Back by popular demand...sort of.
I thought I'd post some of the photos that my wife Linda shot. Most of them are of me, which is her job. At the end of the post there are thumbnails of some of the more scenic shots if anybody wants free wallpaper.
Striking a studly pose somewhere along the Fins n Things trail.
The paved road leading into the Needles District of Canyonlands.
We stumbled across a cave and met this harmless bunny.
Heading up the Joint Trail.
You'd look like this, too, if you'd driven over Elephant Hill for the very first time.
Somewhere out in the Needles.
At the Silver Stairs.
For whatever reason, I make Linda nervous when I do this.
In the Land of Standing Rocks.
This is what happens when your Nikon D200/Tamron 18-270mm decelerates against a piece of Entrada Sandstone. I've used many lenses in my time, and this is the first one I've seen with a chunk sticking out of it. This damage manifested itself two days after I smacked the lens against a rock. The autofocus is wonky, and if you want to zoom the lens, you have to pull on the filter...the barrel just spins around doing nothing...but I can still shoot with it. Good thing I work in a camera store and get an employee discount.
Somewhere along the Dollhouse Road near Teapot Rock.
Overlooking Hite Marina, still making Linda nervous.
Driving across the CCC-built bridge at Hell's Backbone. The drop below was a couple hundred feet.
Linda and I, along with our newfound Needles District camping friends Rob and Judy from Washington, somehow manage to spell the name of our home state correctly.
Here are larger resolution images for some of my better scenic shots, as Dave08 and cgass requested. Click on the thumbnail, which should take you to a Photobucket page. Once there, click on the image which should bring up the full size file...then right click and save. The images are 1500px wide, which should be of enough resolution to make a decent wallpaper. If you want a full size file, contact me via email. It will contain the same signature watermark like these do. I also work in a photo lab, so I can make nice prints, too. I'm easy but not cheap.
North Window Arch and Turret Arch at sunrise, Arches National Park.
Courthouse Tower, Arches National Park.
Near Elephant Hill, Canyonlands National Park.
Needles District, Canyonlands National Park.
Needles District, Canyonlands National Park.
Sunset in the Needles District, Canyonlands National Park.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Columbine near Clear Lake, Colorado.
Posing pika, near the Bandora Mine south of Ouray, Colorado.
Wandering moose, near the Bandora Mine south of Ouray, Colorado.
Early fall snow near the Yankee Boy Basin, Colorado.
Trees near Lake Emma, Colorado.
Near Silverton, Colorado.
Abandoned mining tram near Silverton, Colorado.
Swirling clouds over Grand Turk, near Silverton, Colorado.
Thanks for all the nice comments about my photos and description of our adventure. I urge ALL of you to figure out some way to get your vehicle out to these areas. Do some research first, though, and save your pennies. If you can camp on a regular basis, an adventure like this can be done relatively cheaply. For the entire trip, the most we paid for a motel room was in Moab, at $107. Most averaged about $75 per night (Super 8s and Days Inns, mostly, plus five days at the Best Western in Ouray that was still under a hundred per night.) The permit for camping in Canyonands was a flat $30 for three nights. The Ouray Jeep Jamboree was $250 per person, which included meals. Our major expense was gas, at about $1200.
Worth. Every. Penny.
Get out there and see these places while you're able...you're not gonna be young forever.
