May 5th, 2019 Canyonlands National Park, Utah Terminology and historyA canyon is a deep cleft between cliffs that is formed from both the weather (wind and rain) and the erosion caused by a river. A mesa is a large area of elevated land that is flat on top and has cliffs on all sides. A butte is simply a small mesa. Canyonlands National Park is a large collection of canyons, mesas and buttes carved from the earth by the Colorado and Green Rivers. Declared a national park by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, It is located just southwest of Moab, Utah and a stone's throw from Arches National Park. Author Edward Abbey, an American author and staunch environmentalist, described the Canyonlands as "the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth—there is nothing else like it anywhere." Music
PhotosHere are some of the photos we took today.
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May 4th, 2019 Arches National Park, Utah Arches National Park
The power of wind and waterThe geologic formations in Arches National Park were created by when an ancient sea covering the area evaporated, leaving behind lots of sand. Over time, that sand was compacted down into sandstone by the weight of the sediments that settled on top of it. That sandstone, in turn, was carved by water and wind into the formations that we see today. These formations continue to be carved, of course, by yet more water and yet more wind, so that the formations we see in the future will most likely not look like the formations that we toured today. Come see them while they last, because... The twin powers of water and wind are relentless. Music
PhotosHere are some of the photos we took today.
May 2nd-3rd, 2019 Grand Canyon West, Arizona to Leeds, Utah to Moab, Utah ClarificationAlison has asked me to point out that she most definitely does not agree with my assessment of the Grand Canyon (i.e. a big-ass hole in the ground). As she says, it is "one of the most beautiful sites I've ever laid eyes on." Grand Canyon West, Arizona to Leeds, UtahOn Thursday morning, we rose early (recall that our body clocks were on Eastern Daylight Time) and had breakfast at the fake "Wild West" restaurant situated in the similarly fake "Wild West" town where our cabin was located. We then hit the road and headed northwest back to Las Vegas, then northeast to Leeds, Utah. The sole claim to fame of Leeds is that (A) it is 40 minutes from the entrance to Zion National Park and (B) right on Interstate 15 that runs from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. There is absolutely nothing to speak of in Leeds, save for a few RV parks, one of which was where we glamped for the night. Leeds, Utah to Moab, Utah Friday proved to be a much more interesting day. After checking out of our tent-away-from home, we had a truly wonderful breakfast at River Rock Roasting Company. Both the food and the views were terrific. After breakfast, we headed north on Interstate 15 for about 100 miles, then east on Interstate 70 for another 200 miles. The views along Interstate 70 were varied and breathtaking. Had we continued along the interstate, it would have taken us to Denver in another 300 or so miles. Instead, we exited onto Highway 191 for the last 30 miles to Moab, Utah. Between the advent of nuclear technology and the end of the Cold War, Moab boasted the largest uranium mine in the world and grew in population by 500%. Once the Cold War ended, however, the mines closed and most of the people left. Since the 1970s, tourism has become the driving force behind the town, given its proximity to both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Once we arrived in Moab, we checked into the Moab Valley Inn, then walked the 3-block length of the downtown and found a place to eat dinner. After returning to the hotel, I sat down to write the blog and Alison lay down on the bed and was snoozing soon thereafter. Mustangs aboundPeople you meet around the fire pitAfter checking into our glamping tent on Thursday evening, we wandered over to the communal fire pit where a fire was roaring. Already around the fire were a young couple from Austin, Texas that were both vacationing in the area and considering relocating to this part of the country. Also at the fire pit was a 60-year old man and his small dog. The dog was named Austin but I didn't catch his owner's name. This gentleman appeared kind, gentle and thoughtful and had worked in the various national parks out west for almost 30 years as a handyman. He said, unprompted and quite matter-of-factly, that he could neither read nor write. That presented certain challenges, like passing his driver's exam, which he was proud to have done recently. I was very much taken aback by this. In this day and time, there are still people living in first-world countries that are illiterate? Apparently so. In the United States, the literacy rate hovers around 87%, meaning that 13% of all Americans cannot read or write. Oh my goodness! I had no idea. PhotosHere are some of the photos we've taken over the last couple of days.
May 1st, 2019 Grand Canyon West, Arizona Getting hereThe Grand Canyon itself is a little off the beaten track, and the western rim, our destination for yesterday, was even further off that track. It's only two hours from Las Vegas, into which we flew, but that second hour takes you deeper and deeper into a seeming desert-like wilderness. We awoke in Richmond as 3:00am, got on a 6:05am flight, and after a layover in Atlanta, had a four-hour flight to Las Vegas. Another hour to buy some supplies at the local Trader Joe's, plus two more hours in the car, and we pulled into Grand Canyon West a little after 4pm local time. After a tour of the western rim, we had dinner, arrived at our cabin overlooking the edge of the canyon, and tucked ourselves into bed around 9:30pm local time (12:30am Richmond time). All in all, it was a very long, but interesting and fulfilling day, That is one big-ass hole in the groundEveryone speaks with awe about the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. But, truth be told, now that I've seen it myself for the first time, I must say that I'm one of those (probably rare) people that is underwhelmed by the canyon. Yes, it is big — 277 miles long and 18 mile wide — and it is deep — approximately one mile, but is is ultimately just a big-ass hole in the ground. It is the perfect example of millions of years of erosion and the powerful ability of water to carve paths through easily dis-solvable rock, for example limestone and dolomite. By contrast, the Vredefort crater in what is now South Africa was formed from the impact of an asteroid a mere 6-9 miles in diameter, and that crater is roughly the same size as the Grand Canyon. The difference, of course, is that the Grand Canyon took 5-6 million years to form, while that crater was created instantly upon impact. Now that's impressive. PhotosHere are some photos that we've either taken or collected recently. Next up
May 1st - 15th, 2019
​Utah Heading west
I received two enthusiastic thumbs up during my last checkup at Johns Hopkins, so Alison and I decided to take advantage of my reasonably good health and head west for the first two weeks in May. We plan on staying in the following places:
Camera
I've been using a Nikon Digital SLR camera for about a decade now. At the beginning of that time, it took photos that were clearly superior to those taken with my smartphone. Nowadays, however, the tide seems to have shifted along with major advances in smartphone camera technology. So, this trip will be the first one that I take and photograph without my (relatively) clunky Nikon in tow. To give me more flexibility with the smartphone photos, I've purchased inexpensive wide angle and macro lenses for my iPhone.
Time will tell how good these pictures really are. Books
My very favorite book of all time, covering both the fiction and non-fiction genres, is A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. About a decade had passed since I read the book for the first time, and although I have a strict policy of never reading the same book twice (as there are so many other books waiting to be read), I decided to return to the book for a second reading.
After reading it the second time, enjoying it at least as much as the first time, I realized that I wish I had been taking notes as I read. So, as soon as the second reading was complete, I turned back to Page 1 and read it for a third time, taking notes as I went. I cannot overstate how much I enjoy this book. In fact, when my time on this earth is done and I am cremated, I'd like to take two things with me in the casket: (1) photographs of my wife and children and (2) a copy of this book. Photos
Here are some photos that we've either taken or collected recently.
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Joshua GolubAn occasional blog about what's going on in our lives. Categories
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