We really enjoyed Canyonlands...Arches not so much. Canyonlands gave Marilyn the mountain goat an opportunity to show her stuff.
You know how sometimes pictures can make things look scary? Well this ain't that!! See the opening between the two slabs? There is about an 8 inch place to step on between the two. It goes straight down for somewhere around forever feet. I didn't even THINK about going out on that ledge! Here is a look at the plateau below. Her vantage point was a little off to the right. That is a road down there. Straight down!
Then there was the big arch we hiked out to...
And a bit of the view down from that perch...you can match up the rocks.
Here is the whole arch. It really is an amazing place.
And more arches...
You have to look VERY closely to see John as the little yellow speck on the right hand side of the arch opening. This is the North Window at Arches National Park. Marilyn stayed below for about 5 minutes of hiking for John to get there first. :-)
These just aren't your North Georgia mountains.
There was desert beauty all around us as we hiked.
And there was an occasional cute little critter. OK, maybe not so cute. But he was little...only a single rattle. We didn't now where his moms was, so we didn't stay around too long.
One thing that continually amazes me are the ever changing clouds. Not sure why, but the shapes can be completely different than anything I've (Marilyn) ever seen. These were just too pretty to pass up. Kind of reminded me of angel wings covering the earth as the sun was going down.
And on that note, we're going to bed so we can enjoy our time over the next 3 days at Mesa Verde. Good night!
Amazing! I've never been to this part of the country and your posts are definitely making me want to visit.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty amazing. I've never been here either and every turn in the road shows me something else. I've fallen in love with the Pueblo black and white pottery decorations. Mom
DeleteAny idea what kind of rattlesnake? I looked and found the western rattlesnake that looks similar. Inventive name, huh.
ReplyDeleteThis was a funny incident. There were a couple of people all huddled on the trail, obviously looking at something. This little rattler was curled up so I don't know how long he was, but was maybe as big around as a pencil so not very old. Everyone was trying to get a picture without moving the rock he was under. One of the guys just went for it and lifted the rock. The snake didn't even move so several of us got great pictures. Turns out the guy was from Fayetteville, GA. Small world no matter where you go! Marilyn
DeleteReally great photographs. Hope you had a powerful lens on the camera when you took the shot of the rattler.
ReplyDeleteMitzi
John says," I had to climb up and over the boulder he was hiding under! Then push some branches out of the way to get a clear picture. However, not to worry. I was never closer than two feet." The man is learning to tell the tall stories of the Southwest. Ha! Ha! M
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