Bryce Canyon - UT

Bryce canyon is a beautiful place full of amazing landscapes and nicely shaped, colored rocks called "Hoodoos". We didn't do much planned hiking in Bryce Canyon, because, well... we didn't "plan"... and also some of us were pretty beat up from hiking the 3 days before in Zion and running the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon that morning. Someday, I hope to go back and do a lot more exploration here as well as in Arches National Park!

[Hike] Zion Narrows - Zion NP - UT

The Zion narrows hike, is one of the most beautiful and unique hikes I've ever done and I think this is also a must do if you are in Zion (heck, it's worth just going to Zion for!). The reason I say it is unique, is because this is one of the few hikes where you are actually hiking through a river (yes, not along it, but, through it!!). And to top it off, you are surrounded by canyon walls several hundred feet high that are closing in on you as you keep going. Absolutely stunning!

The hike starts off at the "temple of sinawava" shuttle stop...

[Hike] Angel's Landing - Zion NP - UT

Angel's Landing is one of the most breathtaking hikes I have done. I think it is worth going to Zion NP, just for this hike. The first pic below is the view of Zion Canyon from the Angel's Landing summit. The ones after this are pics in order, from start to end of the hike.
The Trailhead for Angel's Landing is at "The Grotto" Shuttle stop, and very easy to get to.
You get off the shuttle, cross the zion scenic hwy and head north to approach a bridge...
Cross the bridge, turn right and head up the winding trail...
From that point on, there are no forks and the trail is pretty easy to navigate, all the way to the summit
At one point, you reach a series of switch backs that look like a set of walls, stacked up one upin the other...
Go past the switchbacks, hike a little more and you get up to "Scott's Lookout". This is a good turn around point for those with a serious fear of heights!

But, clearly, as you can see... not many seem to heed the warning signs :-)...
And then, you finally get rewarded with these spectacular views...

[Hike] Weeping Rock - Zion NP - UT

A short touristy walk to a rock that has soaked up water like a sponge and keeps dripping ("crying", if you will). Starts off from the same trailhead as Hidden Canyon...

[Hike] Hidden Canyon - Zion NP

[Hike]Creamery Meadow Trail to beach - Big Sur, CA

A short walk through a meadow to the beach. The trailhead is in the Ventana wilderness area of Big Sur (the north end).

[Backpacking Trip] Ventana Wilderness - Big Sur - CA

I never realized that the Big Sur backcountry would be so beautiful...
This was a very impromptu trip... we decided just two days before the July 4h long weekend and headed out to Big Sur, hoping to find a backcountry campsite at the Sykes Hot springs campground. Unfortunately, when we got there, sykes was full. The ranger was kind enough to tell us about another backcountry campsite on in the Ventana Wilderness.

Urban exploration at Chicago - IL

Just realized that I've never uploaded photos from the several general (urban/ non-outdoors) places I've visited over the years. I'll have to dig into my plethora of photos and upload all my general travel photos some other time, but, for a start -- here are some photos from my recent 4 day visit to Chicago. (Note: Click on Panoramic photos to see full size to truly appreciate the details)

(Top) Panoramic shot of Downtown looking north from Sears Tower Skydeck. (click on it to see full size)
(Top) Downtown Skyline as seen from the Adler Planetarium

(Top) Panoramic shot of Downtown Chicago with Shedd aquarium in the foreground (click on it to see full size)

Close up shot of Downtown from Sears Skydeck

(Top) Lake Michigan
(Top) Perspective shot of Downtown on a cloudy day, taken from Lake Michigan near North Beach

(Top) Downtown as seen from Bridge over South Lagoon/ Diversey Harbor
(Last two) The Chicago Elevated Train (or "El) as shot from Quincy Station in the downtown "loop"

(Top 2) The Famous Chicago "Bean" in Downtown
Dearborn Station (not sure if this is famous or not, but, I thought it looked cool!)

The next two pics are these weird statues of "half men" in Grant Park on the SW side of downtown. I didn't know what these were, when I was there... but, some research later revealed that they are called "Agora" (excerpt from this website: Agora consists of 106 headless cast iron figures, posed as if walking in multiple directions or standing still, frozen in time. The figures invite viewers to gather and become part of the artwork. Agora extends the traditions of monumental figurative sculpture, offering a contemporary expression and a reflection of our time.)

(Top) View of downtown from Grant Park
(Top) Buckingham Fountain in Millennium Park in downtown
(Top 2 pics) Boats in the harbor just south of Navy Pier
(Next pics) General Pics of Navy Pier...

And, finally, some general photos of Downtown...