The State of Washington has a population of almost eight million people, and more than half of them live in or near Seattle, the 15th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. There are several things that all those folks have in common: An extremely high cost of living (it’s the 8th most expensive place to live in the U.S.); Mildew in their closets (from the damp, rainy weather); And! When it’s not hidden by clouds, a stunning view to the southeast of 14,411 foot Mount Rainier, an enormous stratovolcano that dominates the horizon, just 59 miles away. This iconic peak is part of the Cascade Range, and the “Ring of Fire,” the chain of volcanoes that encircles the Pacific Ocean.

Seattle Area Highways

Satellite View of terrain © Google; Map of Mount Rainier National Park © N.P.S.

The Ring of Fire is a chain of active volcanoes, including Mount Rainier, that essentially encircles the Pacific Ocean.

It’s a beautiful mountain, especially when seen from a distance, but Mount Rainier is still very much an active, fire breathing volcano. When it erupts again, as it’s bound to do at some point, it will pose a major threat to life and property in the surrounding area. The last major eruption was more than 500 years ago, but there were a number of smaller events as recently as the 19th century, during the early days of Seattle’s modern history.

The biggest danger from the mountain isn’t from pyroclastic lava flows or clouds of ash; it’s from the glaciers that cloak the upper reaches of our nation’s tallest volcano. Rapid melting caused by even moderate amounts of lava would create potentially catastrophic mud flows, known as lahars, that would accelerate down the steep slopes, destroying everything in their path. Warming weather associated with climate change is slowly but surely reducing the size of the glaciers; if that trend continues, the danger from lahars may well be rendered moot. It’s a sad fact that even the oldest glaciers are disappearing, all over the world, and that’s just one symptom of a massive imbalance in our planet’s equilibrium.

The mountain is closely monitored by the Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO), using sophisticated equipment that can detect even the slightest movement of molten rock, deep within the mountain. That, along with various other seismic indicators, provides an early warning of any potential eruption. As many as 80,000 people live in the danger zone; the warning system would give them anywhere from a few days to a week to evacuate. Some people might find that worrisome, but most local residents feel safe enough. Many have lived their entire lives there, for multiple generations, and it’s doubtful that they’d be happy anywhere else.

The potential threat is even less of a deterrant to the millions of people who visit the area every year, many of them all but unaware of the mountain’s sinister side. Most travelers enjoy Mount Rainier for what it is during its resting phase: a majestic mountain peak with a glistening crown of snow, surrounded by a pristine wilderness, where recreational opportunities abound.

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK

Like any major mountain in any part of the world, Mount Rainier has always been sacred to the Native tribes living in the area, and that’s easy enough to understand. It’s an infallible landmark, and the home of mountain gods. It’s also a terrific place to hunt game, harvest wild berries, and gather cedar bark, commodities that were primally important to roving bands of hunter/gatherers. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human occupation dating back as much as 9,000 years, and that’s some seriously deep roots, by any standard.

Captain George Vancouver of the British Navy first observed the mountain in 1792, while surveying the Pacific Coast for the British Crown, and he named it for his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. The mountain had many other names, epecially among the many different tribes that lived in its shadow, but Rainier is the one that stuck. That’s ironic, in a way, because the Admiral had no connection to the area, and never so much as laid eyes on the mountain that bears his name.

Efforts to preserve the pristine nature of the mountain and surrounding forests started early. As far back as 1893, a coalition of scientists, mountaineers, conservation groups, and local businesses, including several large railroad companies started lobbying Congress to make Mount Rainier a National Park. Parks managed by the government were still a new idea at the time, and a conservative Congress was reluctant to approve anything that was likely to cost money.  Rainier’s backers were able to make the case that a National Park in the area would pay for itself in the long run, so in 1899, the bill was passed, and Mount Rainier National Park became the fifth location in the United States to receive the necessary convoluted approval. Today, largely because of its close proximity to a major urban center, Mount Rainier is one of the most popular National Parks in the U.S. system, with 2.4 million visitors annually.

GETTING THERE

From anywhere in the Seattle Metropolitan Area, find Interstate 5, and take it toward Tacoma. Be on the lookout for Washington State Route 167, or SR 512, either of which will take you to Puyallup. From there, take SR 410 through Buckley, to Enumclaw. From Enumclaw, follow SR 410 east, then south for a total of 39 miles, to the White River and Sunrise access road on the east side of the National Park.

Keep going on SR 410, a few miles beyond the White River access road to SR 123, which will take you ten miles further south to Stevens Canyon Road. That’s where you’ll find the Stevens Canyon entrance to the National Park, and a beautiful drive, with numerous overlooks offering extraordinary views of the mountain. You can reach the National Park more directly from Tacoma by following SR 7 or SR 161 south to Elbe, and taking SR 706 east, through Ashford, into the park.

 

Mount Rainier National Park: Area Highways (map © NPS)

If you’re coming from the south, or from the east, look for US 12, which connects to both Interstate 5 and Interstate 82. US 12 passes quite near the Stevens Canyon entrance at the southeast corner of the National Park.

The web of Washington State Highways surrounding Mount Rainier can be confusing, especially for first time visitors. You should always carry good paper maps on any road trip, and you should know how to read them, but this is one of those situations where  there’s no shame in using your GPS to point the way.

Tip: Bold Blue Text in narrative or captions always links to a web page with more information

If the main purpose of your visit is photography, you’re going to need a sunny day, and the weather at Mount Rainier is notoriously fickle, with clouds obscuring the view more often than not, with snow possible every month of the year. Check the weather forecast before you go, and try to pick a day with good odds for clear skies.

The “golden hour” surrounding both the sunrise and the sunset is an ideal time for landscape photography. To take full advantage, stay the night as close to the National Park as possible.

There are two historic lodges inside the park: The National Park Inn, and the Paradise Inn. There are also three campgrounds with spaces that can be reserved: Cougar RockOhanapecosh, and White River.

National Park Inn, Longmire Historic District; open all year.

Paradise Inn, in Paradise; open in summer only

If you’re planning a trip to this, or any other popular National Park, be sure to make reservations for lodging or camp sites as far in advance as possible. One advantage to Mount Rainier over other, more remote National Parks is the availability of lodging alternatives. All of the nearby cities and towns have a wide variety of options; not quite as convenient as the campsites and historic lodges inside the park, but far more likely to be available on short notice.

CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS: 2023 SEASON

Stevens Canyon Road is open on weekends from Friday at 8:30 pm to Monday at 6:00 am and holidays. Closed for construction weekdays from Stevens Creek to Grove of the Patriarchs parking area.

Plan ahead to avoid summer traffic! On busy weekends expect long waits at entrances and full parking lots.

Lengthy delays are likely at the southwest park entrance on SR706 on weekends. Please do not block driveways or roads while in line outside the park.

TIPS FROM AN OLD PHOTOGRAPHER

coolThe automatic settings on modern digital cameras give you properly exposed images, just about every time, but you should resist the temptation to rely on them exclusively. Use aperture priority when you want to manually control the depth of field, and shutter priority when you want to blur or freeze motion. If you don’t have a tripod in a low light situation, don’t be afraid to manually increase the ISO.

coolIf your camera is capable of shooting RAW image files, always choose that option. RAW files give you maximum versatility during post-processing, and can always be converted to shareable jpg after-the-fact.

coolAgain, assuming your camera has this capability, you should always bracket your exposures: take a rapid series of three frames: one correctly exposed, one overexposed by one f stop, and one underexposed by one f stop (most better cameras have an automated setting that makes this very easy to do).  You’ll find that the “correct” exposure doesn’t always yield the best result, especially in tricky lighting situations. (Also, if you ever want to try your hand at HDR (High Dynamic Range) image processing, you’ll need bracketed exposures to get you started.)

coolThe brand name high speed memory cards are more expensive, but they’re built to a higher standard than the discount generics, so they’re well worth the difference. Buy only the best, and always carry plenty of spares.

 FROM MY SOAP BOX:

cool There’s a difference between photos taken for documentary purposes, such as journalism, and photos taken as a means of artistic expression. Documentary photos are WYSIWYG’s (What You See Is What You Get). You don’t “Photoshop” an image that purports to represent an actual time. place, or event. When a photo is “art,” however, the sky is the limit, and modern day imaging software is magical. The “purists” who decline to use it are missing out, and missing the point!

PLANNING YOUR MOUNT RAINIER PHOTO SHOOT

Crowds are a fact of life in our National Parks, and the best way to minimize them is to get an early start. Not everybody likes to get moving before breakfast, but if you’re serious about your photography, you’ll come to accept it as necessary–or at the very least, desirable, because you not only get minimal crowds, you also get some of the best natural light of the day. Personally, I’ve always been big on sunrise photography. I’m fascinated by the whole sequence, from the misty gray dawn, through the first glow on the horizon, to the moment when the bright rays of the sun burst across the landscape and illuminate the scene with a golden glow.

All of those factors duly considered, sunrise is, in my opinion, the best time to begin your Mount Rainier photo shoot, and, as it happens, Sunrise is also the best place for you to start your day in the National Park. I’m talking about Sunrise Point, which, at 6,400 feet, is the highest spot you can drive to on the slopes of this sleeping volcano.

The itinerary that I’m about to describe makes a good day trip. You can take your time, and still cover it reasonably well in six hours or so, all from the road, with no hiking involved. If you’re able to spread your visit across more than one day, that’s even better, because you’ll be able to explore each of these locations in greater depth, taking in some of the trails.

The main point I’m making here is really very simple: by starting in Sunrise and finishing in Paradise, you’ll have good light on the mountain throughout the day. (As long as the weather cooperates). 

SUNRISE

Washington State Route 410, also known as the Mather Memorial Parkway, takes you to the White River/Sunrise Park entrance to Mount Rainier N.P. From the highway, Sunrise Park Road, open seasonally,  winds its way up the mountain some 15.5 miles to the Sunrise Visitor Center and Day Lodge. There are numerous hiking trails accessible from Sunrise Park Road, but you don’t even have to leave your vehicle to enjoy spectacular views of the mountain, which grows ever closer as you climb ever higher on switchbacks.

Getting to Sunrise Point, Mount Rainier National Park

The road to Sunrise climbs into the foothills of Mount Rainier on the eastern side. The volcano is the biggest mountain around, and the treeless upper slopes, cloaked in glacial ice, catch and reflect the full brunt of the rising sun’s bright rays; a spectacle well worth the long drive, and the early wake-up call. My own photos from this drive, in the slideshow above, were taken a little too late in the morning for the sunrise glow,  but the mountain, wearing a jaunty cloud chapeau, is beautifully illuminated against a crystal clear blue sky.

WILDFLOWERS

Summer, even more than spring, is the season for wildflowers in the high alpine meadows on the slopes of Mount Rainier. On both sides of the road, open fields are carpeted with purple, red and yellow blooms. The growing season is short, so the flowering plants live their lives in a hurry, and at full throttle. It’s a cosmic beauty contest, and the ultimate prize is survival of the species. The ecosystem producing this display is delicate; visitors are advised to stay on established trails.

Summer Wildflowers near Sunrise on Mount Rainier: Lupine, asters, sunflowers and more!

WILDLIFE

The big mountain rises from a base no more than 1,000 feet above sea level to its summit, well above 14,000 feet. Along the way, the terrain, the vegetation, and the climate changes markedly with the altitude, encompassing a broad variety of habitats for a wide diversity of creatures. By the official count, Rainier is home to 65 species of mammals, 14 species of amphibians, another 14 of native fish, 5 kinds of reptiles, and no less than 182 different species of birds. In a busy National Park like Mt. Rainier, you’re not likely to find many of these on or near any of the roads (save for the occasional flattened specimen). Since I didn’t take the time to do any hiking on my single day Mount Rainier Photo Shoot, all I saw personally was a pair of Ravens, perched atop tall pines at the edge of a meadow, announcing themselves far and wide with their raucous squawks.

QUOTH THE RAVEN

The biggest difference between Ravens and Crows is their size. Ravens are the size of hawks, with a wing span of as much as four feet across, while crows are more closely akin to pigeons.  The birds in these photos are clearly Ravens, and they’re putting on a show. All birds are smarter than most people think, and that goes double for the many species in the genus Corvus. The New Caledonian Crow, (NOT pictured here) has been extensively studied for it’s ability to not only use tools while foraging for food, but to actually manufacture tools, by plucking, smoothing, and bending twigs and grass stems into particular shapes.

A pair of Ravens, hamming it up near Sunrise

Views of Mount Rainier and surrounding area from Sunrise Point.

When you’re finished with Sunrise, head back down the mountain to the Mather Memorial Parkway (SR 410), and when you reach it, follow it south for 3.6 miles to SR 123.  Follow SR 123 for another 10.8 miles, and you’ll reach Stevens Canyon Road, and the Stevens Canyon entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. This is it: the road to Paradise!

PARADISE

Paradise Recreation Area, Mount Rainier

James Longmire, an Oregon pioneer, was among the first to homestead the area on the south side of Mount Rainier. He built a small hotel near some mineral springs that he hoped would attract travelers. When his daughter Martha first saw the view, she remarked, “Oh! What a paradise!” That was another name that stuck, and today it applies to the primary tourist area of Mount Rainier National Park, the location of the main Visitors Center and the largest parking lot, as well as lodging, dining, and picnic areas. It’s also the primary winter-use area of the park, offering a full range of winter recreation, and, on average, 63 feet of snow!

As you drive west into the park (or east, if you’re coming directly from Tacoma), the big mountain dominates the view. You’ll see the glaciated crown of the volcano peeking out from behind her own foothills, alternately hiding, then revealing herself. It’s not a sharp, obvious volcanic cone like Mount Fuji in Japan, or Osorno in southern Chile. Instead, the peak is flattened, with a distinct saddle at the top. You know that there’s a crater up there, but the only way to confirm that fact is to climb the mountain (or fly above it).

There are numerous overlooks offering terrific views of the mountain, but one of the most popular, as well as one of the most picturesque, is the Box Canyon Overlook, a bit more than 10 miles west of the east entrance to the park.  From the overlook, you get a view of the mountain, beautifully framed by forested hills in the middle distance and tall pines on either side. In the foreground, there’s an old split rail fence zig-zagging its way across a clearing, the old wood adding texture and an interesting contrast to this otherwise natural scene.

Views of Mount Rainier from the Box Canyon Viewpoint

STEVENS CANYON ROAD

Stevens Canyon Road is the primary destination for the vast majority of visitors to the National Park, providing access to the most popular areas, amenities, and hiking trails. It snakes its way along the southern flanks of the  mountain from the area near the Visitor’s Center, east to the Stevens Canyon entrance off SR 123. Along the way there are breath-taking views of the mountain, and many of her closest friends.

A mountain the size of Mount Rainier generates its own weather, spawning wisps of clouds off the glaciers that will often grow into blustery storms.

REFLECTION LAKES

Near the visitor’s center, at the western end of Stevens Canyon Road, you’ll come to the Reflection Lakes, a colorful melding of wildflowers and mountain scenery. There are small lakes along the roadside, and at the right time of day, if the sun is in the right place and there’s not too much breeze rippling the water, you can capture a fantastic composition, featuring Rainier in the background, flowers in the foreground, and a reflected scene in the middle. In my own photos (below) everything was right except the breeze, which was lovely at the time, but it spoiled what could have been a perfect mirror. But what the heck. It’s a beautiful scene, either way.

Depending on how much time you’ve spent at each of these various stops, and on how early you got started, you’ll be approaching the sunset hour around here somewhere. If you’re staying in the park, you’ve got it made. You can dawdle to your heart’s content, and capture even more great photos in the golden light of the late afternoon. If you’re NOT staying in the park, you’ll have to balance your desire to grab more images against any reluctance you might have when it comes to driving narrow mountain roads in the dark.

There’s a lot more to Mount Rainier National Park than what I’ve featured here. My personal goal was to capture at least a few great shots of the mountain, and by the end of the day, I felt like I’d succeeded in that. If you like the perspectives that I show in my photographs, try driving it just as I’ve laid it out, starting with Sunrise. If the weather cooperates, I can all but guarantee some excellent photographs.

Click any photo in this post to stop the slide shows and expand the images to full screen. 

(Unless otherwise noted, all of the images in these posts are my original work, and are protected by copyright. They may not be duplicated for commercial purposes.)

PHOTO ROAD TRIP: PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The Pacific Northwest is  one of the best areas in the country for a Road Trip. When I drove my Jeep to Alaska, back in 2015, I traveled an extra thousand miles out of my way, just so that I could pass through northern California, Oregon, and Washington on my way to Canada. The route that I followed took in five National Parks, one National Monument, and a National Scenic Area, an ideal itinerary for a guy who loves landscape photography. In this brief series of posts, I'll walk you through the lessons that I learned in each remarkable location.  

PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSIGNMENT: CRATER LAKE

It simply isn’t possible to gaze upon Crater Lake and not be awed by the view. It’s like staring into the eye of the Creator, a heavenly vision reflected by water so clear, and so deep, and so intensely BLUE, you’ll find yourself neglecting to breathe.

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PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSIGNMENT:    MT. RAINIER

The road to Sunrise climbs into the foothills of Mount Rainier on the eastern side. The volcano is the biggest mountain around, and the treeless upper slopes, cloaked in glacial ice, catch and reflect the full brunt of the rising sun's bright rays; a spectacle well worth the long drive, and the early wake-up call.

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PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSIGNMENT: OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

(Coming Soon!)

Some of the text and many of the photos in these Road Trip posts first appeared on RoadTrip America’s website. A few years ago, I posted a detailed account of my entire 57 day, 13,000 mile “Mother of All Road Trips,” and RTA has kept that account available in their archive of Field Reports. If you’d like to read it, the link below will take you there:

The Mother of All Road Trips: From Arizona to Alaska and back through 24 National Parks!

A day-by-day account of my own drive to Alaska in the summer of 2015, as posted on RoadTrip America.

This is an interactive Table of Contents. Click the pictures to open the pages.

Alaska Road Trip

The Alaska Highway: Prelude: The Road to Dawson Creek

Even if you start in Seattle, the closest American city, it’s still more than 800 miles to Dawson Creek, wending your way that much further north, so far north that there will be a noticeable change in the hours of daylight. It’s the latitude that distinguishes the north country, including every bit of Alaska. Dawson Creek is where it all begins.

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The Alaska Highway: Day 1: Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson

Past Fort St. John, the terrain got a lot wilder. No more towns, very few people, and very little traffic. Saw a few U.S. license plates, Michigan, California, Oregon, South Carolina; people that were obviously headed to Alaska!

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The Alaska Highway: Day 2: Fort Nelson to Whitehorse

Every time I rounded a curve in the road there was another stupendous vista; it was nothing short of astonishing! I was literally yipping out loud, and a couple of times I actually pulled over and stopped while I pounded on my chest to “re-start” my heart!

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The Alaska Highway: Day 3: Whitehorse to Beaver Creek

Approaching the mountains, I started pulling over with serious frequency, taking LOTS of photos! Mountains, clouds, lakes, flowers—I was pretty sure I must have died and gone to heaven, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the fiery crash.

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The Alaska Highway: Day 4: Beaver Creek to Fairbanks

Delta Junction, the end of the Al-Can, was only 200 miles away, and the border? Twenty miles, maybe half an hour, and I was finally going to cross into Alaska! I’d been on the road more than three weeks, and in just half a day more, I’d be in Fairbanks.

<<CLICK to Read More>>

Chena Hot Springs: A Fairbanks Original

The Chena hot spring puts out steaming water at a temperature of 150 degrees, producing enough power to meet all the needs of the resort, as well as filling the hot springs pools used by the guests. In addition to the lodge and restaurant, they offer camping and horseback riding, and they have exhibits featuring sled dogs, greenhouses, ice sculptures, and geothermal energy.

<<CLICK to Read More>>

Two-Foot High Kick: World Eskimo Indian Olympics

Contestants take a running leap, then they make this crazy jackknife move, touch the ball suspended high above the floor with both feet, then come back down and stick the landing. If that sounds difficult? You have no idea.

<<CLICK to Read More>>

Dreaming of Denali

When I drove my Jeep to Alaska that first summer after I retired, my main goal, the single most important thing I wanted to do, was to see Denali, the biggest mountain in North America.

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Follow the Fireweed

Visualize a summertime journey through that part of the world, a world filled with mountains and glaciers and boreal forests, ice blue rivers, turquoise lakes, and billowing clouds that fill the sky. Imagine your vision as a beautiful piece of music. The fundamental, underlying theme of that symphony would be a gently rising swell of perfect harmony, pinkish lavender in its hue. 

<<CLICK to Read More>>

Kenai Fjords National Park: Seabirds, Glaciers, and Whales on the Wild Coast of Alaska

At this latitude, during the summer months, the sun stays low in the sky all day, and never really goes down. The traditional “golden hour” when the light is best for landscape photos is extended accordingly, and there are more opportunities for great shots than you’ll know what to do with.

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Kenai Fjords National Park: Exit Glacier: Up Close and Personal

Compared to the huge tidewater glaciers that flow directly into the sea along the coast of Kenai Fjords, Exit Glacier is just a baby–a baby that’s getting smaller every year–but it’s still big enough to permanently alter the landscape through which it passes.

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Alaska Road Trip: Driving Alaska’s Grand Circle

Most of the major towns in Alaska, as well as three of the state’s incredible National Parks, can all be reached by driving Alaska’s Grand Circle: a loop route beginning in Tok that utilizes all four segments (1082 miles) of Alaska’s Interstate Highway system.

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Alaska Road Trip: The Grand Circle: From Tok to Denali

There are no icy mountains looming on the horizon, and Fairbanks is nowhere near Alaska’s ruggedly beautiful coast. The true beauty in Alaska’s second city is found below the surface, in the spirit and resiliance of the people who make the place their home.

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Alaska Road Trip: The Grand Circle: Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula

The massive ice field in the park’s wild interior has spawned dozens of glaciers which, over the course of many millenia, have carved the landscape into fjords so heart-breakingly beautiful, humpback whales swim all the way from Hawaii just to cavort in the deep blue water.

<<CLICK to Read More>>

Alaska Road Trip: The Grand Circle: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

So, just exactly how big is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park? You could combine Yellowstone with Yosemite, throw in the entire country of Switzerland, and you still wouldn’t match it in terms of size.

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Alaska Road Trip: Driving to the Top of the World

The rough dirt road gave way to a newly paved modern highway. This was it, the Top of the World, and right on cue, the haze peeled back, just enough to give me a glimpse of the beauty my friends assured me would be there…

<<CLICK to Read More>>

CANADIAN ROAD TRIPS

This is an interactive Table of Contents. Click the pictures to open the pages.

Canadian Road Trips

Canadian Road Trips: Rolling through the Rockies

The goal here is to get you thinking about the different ways to tie these iconic parks together, and the distances involved, in order to get the most out of a visit to one of the most wonderfully scenic areas on the entire planet.

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Canadian Road Trips: Banff and Kootenay National Parks

Banff gets four million visitors in an average year, and even though the park covers more than 1.6 million acres, 90% of those four million visitors head straight to the same spot, to Lake Louise, and the Fairmont Chateau.

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Canadian Road Trips: Jasper and the Icefields Parkway

You'll see glaciers, waterfalls, rushing rivers and turquoise lakes surrounded by wildflowers, all of it fed by steadily melting ice. Snowclad peaks with vibrant green flanks line the road on both sides, and every turnout, every wide spot in the road offers a new and dramatic perspective.

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Canadian Road Trips: Yoho National Park

Less than five miles along, the first break in the trees offered a glimpse, a flash of improbable color followed by a larger clearing that brought me screeching to a halt. There, beyond the spread of roadside wildflowers and a verge of spindly pines was the most extraordinary lake I had ever seen, backed by an ice-clad mountain.

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Canadian Road Trips: Glacier and Mt. Revelstoke National Parks

The centerpiece of Revelstoke is it’s namesake mountain, and the most popular activity is the drive up the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a twisting, turning roller coaster of a road that climbs all the way to the top of the mountain. It’s only 16 miles long, and it’s paved the whole distance, but you’ll gain more than 4,000 feet in elevation, and there are enough hairpins to satisfy the needs of an old-fashioned beauty pageant.

<<CLICK to Read More!>>

Follow the Fireweed

Visualize a summertime journey through that part of the world, a world filled with mountains and glaciers and boreal forests, ice blue rivers, turquoise lakes, and billowing clouds that fill the sky. Imagine your vision as a beautiful piece of music. The fundamental, underlying theme of that symphony would be a gently rising swell of perfect harmony, pinkish lavender in its hue.

<<CLICK to Read More!>>

There's nothing like a good road trip. Whether you're flying solo or with your family, on a motorcycle or in an RV, across your state or across the country, the important thing is that you're out there, away from your town, your work, your routine, meeting new people, seeing new sights, building the best kind of memories while living your life to the fullest.

Are you a veteran road tripper who loves grand vistas, or someone who's never done it, but would love to give it a try? Either way, you should consider making the Southwestern U.S. the scene of your own next adventure.

A few years ago I wrote a book about road trips in Arizona and New Mexico that's a lot like this website, packed with interesting information, and illustrated with beautiful photographs. Check it out! You can find it on Amazon, and at all other major booksellers.

ALASKA ROAD TRIP:

Alaska Road Trip: Driving to the Top of the World

The rough dirt road gave way to a newly paved modern highway. This was it, the Top of the World, and right on cue, the haze peeled back, just enough to give me a glimpse of the beauty my friends assured me would be there…

Alaska Road Trip: The Grand Circle: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

So, just exactly how big is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park? You could combine Yellowstone with Yosemite, throw in the entire country of Switzerland, and you still wouldn’t match it in terms of size.

Alaska Road Trip: The Grand Circle: Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula

The massive ice field in the park’s wild interior has spawned dozens of glaciers which, over the course of many millenia, have carved the landscape into fjords so heart-breakingly beautiful, humpback whales swim all the way from Hawaii just to cavort in the deep blue water.

Alaska Road Trip: The Grand Circle: From Tok to Denali

There are no icy mountains looming on the horizon, and Fairbanks is nowhere near Alaska’s ruggedly beautiful coast. The true beauty in Alaska’s second city is found below the surface, in the spirit and resiliance of the people who make the place their home.

Alaska Road Trip: Driving Alaska’s Grand Circle

Most of the major towns in Alaska, as well as three of the state’s incredible National Parks, can all be reached by driving Alaska’s Grand Circle: a loop route beginning in Tok that utilizes all four segments (1082 miles) of Alaska’s Interstate Highway system.

Kenai Fjords National Park: Exit Glacier: Up Close and Personal

Compared to the huge tidewater glaciers that flow directly into the sea along the coast of Kenai Fjords, Exit Glacier is just a baby–a baby that’s getting smaller every year–but it’s still big enough to permanently alter the landscape through which it passes.

Kenai Fjords National Park: Seabirds, Glaciers, and Whales on the Wild Coast of Alaska

As the tremendous weight of the moving glacier pushes forward, the pressure buckles the ice into fantastic pillars and columns, like frozen fairy castles gleaming translucent blue as the suspended glacial sediment refracts the sunlight.

Two-Foot High Kick: World Eskimo Indian Olympics

Contestants take a running leap, then they make this crazy jackknife move, touch the ball suspended high above the floor with both feet, then come back down and stick the landing. If that sounds difficult? You have no idea.

Dreaming of Denali

When I drove my Jeep to Alaska that first summer after I retired, my primary goal, the single most important thing I wanted to do, was to see Denali, the biggest mountain in North America.

Chena Hot Springs: A Fairbanks Original

The Chena hot spring puts out steaming water at a temperature of 150 degrees, producing enough power to meet all the needs of the resort, as well as filling the hot springs pools used by the guests. In addition to the lodge and restaurant, they offered camping and horseback riding, and they had exhibits featuring sled dogs, greenhouses, ice sculptures, and geothermal energy.

The Alaska Highway: Day 4: Beaver Creek to Fairbanks

Delta Junction, the end of the Al-Can, was only 200 miles away, and the border? Twenty miles, maybe half an hour, and I was finally going to cross into Alaska! I’d been on the road more than three weeks, and in just half a day more, I’d be in Fairbanks.

The Alaska Highway: Day 3: Whitehorse to Beaver Creek

Approaching the mountains, I started pulling over with serious frequency, taking LOTS of photos! Mountains, clouds, lakes, flowers—I was pretty sure I must have died and gone to heaven, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the fiery crash.

The Alaska Highway: Day 2: Fort Nelson to Whitehorse

Every time I rounded a curve in the road there was another stupendous vista; it was nothing short of astonishing! I was literally yipping out loud, and a couple of times I actually pulled over and stopped while I pounded on my chest to “re-start” my heart!

The Alaska Highway: Day 1: Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson

Past Fort St. John, the terrain got a lot wilder. No more towns, very few people, and very little traffic. Saw a few U.S. license plates, Michigan, California, Oregon, South Carolina; people that were obviously headed to Alaska!

The Alaska Highway: Prelude: The Road to Dawson Creek

Even if you start in Seattle, the closest American city, it’s still more than 800 miles to Dawson Creek, wending your way that much further north, so far north that there will be a noticeable change in the hours of daylight. It’s the latitude that distinguishes the north country, including every bit of Alaska. Dawson Creek is where it all begins.

Follow the Fireweed

Visualize a summertime journey through that part of the world, a world filled with mountains and glaciers and boreal forests, ice blue rivers, turquoise lakes, and billowing clouds that fill the sky. Imagine your vision as a beautiful piece of music. The fundamental, underlying theme of that symphony would be a gently rising swell of perfect harmony, pinkish lavender in its hue.

MEXICAN ROAD TRIP (IN THE LAND OF THE MAYA):

Mexican Road Trip: Back to the Border: San Miguel de Allende to Eagle Pass

Saltillo was our crossroads: if we turned east here, we’d be retracing our previous route to the border at Nuevo Laredo (along the Highway of Death). This time, we knew better, so we turned north, toward Monclova, and Piedras Negras.

Mexican Road Trip: Three Days of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende

By mid-afternoon, the Jardin was beginning to fill with people. Painted faces were literally everywhere! It was like a costume party, but the venue wasn’t some hall or other indoor space, it was the whole entire town! Mike and I were definitely getting into the spirit of the thing–but we still drew the line at the notion of painting our beards…

Dia de Los Muertos: A Gallery of Photographs

A smorgasbord of colorful images, capturing the essence of the vibrant festival known as the Dia de Los Muertos, in the charming colonial city of San Miguel de Allende.

Mexican Road Trip: Flashing Lights in the Rear View: Officer Plata and La Mordida

As we drove away from the toll plaza, a State Police car that had been parked off to one side made a fast U-Turn and started following me. A moment later, he turned on his flashers and gave me a short blast on his siren, motioning for me to pull over. Two uniformed policemen got out, and approached me on the driver’s side. One of them hung back, apparently checking out my license plate before making a phone call.

I wasn’t sure if I was being stopped for some infraction, or if these guys were just fishing…

Mexican Road Trip: Cruising the Sierra Madre, from San Cristobal to Oaxaca

Today, we’d be driving as far as the city of Oaxaca, 380 miles of curves, switchbacks, and rolling hills that would require at least ten hours of our full attention, crossing the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, and entering the rugged, agave studded landscape of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca. If you’d like to know what that was like, read on!

Mexican Road Trip: Crossing the Chiapas Highlands, to San Cristobal de las Casas

MX 199 crosses the Chiapas Highlands from Palenque to San Cristobal de las Casas. The distance is only 132 miles, but it’s 132 miles of curvy mountain roads with switchbacks, steep grades, slow trucks, and villages chock-a-block with topes and bloqueos, unofficial road blocks. Everything I read, and everything I heard, described the drive as  alternatively spectacular, dangerous, and fascinating, in seemingly equal measure.

Mexican Road Trip: The Road to Bonampak

Rainwater seeping through the limestone walls of the temple soaked the Bonampak Murals with a mineral-rich solution that, each time it dried, left behind a sheen of translucent calcite. The built-up coating protected the paintings for more than 1200 years. As a result, we’re left with the finest examples of ancient art from the Americas to have survived into our modern era.

Mexican Road Trip: Adventures along the Puuc Route

All of these communities in the Puuc region were allied, politically, culturally, economically, and socially. The Puuc was the cradle of the Golden Age of the Maya. Labna and Sayil were among the brightest jewels in the crown of a realm that never quite coalesced into an empire.

Mexican Road Trip: Edzná, and Campeche, Where They Dance La Guaranducha!

La Guaranducha, a traditional dance from Campeche, is a celebration of life, community, and the joy of existence. On stage, there was a group of young men and women in traditional dress, but it was clear that the guys were little more than props, because all eyes were on the girls. So colorful, and so elegant, hiding coyly behind their pleated, folding hand fans.

Mexican Road Trip: Circling the Yucatan, from Quintana Roo to Campeche

The Castillo at Muyil isn’t huge, as Mayan pyramids go, topping out at just over 50 feet, but it’s definitely imposing. Try to imagine: the equivalent of a five story building, with a three story grand staircase, just appearing, out in the middle of nowhere? Boo-yah!

Mexican Road Trip: Cancun, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya

The millions of tourists who fly directly to Cancun from the U.S. or Canada are seeing the place out of context. They can’t possibly appreciate the fact that they’re 2,000 miles south of the border; a whole country, a whole culture, a whole history away from the U.S.A. Just looking around, on the surface? The second largest city in southern Mexico could easily pass for a beach town in Florida.

Mexican Road Trip: Uxmal vs Chichén Itzá

From the parking lot, the building where they sell the tickets to Uxmal looks a bit like the entrance to a shopping mall, or a multiplex, but the moment you step through the door, you’ll discover that it’s actually a time machine. That entryway is a portal to the world of the ancient Maya, a thousand years into the past. 

Mexican Road Trip: Merida and the Meridanos

Merida is the largest city in southern Mexico, with a population of almost a million. Statistically, Yucatan is the safest of Mexico’s states, and Merida is widely considered the safest of all Mexico’s cities.

Mexican Road Trip: Mayan Ruins and Waterfalls in the Lacandon Jungle

The next morning, we were waiting at the entrance to the Archaeological Park a half hour before they opened for the day. We were the only ones there, so they let us through early, and I had the glorious privelege of photographing that wonderful ruin in the golden light of early morning, without a single fellow tourist cluttering my view.

Mexican Road Trip: Zapatista Road Blocks in Chiapas

“Good morning,” I said. “We’re driving to Palenque. Will you allow us to pass?”

The leader of the group, a young Mayan lad, walked up beside my Jeep, and fixed me with a menacing glare. “The road is closed,” he said, keeping his hand on the hilt of his machete. “By order of the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional!”

“Is it closed to everyone?” I asked innocently. “How about if we pay a toll? How much would the toll be?”

He gave me an even more menacing glare. “That will cost you everything you’ve got,” he said gruffly, brandishing his machete, while his companions did the same.

Mexican Road Trip: Heading South, from Laredo to Villahermosa

When it was our turn, soldiers in SWAT gear surrounded my Jeep, and an officer with a machine gun gestured for me to roll down my window. He asked me where we were going. I’d learned my lesson in customs, and knew better than to mention the Yucatan. “We’re going to Monterrey,” I said, without elaborating.

He checked our ID’s and our travel documents, then handed them back. “Don’t stop along the way,” he advised. “You need to get off this road and to a safe place as quickly as you can!”

Mexican Road Trip: How to Plan and Prepare for a Drive to the Yucatan

The published threat levels are a “full-stop” deal breaker for the average tourist. That’s unfortunate, because Mexican road trips are fantastic! Yes, there are risks, but all you have to do to reduce those risks to to an acceptable level is follow a few simple guidelines.

Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende

In San Miguel de Allende, they’ve adopted a variation on the American version of Halloween and made it a part of their Day of the Dead celebration. Costumed children circle the square seeking candy hand-outs from the crowd of onlookers. It’s a wonderful, colorful parade that’s all about the treats, with no tricks!

Chichén Itzá: Requiem for the Feathered Serpent

The feathered serpent with the unquenchable thirst for blood may be gone now, or at least fallen out of favor, but as long as the ruins of this ancient city remain standing, he won’t be forgotten.

Tulum: The City that Greets the Dawn

Tulum is not all that large, as Mayan cities go, but its spectacular location, right on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, makes it one of the best known, and definitely one of the most picturesque. 

The Mayan City of Edzná, First House of the Itzás

The Mayan city of Edzná is nothing less than epic, lyrical poetry, an extraordinary sonnet comprised of temples and palaces carved in stone that have stood, in regal grandeur, for more than a thousand years.

Uxmal: Architectural Perfection in the Land of the Maya

The Pyramid of the Magician is the most impressive monument I’ve ever seen. There’s a powerful energy in that spot–something to do with all the blood that was spilled on the altars of human sacrifice at the top of those impossibly steep steps. More than any ancient ruin I’ve ever visited, more than any demonic ancient sculpture I’ve ever seen, that pyramid at Uxmal flat scared the hell out of me!

The Amazing Mayan Murals of Bonampak

Out of that handful of Mayan sites where mural paintings have survived, there is one in particular that stands head and shoulders above the rest. One very special place. Down by the Guatemalan border, in a remote corner of the Mexican State of Chiapas: a small Mayan ruin known as Bonampak.

Palenque: Mayan City in the Hills of Chiapas

Palenque! Just hearing the name conjures images of crumbling limestone pyramids rising up out of the the jungle, of palaces and temples cloaked in mist, ornate stone carvings, colorful parrots and toucans flitting from tree to tree in the dense forest that constantly encroaches, threatening to swallow the place whole.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico’s Colonial Gem

If you include the chilangos, (escapees from Mexico City), close to 20% of the population of San Miguel de Allende is from somewhere else, a figure that includes several thousand American retirees.

Southern Colonials: Merida, Campeche, and San Cristobal

Visiting the Spanish Colonial cities of Mexico is almost like traveling back in time. Narrow cobblestone streets wind between buildings, facades, and stately old mansions that date back three hundred years or more, along with beautiful plazas, parks, and soaring cathedrals, all of similar vintage.

The Puuc Hills: Apex of Mayan Architecture

The Puuc style was a whole new way of building. The craftsmanship was unsurpassed, and some of the monumental structures created in this period, most notably the Governor’s Palace at Uxmal, rank among the greatest architectural achievements of all time.

Becan and Chicanna: Mayan Cities in the Rio Bec Style

Much about the Rio Bec architectural style was based on illusion: common elements include staircases that go nowhere and serve no function, false doorways into alcoves that end in blank walls, and buildings that appear to be temples, but are actually solid structures with no interior space.

Coba and Muyil: Mayan Cities in Quintana Roo

Coba was a trading hub, positioned at the nexus of a network of raised stone and plaster causeways known as the sacbeob, the white roads, some of which extended for as much as 100 kilometers, connecting far-flung Mayan communities and helping to cement the influence of this powerful city.

Photographer’s Assignment: Chichen Itza

To get the best photos, arrive at the park before it opens at 8 AM. There will only be a handful of other visitors, and you’ll have the place practically all to yourself for as much as two hours! Take your time composing your perfect shot.There won’t be a single selfie stick in sight.

ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO:

San Xavier del Bac: The White Dove of the Desert

San Xavier has all of the traditional elements of a Spanish Colonial church, along with many others that are quite unique. The craftsmanship of the original building is superb, and features many fascinating details.

Granada Park: An Avian Oasis in the Heart of Phoenix

Granada Park is a City Park that’s adjacent to a Mountain Preserve. Its location, along with certain other advantages, make it unique in some very specal ways.

A Sunset at White Sands

Dropping down out of the Sacramento Mountains near Alamogordo, the sky was filled with the colors of the widest rainbow I’ve ever seen. Down on the flat, another rainbow came spearing down through the clouds before setting out in pursuit of a downpour, off in the middle distance.

New Mexico’s Golden Autumn

When you think of autumn foliage, the list of places that comes to mind is much more likely to include New England than New Mexico–but the Land of Enchantment is full of fall surprises!

Grand Canyon Rafting

You find a rope, any rope, and you grab on with both hands for all you’re worth. The river boils like the North Sea in a gale, great, rolling green waves and troughs. The raft plummets sideways into a hole fifteen feet deep, the outboard motor shrieks, a monster wave towering ten feet above your head comes crashing down across the deck, pummeling the passengers like a gigantic liquid fist that takes your breath away, leaving you suspended, time stopped, frozen in mid-scream.

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day One

The two rafts were shoved away from the beach until they floated free, and the boat drivers eased them into the middle of the channel.  We were mostly moving with the current, but the beach dropped behind us pretty quickly, and in a matter of minutes we were out there, rafting down the Colorado River, heading squarely into the enchanted depths of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Two

The cliffs and buttes were a perfect composition, the different colored layers of stone were all but glowing in the afternoon light, and we had this incredible world all to ourselves, not another boat in sight. 

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Three

The waters of the Little Colorado are a turquoise blue that is so startlingly bright it doesn’t even look real.  There’s a well-defined spot where that warm, turquoise blue water from the small river collides with the cold, deep green water flowing upstream from the big river. The two dramatically different colors mix, forming a shifting, swirling line of chartreuse.  That spot is the confluence. It’s magical, and utterly unique.

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Four

I was still a little dazed by the whole thing, scenes of frothing, churning whitewater playing over and over in my head.  Fleecy white clouds were piling up above the canyon rim, nearly filling the narrow patch of sky, until the lowering sun set them afire, a Grand Canyon sunset display that was the finest we’d seen, worthy of the spectacular setting.  A fitting end to one of the most amazing days of my life.

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Five

The trail meandered for a mile or so, finally giving us access to a series of perfect swimming holes.  There’s something about that exotic turquoise water that welcomes swimmers; the creek was cool, but far from cold, and a welcome change from the icy water in the river.  We stopped at an inviting spot to swim, relax, and eat our lunch. Sitting beside that creek, with our simple repast–it was like having a picnic in the Garden of Eden. 

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Six

“Two Hander!” John called out, and we all clung to the ropes for dear life as the raft picked up speed.  We were headed straight for the boil of Lava Falls, roaring like a freight train, bearing down. We entered the churning whitewater dead center, then moved hard to the right to avoid the standing waves and the big holes in the middle of the channel.  We got good and drenched, almost like running under a series of waterfalls, bucking and lurching like crazy, but the whole thing was over in less than a minute. 

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Seven

Immediately below that beach we hit Diamond Creek Rapid, then Travertine Rapid, where we pulled over to the bank at Travertine Canyon.  The creek that entered the river here flowed across huge, slippery boulders in a series of small waterfalls, and we had great fun taking turns standing in the flow, almost like a natural shower.

Grand Canyon Rafting Expedition: Day Eight

The river broadened as we approached Lake Mead, and at mile 278 we entered the lake itself.  Pearce Ferry was right there, and we were all pretty quiet as the rafts pulled in to shore for the last time. “Thrill of a lifetime” is a pretty strong statement, but it’s appropriate for this journey.  There’s nothing else like it.

SOUTH AMERICA:

Magnificent Monoliths: The Enigmatic Idols of San Agustin

At least 200 monolithic statues are preserved within the boundaries of the San Agustin Archaeological Park, along with 20 monumental burial mounds. Each statue is unique, but taken as a group they provide a fascinating overview of the rituals and beliefs of one of the earliest complex societies in the Americas. The enigmatic idols of San Agustin are truly unmatched among the world’s ancient monuments.

An Overabundance of Bowlers: A Brief History of the Headgear on the High Plateau

Andean natives have adapted to the intensity of the high altitude sun by taking a very simple precaution: everyone, almost without exception, wears a hat when they venture outdoors. From infants to ancients, everyone covers their head with something, ranging from shawls to leather helmets to proper English bowlers.

Chinchero: The Place Where Rainbows are Born

Candid portraits of villagers in traditional dress, taken in Chinchero, Peru in 1971, before the outside world intruded.

Children of the Altiplano

Candid portraits of Andean villagers taken in Peru and Bolivia in 1971. This set of photographs focuses on the children: their joy, and their innocence.

Puno Day Festival: A Centuries-Old Tradition on the Shores of Lake Titicaca

Historic photos of Peru’s Puno Day festival, taken in 1971. Included is the reenactment of the birth of the Inca empire on the shore of Lake Titicaca, with costumed dancers lining the streets of Puno.

Portraits of a People, Lost in Time

50 year old portraits of Andean natives in their traditional dress, taken in mountain villages not yet tainted by outside influences.

In the Vale of the Stone Monkeys: Peril and Petroglyphs in the Colombian Jungle

El Manco was easy to spot; he had a right arm that had been severed above the elbow, and that wasn’t his only problem. He was also missing his right eye, nothing there but an ugly knot of scar tissue. “Tough old bird” doesn’t begin to describe a hardscrabble character like Manco; he had a face with creases like a roadmap straight to his own personal version of hell.

Tumaco: The Arhuaco Connection

What we really know of history is like an ancient tapestry, worn, and threadbare, with missing patches confusing the grand design. When we make a new connection, we restore a missing thread, and little by little, thread by thread, we fill in those troublesome blanks.

Tairona Gold: The Curse of the Coiled Serpent

Paul dug with his hands then, finally sticking his arm into a hollow space, pulling out a dark object. Grinning at me from the bottom of his hole, he handed up what he’d found. A round blackware vessel representing a coiled serpent, open in the middle, with a spout at the top of the head. I’d seen a lot of Tairona artifacts, but I’d never seen anything remotely like that one.

Tairona Gold: The Rape of Bahia Concha

It was the Tairona gold that triggered a blood lust in the Spanish invaders, ultimately causing the destruction of the entire Tairona civilization. That cycle was repeated in modern times, when the lust for Tairona gold infected the guaqueros, causing the destruction of the last refuge of the Tairona ancestors, in one final humiliation, one last indignity: the RAPE of Bahia Concha!

Machu Picchu Sunrise

The five of us had Machu Picchu entirely to ourselves for at least twelve hours. It was like a dream, and a very fine dream, at that.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Photographer’s Assignment: Crater Lake

It simply isn’t possible to gaze upon Crater Lake and not be awed by the view. It’s like staring into the eye of the Creator, a heavenly vision reflected by water so clear, and so deep, and so intensely BLUE, you’ll find yourself neglecting to breathe.

Granada Park: An Avian Oasis in the Heart of Phoenix

Granada Park is a City Park that’s adjacent to a Mountain Preserve. Its location, along with certain other advantages, make it unique in some very specal ways.

Kenai Fjords National Park: Seabirds, Glaciers, and Whales on the Wild Coast of Alaska

As the tremendous weight of the moving glacier pushes forward, the pressure buckles the ice into fantastic pillars and columns, like frozen fairy castles gleaming translucent blue as the suspended glacial sediment refracts the sunlight.

Dreaming of Denali

When I drove my Jeep to Alaska that first summer after I retired, my primary goal, the single most important thing I wanted to do, was to see Denali, the biggest mountain in North America.

A Sunset at White Sands

Dropping down out of the Sacramento Mountains near Alamogordo, the sky was filled with the colors of the widest rainbow I’ve ever seen. Down on the flat, another rainbow came spearing down through the clouds before setting out in pursuit of a downpour, off in the middle distance.

Photographing the Sunrise at the Lincoln Memorial

The slightly elevated position of the Lincoln Memorial gives photographers a clear line of sight from every vantage point, with a multitude of options for interesting compositions. But if you want the very best light, and the smallest crowds, you’re going to have to get out there at sunrise!

The Many Moods of the Jefferson Memorial

As a subject for photographers, the Jefferson has it all: columns and curves, sculpture, carved inscriptions, a dome! The Tidal Basin serves as a reflecting pool, and, for a couple of weeks every spring, the whole business is surrounded by flowering cherry trees.

Washington D.C., By the Dawn’s Early Light

Each weekend I’d focus on a different monument, and I’d shoot them from every conceivable angle, before, during, and after the golden hour of the sunrise. Why the weekend? Because, grasshopper, on weekend mornings, there are no commuters, so there is no traffic, no parked cars, no people in the way of your photo shoot!

New Mexico’s Golden Autumn

When you think of autumn foliage, the list of places that comes to mind is much more likely to include New England than New Mexico–but the Land of Enchantment is full of fall surprises!

Blossoms by the Billions: Photographing the Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C.

Shoot the flower buds when they first emerge, shoot them again when they’re in full florescence, and if you can swing it, one last time when they start to drop, and you have pink petals falling around you like rain…

Follow the Fireweed

Visualize a summertime journey through that part of the world, a world filled with mountains and glaciers and boreal forests, ice blue rivers, turquoise lakes, and billowing clouds that fill the sky. Imagine your vision as a beautiful piece of music. The fundamental, underlying theme of that symphony would be a gently rising swell of perfect harmony, pinkish lavender in its hue.

Antelope Canyon: Conjuring a Beam of Light: Take 2

Today, thanks to Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and all the other photo sharing sites out there, every human on the face of the earth knows about Antelope Canyon, and the volume of visitors has mushroomed into the millions. Instagram, alas, is its own worst enemy,

Buffalo Sunrise: Grand Teton National Park

We could have planned our photo shoot, set up for it, and no doubt we would have gotten even BETTER pictures. But if we’d done that? We would have missed out on the jaw-dropping surprise of a completely unexpected herd of wild buffalo! At sunrise! In the Grand Tetons! That kind of a surprise? It’s almost enough to make your eyeballs explode. It’s just about the very best feeling there is, in this whole big beautiful world!

Photographer’s Assignment: Chichen Itza

To get the best photos, arrive at the park before it opens at 8 AM. There will only be a handful of other visitors, and you’ll have the place practically all to yourself for as much as two hours! Take your time composing your perfect shot.There won’t be a single selfie stick in sight.

Antelope Canyon: Conjuring a Beam of Light

Ephemeral “God beams” appear like magic in the confined space, slanting across the canyon floor like spotlights on a theater stage, only to disappear after a few minutes as the earth spins another fraction of a degree, breaking the perfect alignment.

Antelope Canyon: Part 1

Slot canyons are formed, over the course of many thousands of years, when torrents of rainwater borne from the monsoon storms of summer sluice through channels and cracks in the soft sandstone. Powerful floods strike repeatedly, carving narrow, twisting pathways into the cross-bedded layers of rock, sculpting swirling formations that look like petrified waves.

TRIBAL LANDS:

Canyon de Chelly: The Oldest White House

At the center of the upper section is a large room, 12 by 20 feet, with a front wall that is 12 feet high and made of stone that is two feet thick. This wall was coated in white plaster, decorated with a yellow band, and it is this white wall, which can still be seen, that inspired the name La Casa Blanca, the White House, to this ancient dwelling that has endured in this place for nearly a thousand years.

Canyon de Chelly: Riding the Rainbow to the Universe: The Legend of Spider Woman

Viewing Spider Rock from below provides a dramatically different perspective on this extraordinary formation. From above, you’re looking down on the whole tableau, and Spider Rock, shorter than the soaring canyon walls, appears as one small part of the larger scene. From below, from the floor of the canyon looking up at it, you can see just how BIG the danged thing is. At 800 feet in height, it’s a good bit taller than your average 50 story sky scraper, and it completely dominates the landscape.

Canyon de Chelly: Part 4: The Road to Spider Rock

The twin pillars of Spider Rock were left behind, like a pair of stubborn hold-outs, when everything else around them slowly weathered away. To me, these are fingers of cosmic proportions, thrusting from the earth, pointing toward the heavens in a gesture of unity. When you view these monolithic towers, you will be captivated by their majesty, and by the sheer insolence of their improbable existence.

Canyon de Chelly: Blue Bull and Mummy Cave

300 feet above the canyon floor, there are two deep alcoves filled with ruins, and on a wide ledge between them, a large, multi-story pueblo, partially reconstructed, and quite impressive. The setting is a natural amphitheater, and the overall aspect of the place is simply stunning.

Canyon de Chelly: Standing Cow: A Home Among the Ruins

The hogan, much newer than the other structures, was built using sandstone bricks recycled from the surrounding ruins. Today, even though it’s not really ancient, Standing Cow is on all the maps, as much a part of the human landscape of Canyon de Chelly as the White House and the Mummy Cave.

Canyon de Chelly: Antelope House Ruin

Of all the ruins and other archaeological sites in Canyon de Chelly, Antelope House is the most thoroughly investigated. That’s at least partially due to simple ease of access: unlike most of the ruins in the canyon, all the primary structures at this site are at ground level. Researchers have found the remains of several different cultures in the stratified soil beneath the ruins, each group contributing to the timeline of an area that’s exceptionally rich in history.

Canyon de Chelly: Ruins and Rock Art

We got out, and walked through the trees to a place where a thirty-foot long segment of the sandstone cliff had crumbled away near the base, leaving a section of wall that was set back a couple of feet, protected by an overhang. We could see black pictographs of horses and riders filling that rough stone canvas from left to right.

Canyon de Chelly: Part 3: Canyon del Muerto

The left hand fork is the spectacular work of nature known as Canyon del Muerto. The star attraction of this route is the Mummy Cave Ruin, the largest in the area, built on a ledge between a pair of deep caves, high on the face of a cliff in an extraordinary natural amphitheater.

Canyon de Chelly: Where Canyons Collide

“First Ruin is right over there!” Sylvia pointed to our left, where segments of ancient adobe walls filled a natural alcove halfway up the side of the cliff.

“First Ruin. Wait, don’t tell me. Do they call it that because it’s the oldest?”

“No,” she said with a chuckle. “They call it First Ruin, because it’s the first ruin that we see!”

Canyon de Chelly: Kokopelli and the Lightning Spear

I was probably getting a bit starry-eyed at that point. Barely three miles into the canyon, we’d traveled a thousand years in just under a hundred minutes, and we were barely even underway!

Canyon de Chelly: Ancient Stories Etched in Stone

The petroglyphs we’d just seen, and those we were about to see, were an artistic expression of the highest order, representing the hopes, the dreams, and the spiritual quest of the ancients who created them. These symbols, laboriously etched in stone, were left there for our benefit, and if there are lessons to be learned, we’d be well advised to take heed.

Canyon de Chelly: A Timeless Journey into the Heart of the Navajo Nation

Our first stop was a prehistoric bulletin board Sylvia called Newspaper Rock. A smooth segment of cliff face coated with dark desert varnish, featuring an area at least forty feet wide filled hundreds of petroglyphs. The intriguing symbols were created hundreds of year ago by artists who pecked away the dark varnish, exposing the lighter colored rock underneath.

Canyon de Chelly: Part 2: Chinle Wash to the Junction

A Navajo guide can take you into the canyon in their SUV, or, if you prefer, you can join a guided hike, or a trail ride on horseback. The standard Jeep tours, which are the most popular, range from three to six hours in length. The longer tours cover the highlights of both Canyon De Chelly, and Canyon del Muerto.

Canyon de Chelly: The North Rim Drive

The payoff at the Overlook is a fabulous bird’s-eye view of a quite wonderful Anasazi ruin known as the Antelope House. You can still see the crumbling foundations of dozens of rooms, a tower, and at least four circular kivas, special rooms used by the Ancestral Pueblo people for religious ceremonies.

Canyon de Chelly: Overlooking the White House

The White House Overlook offers a fabulous panorama of the Canyon, and an unobstructed view of the White House, one of the best preserved ruins in the National Monument. Set into a sheer cliff striped with desert varnish, the tableau is instantly recognizable as one of the best-known photographs of Ansel Adams, who once described Canyon de Chelly as “the most beautiful place on earth.” He shot some of his favorite images from the canyon rim.

Canyon de Chelly: The South Rim Drive

The canyon is filled with fascinating contrasts between the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi and the archaic way of life of the Navajo. These views into the canyon literally transcend time.

Canyon de Chelly: Part 1: The Rim Drives

Canyon de Chelly is so much more interesting than the Grand Canyon, because it also has a history, a fascinating history that actually comes alive when you view it up close. Native people have lived in this canyon for almost 5,000 years, which is a very long time indeed, by any standard. What those ancients left behind is the most extraordinary concentration of cliff dwellings and rock art panels to be found anywhere in the desert southwest.

A Serendipitous Sunset at Shiprock

I noticed an odd rock formation coming up fast on the left side of the road, almost like a wall built of angular blocks. Shiprock was close, but hidden from view by the wall as I zoomed toward it. After I passed the odd formation, I stole a quick glance in my rearview mirror, and what I saw was a scene so other-wordly, it literally stopped me in my tracks:

Antelope Canyon: Conjuring a Beam of Light: Take 2

Today, thanks to Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and all the other photo sharing sites out there, every human on the face of the earth knows about Antelope Canyon, and the volume of visitors has mushroomed into the millions. Instagram, alas, is its own worst enemy,

Antelope Canyon: Conjuring a Beam of Light

Ephemeral “God beams” appear like magic in the confined space, slanting across the canyon floor like spotlights on a theater stage, only to disappear after a few minutes as the earth spins another fraction of a degree, breaking the perfect alignment.

Antelope Canyon: Part 1

Slot canyons are formed, over the course of many thousands of years, when torrents of rainwater borne from the monsoon storms of summer sluice through channels and cracks in the soft sandstone. Powerful floods strike repeatedly, carving narrow, twisting pathways into the cross-bedded layers of rock, sculpting swirling formations that look like petrified waves.