMuwBOL/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA6pMFEjpRoND26LKpSdaoP3L9oqcWyrsjY46YogBAySblyISet4mH-H9fYbEv08dPzSNkYnRZ1NZ6wEudPyzkLbE3iEct4iYxsvsX8bGvZAkXXxZZmVOIAdDPxPXwoMuwBOL/s640/AlaskaL-blog2016-404.jpg" width="516" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/symphony-lake.html?q=symphony+lakes" target="_blank">Eagle Lake</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't take enough pictures in B&W.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHblFD78Ig1RMelT4QUqBxvXPkgSLBCsmlq3O40kOjNobSa1hJJwFKnLK5VkxOu7G9qEk-knPOSAeWG4pLZartM5kZYfNviN_CLB0eDy4vGVaGOhtGMe0Qey5fLD7TioRxwJrP/s1600/Alaska-6-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHblFD78Ig1RMelT4QUqBxvXPkgSLBCsmlq3O40kOjNobSa1hJJwFKnLK5VkxOu7G9qEk-knPOSAeWG4pLZartM5kZYfNviN_CLB0eDy4vGVaGOhtGMe0Qey5fLD7TioRxwJrP/s1600/Alaska-6-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Gigantic snow scallops above Whittier.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>The Arctic</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdH5KAQoX8Zc9HyX3cbPwQ3EvmtOkqpQ6BxKG_O0Rwy8rvtVgVEIEbFRLhCnI5fRGKgZnbAxt5L1v7IA66j_m5FfkoJ3E8jzAPFyQSy0qHce26SY2AvJYnU3-MwA8E7KAekOZ/s1600/Alaska-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxdH5KAQoX8Zc9HyX3cbPwQ3EvmtOkqpQ6BxKG_O0Rwy8rvtVgVEIEbFRLhCnI5fRGKgZnbAxt5L1v7IA66j_m5FfkoJ3E8jzAPFyQSy0qHce26SY2AvJYnU3-MwA8E7KAekOZ/s640/Alaska-31.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Surprise Glacier</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRixQmGDidP9Rxf1ST_CRi5vPX4vq7dmzmC1QWYT4Xsx6oq42Xw7HV2RzTZS0MFd5QFzrvkPNQPR6vChyGorvjGrhsAo6cgfJC7otKr_IdUs0N1Iib5C4zu_hXMFzhXn2Nn9_D/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRixQmGDidP9Rxf1ST_CRi5vPX4vq7dmzmC1QWYT4Xsx6oq42Xw7HV2RzTZS0MFd5QFzrvkPNQPR6vChyGorvjGrhsAo6cgfJC7otKr_IdUs0N1Iib5C4zu_hXMFzhXn2Nn9_D/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-403.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Sheridan Glacier</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/chain-lakes.html?q=Chain+lakes" target="_blank">Mountain Storm</a> of Autumn.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_JfTnU4ott9GN9k1iO9R8YmtknUEaUWWA4AtfZguaI7Cj7l9m0SB7Yg8leCBJXXP89Y0sSFPheCEKkYbDJxZAuuADAwS1eKXnnnsBkEKXdKnM3L_mSqCuUBV9QcHqhbwzzAF/s1600/Alaska-48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_JfTnU4ott9GN9k1iO9R8YmtknUEaUWWA4AtfZguaI7Cj7l9m0SB7Yg8leCBJXXP89Y0sSFPheCEKkYbDJxZAuuADAwS1eKXnnnsBkEKXdKnM3L_mSqCuUBV9QcHqhbwzzAF/s1600/Alaska-48.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/ice-caves-of-spencer-glacier.html?q=skookum+glacier" target="_blank">Spencer Glacier</a> and lake.</i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahAzkQGpCGS4q8-JIvDEQAu1OoCtXIEZw2Z9EqdGkXLxze1_-IXT8qJLFl0Ewu_OUsHR7MJ46t9Phyphenhyphen7a8sZIi2C5ojN4fWwuAJuxQCIx1Qx4WL20T63YCFBvid758a5eW8uMs/s1600/Alaska-107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahAzkQGpCGS4q8-JIvDEQAu1OoCtXIEZw2Z9EqdGkXLxze1_-IXT8qJLFl0Ewu_OUsHR7MJ46t9Phyphenhyphen7a8sZIi2C5ojN4fWwuAJuxQCIx1Qx4WL20T63YCFBvid758a5eW8uMs/s1600/Alaska-107.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>A huge waterfall pouring out of ice cliffs at <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/return-to-blackstone-bay.html?q=Return+to+blackstone+bay" target="_blank">Northland Glacier</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, I'm not quite ready to leave the continent. Early this year i made a risky commitment, and in March we sold our house and i drove that long Alaskan Highway back to America. The drive was incredibly scenic and full of wildlife. The road is much improved since the last time i was on it, and the journey itself was worth a blog post. The only problem was i was in such i hurry i didn't take any pictures.</span><br />
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<i>Land Rovers are lost in the expanse of the North Slope. The Pipeline snakes along its 800 mile journey from one ocean to another.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I want to wrap this up with a few pictures of the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/arctic-ocean-i.html?q=Arctic+ocean" target="_blank">Arctic</a>. Nothing in Alaska has made as much of an impression on me as those treeless lands.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9mWAvhaEaMJkd2z2fR79Cu88f9ZF9lNEmWGNeik_YTpcftezApIbIFnOKM-MG0m8U-RHJUSyz7ThxTzMT6UC01oEhAPX40aHtQ94HObqjnLajRT4KAJa3tV1RoJiYElwedhG/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9mWAvhaEaMJkd2z2fR79Cu88f9ZF9lNEmWGNeik_YTpcftezApIbIFnOKM-MG0m8U-RHJUSyz7ThxTzMT6UC01oEhAPX40aHtQ94HObqjnLajRT4KAJa3tV1RoJiYElwedhG/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-217.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>A stream winds out of a desolate valley in the Brooks Range. I had meant to go hiking up here to the next valley but the weather was not good.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7wKL_giQmG8g7FPTus7qDKtnMkJssgCP_rcUtNSCh6uwjmJVTLPJh8DWBjAFyNB8hsC4w_pVlSnHyK-biNnDZKaTX0Tn3oCpG88v8DmGsiGcrRPRb6OpjezN1fRmfkyxq9XG/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7wKL_giQmG8g7FPTus7qDKtnMkJssgCP_rcUtNSCh6uwjmJVTLPJh8DWBjAFyNB8hsC4w_pVlSnHyK-biNnDZKaTX0Tn3oCpG88v8DmGsiGcrRPRb6OpjezN1fRmfkyxq9XG/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-210.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of all the animals i've seen wild herds of Musk Ox were the most special. </span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwMMD6GdLvuqfUMT_meA0OIc4P3mG1PuQ1v5LN61Mgon5tmpuGr6dUQz6_UUtpy6VRTHkYlLbblhsCeZMa5jLB0fzsrFFuOHFE8GGQo2JtKp3NrWVqa1B-pAjOb0YAQgjuCBl/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwMMD6GdLvuqfUMT_meA0OIc4P3mG1PuQ1v5LN61Mgon5tmpuGr6dUQz6_UUtpy6VRTHkYlLbblhsCeZMa5jLB0fzsrFFuOHFE8GGQo2JtKp3NrWVqa1B-pAjOb0YAQgjuCBl/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-212.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Musk Ox nearby, the threat of a far wandering Polar Bear, the endless sunlight, (pictured here near midnight) and the endless expanse of the Brooks Range, devoid of any sign of man and almost of any life at all. The effect transports you out of this world and into prehistoric ages.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ix1u4yYHQ6R1Q28mOy7OEAlASzlR_Fr1blk_6aWxhZ5pdgFFq5g7s__eAkukQGP5RpDGadK5fjca3IH3WRXi0eRI2_RyfuwDpY2S2845Es2vTH0FkHk2YD8P7uUh8PuS09WO/s1600/AlaskaR-456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ix1u4yYHQ6R1Q28mOy7OEAlASzlR_Fr1blk_6aWxhZ5pdgFFq5g7s__eAkukQGP5RpDGadK5fjca3IH3WRXi0eRI2_RyfuwDpY2S2845Es2vTH0FkHk2YD8P7uUh8PuS09WO/s1600/AlaskaR-456.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, i just want to know, did i mention bears?</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47xYv_Nw2e3S7edpx7Hj2-iKme6uZkwqd_9FNA88bdXUDGvOyK0Wl813iQu1OchUibckQIdZj8FRhDNGd1bK_4sZmTWgycHTxtQnNUNAomL_Aozam_feRVTmbvg0n2sLeDH5Q/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47xYv_Nw2e3S7edpx7Hj2-iKme6uZkwqd_9FNA88bdXUDGvOyK0Wl813iQu1OchUibckQIdZj8FRhDNGd1bK_4sZmTWgycHTxtQnNUNAomL_Aozam_feRVTmbvg0n2sLeDH5Q/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-207.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So long Alaska, i'm just not going to live long enough to see all of you.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Stuff That Isn't On This Blog</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Believe it or not i have actually done photography as a job! I've been doing this blog for 10 years but i don't think i've ever talked about my professional photography. I've occasionally been published in various newspapers, books and magazines, both online and print. I've been published in various States throughout U.S.A., Canada, Panama, China and England. I've had my photos stolen by Italy, Russia, Spain and yes, Wall Street. I've been recognized by the Associated Press, National Geographic and even had a few of my photos purchased by the video game company Capcom for use in some mobile Resident Evil game that i never even saw.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems like i took thousands of pictures of successful people doing something silly.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, it's hard to make a living as a photographer and build wealth, especially if you're like me and won't go near a wedding even it's your close friend's, so I only ever did it part time. During the years that i struggled with other jobs i depended on the photo jobs. Good thing to be able to fall back on. Work is work though, and during the few times i actually felt busy with photo work, i enjoyed it less. My passion has always been exploring, and photography was something i became skilled at during the journey. It was necessary to communicate what i'd seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This blog has always been about my travels and non-professional interests, but since i've left Alaska it seems appropriate to show some of my Alaskan jobs for hire. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsW0wE42_T8K-IDhGPO0Pk0JCNuDMC-FBRG2I6JHAA8GEgTgxj_qGz6UPziSEnwNGDhrBiWrQocK3-J8duatUeqVVeT5JMO9c5igTkxJs75MVqT1tatwAHz6eELdeoxzFopev/s1600/Alaska-38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTsW0wE42_T8K-IDhGPO0Pk0JCNuDMC-FBRG2I6JHAA8GEgTgxj_qGz6UPziSEnwNGDhrBiWrQocK3-J8duatUeqVVeT5JMO9c5igTkxJs75MVqT1tatwAHz6eELdeoxzFopev/s1600/Alaska-38.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pictures for tourism.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I got to listen to the The United States Airforce Band of the Pacific. They are really good.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>I took pictures of our troops and their families.</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent a great deal of time taking pictures of the hard working men and women who build Alaska.</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My favorite jobs have always been getting access to places you are normally never allowed to go, like the inside of this new power plant in Ft. Wainwright.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Working on the turbine inside a new powerplant in Anchorage, which turned out to be a bit of a ripoff for residents. The company told the media the new plant would save a ton of money because it was so efficient then spiked rates after it went online.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inside a big water tank under construction. The only was in was through a small hole in the roof and down a rickety 40 foot scaffolding.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dFv-E8RlQc4yBdQ07Wfh3F1MPh8HhnAui7pKe8i8DIbc8276SdnibBlPSu1AuA2ZYBsxDYjkEiLWf4MdM0OKrNsxv9Gt1V78Y4p-mfDQVsAbszJRLo8eGoyWa07hWfw-zSJY/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dFv-E8RlQc4yBdQ07Wfh3F1MPh8HhnAui7pKe8i8DIbc8276SdnibBlPSu1AuA2ZYBsxDYjkEiLWf4MdM0OKrNsxv9Gt1V78Y4p-mfDQVsAbszJRLo8eGoyWa07hWfw-zSJY/s1600/Alaska-blog2016-256.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Using a fisheye lens made it look like a dyson sphere or a space mine.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIsduPAzX5lkslcX8qjEz_DD1KRyh8BjeVOyeiWIzxUCDKU0QilCt2ycy9_gV9k7c2sYwxuUXmOuhFUrhCZ1ECKDTFWvGbActXcAz8hqWqqkVWfniZXiJlDU0bBOqF259hzap/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIsduPAzX5lkslcX8qjEz_DD1KRyh8BjeVOyeiWIzxUCDKU0QilCt2ycy9_gV9k7c2sYwxuUXmOuhFUrhCZ1ECKDTFWvGbActXcAz8hqWqqkVWfniZXiJlDU0bBOqF259hzap/s1600/AlaskaL-blog2016-237.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A big crane dumping a lot of coal into a very big truck.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got to live out my dream of riding around in one of those very big trucks.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I even got paid to take pictures of the President of the times.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For a few years i did a lot of 360 VR. Unfortunately i was a bit ahead of my time and most people weren't interested until i'd moved on to other things. I like this crazy projection for one that i did for the Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts.</span></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Alaska, USA64.2008413 -149.493673330.380544799999996 127.88913919999999 90 -66.876485800000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978190.post-23045560496645636942016-05-25T11:31:00.000-07:002016-05-25T11:52:24.494-07:00The Bear at Bird Ridge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'd have thought i would have made a post about Bird Ridge many years ago. It's one of the first places most people end up finding out about when they move to Anchorage. I've been up there before, of course, but i never made a post about it, so it's now or never.<br />
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One Labor Day i woke up on an unforecast sunny day with no plans. Sleeping late and caught off guard i threw together a loop hike to the top of Bird Peak, down from there to visit the lake, out to Ship Lake Valley and back over Indian Pass. It would be a long hike but i thought i was in shape for it and i figured Bird Ridge is so close i would make up my lost hours of daylight by not having to drive anywhere far off. Years ago my hike from <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/ship-lake-traverse.html" target="_blank">Glen Alps to Indian Valley via Ship Creek</a> brought me very close to the lake below Bird Peak (i could see halfway there). It annoyed me that i didn't have time to go see it.<br />
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<i>A map of my track. My original route would have continued up to the top of Bird Peak, labeled on the map as "Bird Ridge Overlook". Then i was going down to the lakes below the peak and out towards the letter G. Once there i was going over to the letter H completely skipping the hated letter U. From there i would be on the familiar route over Indian Pass where i would find the trail to the Ocean. </i><i>That would have been a long day, especially for the fall. Even the shortened route i did ended up being close to 5,000 feet of elevation gain and 14 miles round trip. So that's what it looks like on paper, let's see what it looks like in Alaska.</i></div>
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<i>Up there is the usual turn around for a trip up Bird Ridge. In the hazy distance on the left is Bird Peak, where i was going.</i></div>
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<i>Once i got past the point i saw no other people the rest of the day.</i></div>
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<i>A panorama of Turnagain Arm from the top of the ridge.</i></div>
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Something was wrong with my metabolism on that day. I felt fatigued and sluggish with no energy. I figured the merciless 3,500 foot climb up the first two miles would kick me into gear. I was very sad when it did not.<br />
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Kona was sluggish that day too. In fact it was the day i first realized she is a very lazy dog. It was hard for me but she was lagging far behind, and acting so put upon that other people started to comment about it. It's embarrassing to have such a poor mountain dog. She's supposed to motivate me.<br />
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<i>A long view of the ridge i was walking leading to Bird Peak. There was a lot more up and down than i had noticed on the map.</i></div>
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<i>Looking down Penguin Valley.</i></div>
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Once i was on top of the ridge i saw good news and bad news coming up next. The good news was i had 4 miles of walking along the ridge top with spectacular views. The bad news was that in my haste of throwing something together i did not notice that the ridge regularly rises and falls hundreds of feet on the way to the peak.<br />
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<i>Much of the time the trail was a little below the ridge top, possibly for protection from the wind.</i></div>
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<i>Looking over at the glaciers on west side of Crow and Raggedtop Mountains. Crow pass is just on the other side. Closer, hanging valleys empty into Bird Creek.</i></div>
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<i>I had a good view of many of the well known mountains of the western Chugach. To the Northeast: The high mountain is Calliope Mountain (i think) which harbors the Flute Glacier. The distant snowy peak is <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/symphony-lake.html?q=symphony+lake" target="_blank">Eagle Mountain</a> and the bell shaped distant mountain to the right is Mount Beelzebub, which sits in the middle of the Eklutna Icefield. Views like these help me complete my mental map of the mountain range.</i></div>
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<i>The back side of Penguin Peak and the rest of mountains along Penguin Ridge. My super fit neighbor bushwacked that hike once and he said it took 12 hours. To the Southeast Carpathian Peak dominated the skyline. To the right of that, a peek at the <a href="http://adamspictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/escape-from-blackstone-bay.html" target="_blank">Blackstone/Trail Glaciers' icefields.</a></i></div>
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So for a few more hours it was up and down and the whole day i felt sluggish. But the views were spectacular. A weather system began moving in slowly and diffused the sunlight. After a while of being focused on getting to the top i lost track of time and when i snapped out of it i realized i was not going to have enough daylight to complete the loop.<br />
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On this trip I actually brought a map! I sat and looked over my options. What maps do, though, is give me doubts, and before i knew it i was talking myself out of option number three. So i opted for a little backtracking and then went walking straight down the side of the mountain to the bottom of Indian Valley.<br />
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My plan went great. We meandered diagonally down across expansive tundra meadows. When we made it into the trees i immediately found a huge trail. it was obviously a bear trail, but it was the biggest bear trail i've ever been on. It was as wide as a sidewalk and maintained better than an official Alaskan parks trail.</div>
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We were making incredible time. It seemed like we would be to the bottom of the valley in only an hour from the time we turned around.</div>
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<i>If Option #1 was to stay the course, then Option #2 was to turn around and go back the way i came. I hate backtracking. It would have been twice as far as this picture, taken in the middle of the trip.</i></div>
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<i>I still had a few miles to go and it was getting late. I went just past the top of the slope covered in red tundra, just right of center. Beyond that was option #3.</i></div>
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<i>Option #3 looked awesome. I was to head towards this flat yellow tundra area and attempt to climb down the wall behind it, which i could not see. But the map suggested it was as steep as the cliffy green wall on the other side of the cirque. That was very steep, and as tired as i was i didn't feel up to negotiating that kind of terrain, especially with the dog. It's better to go up that stuff than down.</i></div>
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There's only one problem with bear trails. Well maintained bear trails are maintained by bears. I was well aware of that so i was making a whole bunch of noise the whole way down. But that did not prevent me from running into a large grizzly. I don't know if that bear was deaf but it was being very quiet and we came face to face about 30 feet from each other. The bear was going up and i was going down. Kona charged at it so i yelled at her and the bear took off away from us.<br />
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So, i was extremely frightened for a few minutes. The trail had forked and the bear took the fork over the steep side of mountain, down towards a nearby stream. That made my choice very easy. I took the other fork. Soon after the trail forked again, and again, each time becoming less defined.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9EvtqVvgHZs8LeZMMRwEfBc_0zJk2J_jAA73HUiwZ3gdI5fTNi4J5Sh6y2kp_X9GXENboyIq1A4mJu-jYIrtht0NbWgu8fINyd9CCVcPqEq4HCmzxYIcMyjoyPhzO85T1aZb/s1600/BirdRidge-blogL-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9EvtqVvgHZs8LeZMMRwEfBc_0zJk2J_jAA73HUiwZ3gdI5fTNi4J5Sh6y2kp_X9GXENboyIq1A4mJu-jYIrtht0NbWgu8fINyd9CCVcPqEq4HCmzxYIcMyjoyPhzO85T1aZb/s1600/BirdRidge-blogL-32.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>I decided on Option #4: After backtracking a while we would traverse these nice looking steep meadows to the bare ridge. We would follow that down to the thick spruce. The forest appeared to go all the way to the valley floor where i would look for a way to fjord Indian Creek without getting my feet wet. This would be great because i would be able to avoid any alders. The alders are all the lighter green patches around the stream in the lower right and absolutely all over the mountainside across the valley. The diagonal line cutting across the mountains is part of the Powerline Pass trail, which is a great bike ride.</i></div>
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Eventually the trails i had chosen to follow disintegrated in confusion. A few more yards and we found out why. I dont' know if it was a hurricane force storm or what but the entire forest had fallen over and died in an immense pile of wood. We had hit the wall, and i wasn't going back over to the bear. I'd already worn out my lower body climbing almost 5,000 feet. Now we were only 300 feet above the stream, but it took an hour of continuously working out my upper body to get through that last 300 feet. We climbed along logs, weaving between branches, slid under steep sections of debris, crawled though others, fell through some, pushed through some more. I was getting dangerously fatigued by the time we got though it. Kona was fatigued too. She had screamed a couple of times when she got stuck or poked.<br />
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I bet that bear took the good trail.<br />
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By the time i breached that circle of Dante's Hell the stream was only 50 feet away. That was the worst bushwacking i had ever done in my life. It nearly broke me. My dog had lost respect for me. The bear was a distant memory. The air at the stream felt ice cold.<br />
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I drank all the rest of the water i had and filled my bottles up again. Kona wasn't around. She had stopped listening at the end. I figured she'd find me and just sat there in the cold. It took 10 minutes. I used the time to pick branches out of my hair. While i waited i studied with dread the slope on the other side of the stream. It was also full of dead trees, and alders, and overgrown end of eternal daylight cow parsnip and stinging nettles. How far up was that trail? I hadn't been on it in 6 years.<br />
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<i>I noticed i had a bit of cell reception so i called Maree to tell her i was going down opposite Powerline Pass, just in case i got mauled by a bear. I even took a picture so they could match the angle. Later i found out the picture never went through.</i></div>
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I was so tired i didn't really care about finding a good place to cross the stream. When Kona showed up i could not convince her that crossing was a good idea. It was like she didn't trust me any more as a leader. So i had no choice but to grab her and drag her through the stream. She struggled, the stream was fast and rocky, and the result of that arithmetic was me getting much more soaked than was justified.<br />
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Then, a miracle happened. As soon as we stepped out of the stream we stepped onto the trail. All the vegetation was so thick that i could not see any sign of it even though i had been sitting 15 feet away from it. Kona could not believe it. Looked like i was a good leader after all, as long as bears didn't force me off my route. So that was it, we were done. Only 4 miles of walking with boots full of water down a trail, then one mile on a dirt road, then a mile down a highway. Anybody could do that. We made it back in the twilight.<br />
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<i>Relaxing on a cushion of Caribou Grass.</i></div>
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Adam Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03003219582396187240noreply@blogger.com0Anchorage, AK, USA61.0667906609745 -149.423950463533460.8204606609745 -150.06939746353339 61.3131206609745 -148.77850346353341