Postcard from Capital Reef – The Scenic Drive

From Fruita and the park’s Visitor Center, drive south along the 10 mile scenic drive. As you drive, the cliffs are on your left and small rolling hillsides are on your right.

It is magnificent red rock country with other colors thrown in for good measure. Some areas below the cliffs remind me of the Painted Desert and the Painted Hills of Oregon with all their various colors, but they are easily dwarfed by the huge cliffs that rise above them.

It’s a wonderful drive with each mile unfolding a different view. Along the way, you run into unpaved roads…one leading into the Grand Wash, the other, at the end of the road, into Capital Gorge. Both drives are worth doing and I will have images from them in the near future.

Along the way, you pass hundreds of huge boulders that crashed down from the cliffs sometime in the distant past. There are also trees and colorful wild plants along the roadside.

I stopped many times along the way to photograph. Sorry that I can only show you three photos here. Eventually, many more will appear on my Web site.

Enjoy what I can show you here and stay tuned for more.

Postcard from Capitol Reef – Fruita

When you descend the last few miles on Highway 12, you come back into Red Rock Country, but a different kind of Red Rock than what you saw earlier along the highway. These are tall mountains and cliffs of white and deep red rock in all kinds of shapes, sizes and formations.

Highway 12 ends in Torrey, UT. Turn right onto Highway 24 and head east for 10 miles along side these tall cliffs, and you come to the boundary of Capitol Reef National Park.

This is one of the newer parks in the system. FDR signed legislation making it a National Monument in 1937. It became a National Park in 1971. The park itself runs north to south for about 75 miles, wider in the north, then becoming gradually thinner as you head south. The park gets its name from a huge up-thrust of land called the Waterpocket Fold, similar in appearance to an ocean reef.

Much of the park is inaccessible by road, although there are some some unpaved roads in both the north and south that can take you to some beautiful, remote places. The only paved roads are Highway 24 which runs east to west, meaning you can traverse the park in a very short time…and a 10 mile paved scenic road that runs from the visitor center along some of the beautiful rock cliffs and other geological wonders…with two side roads that take you into the narrow Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge.

Coming into the park, you pass through some interesting sites including Chimney Rock and The Cathedral (photo #1). When you arrive at the visitor center, you are also entering the historical district of Fruita. This was a Mormon farming community founded in the 1880’s that had a large number of fruit orchards. In fact, they are still there, still tended and continue to bear fruit. Park visitors can go into the orchards and eat all the fruit they want for free…or bag it and only pay $1 per bag.

Fruita is a very serene, lovely place to walk around…beautiful trees of all kinds nestled up against red cliffs. Wild animals such as deer also wander free, unafraid of humans.

Fruita is also the site of a 53-site campground in one of the most beautiful settings you can image…tall oak trees give you shade during the day. Fortunately, I arrived there at the right time of day between the time folks leave and new ones arrive. I camped there for four days, and the campground was filled each night…about 80% of which were RV’s. Like most of my trip, I had beautiful weather during the day, and moderate nights.

I spent a fair amount of time exploring the gorges and washes in the park, but must admit, I took few of the dirt roads to the far off wilderness sites. But, I will share more of the pictures from the areas I did explore in the next couple of blogs.

Stay tuned.

Postcard from Utah – Aspens Everywhere

After my trip into Long Canyon and the Burr Trail, I headed back to Highway 12. At this point, the highway is heading more north than east. After leaving the township of Boulder, the highway starts climbing into the mountains.

Up and up the road goes, eventually reaching 9,500 feet. The views are wonderful all along the way. At this point, it is no longer red rock country…it is pure mountain scenery.

As the road headed higher, I began seeing seeing large groves of Aspens. The higher I went, the more Aspens I saw…soon it was almost all Aspens. This was a nice surprise. In my travels, I am used to seeing small groves of Aspens here and there…but, up here I was seeing miles and miles of these beautiful trees. And, the higher I went, the bigger the trees became. These are very old groves.

Even though it was mid-September, at these elevations the Aspen leaves were just beginning to turn into their autumn colors…not everywhere, but it was starting. I spent about an hour wandering through these groves, enjoying the view and the clean cool air.

After reaching the summit, the road starts descending down the mountain. Still more beautiful views. At the small town of Torrey (elevation 6,800 feet), Highway 12 comes to an end, and I was back in red rock country.

For me Highway 12 was a joy to travel from beginning to end. It indeed lived up to its reputation as the most beautiful highway in all of Utah. Definitely recommended if you want to see some beautiful and diverse country. Bring your cameras.

After arriving in Torrey, I headed east again. Driving only a mere 10 miles, I arrived at the boundary of Capital Reef National Park. Stay tuned.

Note: I am heading out for a few days on a photo expedition with a pro photographer friend from the Northwest. Will write more when I get back. - JRC

Postcard from Utah – More Photos from Long Canyon

I had some nice comments from readers who enjoyed my photos of Long Canyon, so I decided to share a few more. These show you the diversity of rock formations in the canyon, many of which make for interesting photos.

Photo #1 shows one of several large “swiss cheese” rocks, named after the many holes that have formed from water and wind. These rocks are plentiful in the first part of the canyon. This deep red rock is called “Wingate” sandstone.

Photo #2 is of a side canyon that comes off of the main canyon. There are several of these along the seven mile length of the canyon.

Photo #3 is one of the many large alcoves that have formed over time throughout all of Southern Utah. They are quite plentiful in Zion National Park, but there were only a few of them in Long Canyon. This one, I thought, was quite spectacular.

In my next blog, I will return to Highway 12 and climb high up into the mountains, then descend into into Torrey, UT, where the highway ends. Stay tuned.

Postcard from Utah – Long Canyon on the Burr Trail

After breaking camp on Calf Creek, I continued east on Highway 12, first climbing up above Calf Creek Canyon, then descending into the farming and sandstone country surrounding Boulder Utah. As you head into the small town, Highway 12 takes a sharp left…but I chose to go straight ahead, onto the beginning of the Burr Trail.

Don’t let the name fool you, today’s Burr Trail is a partially paved 75-mile long road that goes south and east. It traverses some of Utah’s most beautiful country that is always changing. It eventually winds up at the southern end of Capital Reef National Park. The trail was originally used by Mormon pioneers to move their sheep from the Boulder high country down to lower pastures.

On this trip, I had no intention of travelling the entire Burr Trail, but rather the first 20-30 miles of it that leads from Boulder, through the petrified dunes of Navajo sandstone, through the Deer Creek Area, and eventually into the seven mile canyon area known appropriately as Long Canyon.

The Burr Trail road (all paved at this point) approaches Long Canyon from above, giving you a magnificent view of the first part of the canyon…then drops you into the canyon where the rock formations defy description. I could not take enough pictures. Every turn in the road brought new wonders into view.

I came into the canyon right as a rain storm was ending, so the air was crystal clean and I was able to get some beautiful cloud formations into many of my pictures. At one point, I stopped to photograph a scene, and after finishing, I looked up, there was an arch above me high on the canyon walls.

I continued on slowly, stopping many times and taking in all I could. Fortunately, I had perfect light at the best time of day so I have many fantastic pictures of Long Canyon, far too many to show here.

After seven miles, you emerge from Long Canyon at a perfect viewpoint to see the west side of Waterpocket Fold, the Circle Cliffs and the Henry Mountains. After enjoying this view, I headed back west into Long Canyon to see what I had missed when I was traveling east. This was as far as I had intended to go on the Burr Trail as my main objective was still to travel the length of Highway 12.

After returning to Boulder, I headed east on 12 to see more of Utah’s most scenic highway. Stay tuned.

Postcard from Southern Utah – It’s the Rocks

While on my trip through Utah and Northern Arizona, I realized I spent most of my time photographing rocks. I have hundreds of photographs from this trip, and about 90% of them are rocks! Now, I realize that’s being a little simplistic, but still there is truth here.

Of course, these are not just ordinary rocks…they are spectacular rocks and formations of a shapes and colors that can only be found here in the Southwest. And when you start seeing all these fantastic rocks, your camera just goes crazy…you want to photograph every one of them.

These are just two examples of fascinating rock formations in the Calf Creek Canyon area along Highway 12. The striations and swirls are breathtaking, each layer representing a geological moment in time. I wish I could interpret what each layer meant and how old the rock is. Sadly, geology is not one of my strong points. All I can do is enjoy the view and marvel at Mother Nature’s creations.

As the retelling of my journey continues, you will see many more interesting large rock formations and cliffs. I will try not to bore you and endeavor to make each photograph displayed be interesting. For this edition, I just wanted to focus on a couple of rocks without much of the accompanying scenery.

By the way, I will have to suspend my blogging for about a week as I head out tomorrow for Blythe, CA. I am helping my son and his wife move to their new home in Yuma. Will probably stay over for the Thanksgiving Holiday. And yes, it has a pool! Be back soon.

Postcard from Utah – Highway 12 Part 1

After five days of camping in Red Canyon, it was time to venture further east along Utah’s famous Highway 12 to see more new things. Heading east, I bid farewell to Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Kodachrome Basin.

For several miles, I passed through beautiful rock country and small towns, along the Grand Staircase of the Escalante. There some wonderful sweeping vistas along the way, but little of great photographic quality, at least to my taste. Eventually I came to the town of Escalante and could make out some beautiful canyons in the distance.

To my disappointment, the road did not take me through these canyons. Rather it skirted around them, then started climbing. Eventually I came to a fantastic viewpoint overlooking the far side of the canyons I saw from Escalante. The area is known as Calf Creek Recreation Area (Photo #1).

After a taking few photos, the road drops down into this very same canyon. As it was late morning by now, I went looking for Calf Creek Campground, a small Forest Service campground at the bottom of this very narrow canyon. I found it easily and was able to get a site, much to my relief as there are no other nearby campgrounds.

After setting up camp, I set out to explore the canyon with my camera. Very near my campsite, I spotted what looked like a cave. I climbed over some rocks and found that it indeed was a cave (Photo 2) carved out of the rock by water. To my surprise, the cave was semicircular, coming out on the other side of the trees and rocks you see in the foreground.

As the afternoon progressed, I explored more of Calf Creek Canyon, coming across many wonderful and intriguing rock formations. Eventually the road climbs out of the canyon, heading for Boulder, UT. From the highway, many more interesting looking canyons can be seen. I wore my finger out clicking my camera and will share more of the photographs with you in upcoming blogs. Stay tuned.

Postcard from Bryce – Blue

Yesterday, I spent time at the Tucson Museum of Art to see an exhibition of original prints by Ansel Adams. These were from a private collection and were all printed by Adams himself in his darkroom in Carmel.

If you’ve read these blogs for a while, you know that Ansel Adams is one of my heroes and a great inspiration for me in my photographic career. He and I both grew up in San Francisco and spent many happy days in Yosemite…his time, of course, much longer than mine. But as a boy, I visited his gallery in Yosemite Valley that is still there today.

Of course, all of his public works are in black and white. He was a master of the camera and the darkroom. So, after seeing over 100 of his black and white prints yesterday, I was inspired to again explore black and white possibilities in the digital medium.

Presented here is a black and white image I took in Bryce Canyon National Park. It is a bit different than most photos one sees of Bryce, whether in color or black and white. I call it “Blue Bryce,” as I used a blue filter to create the photo.

As I might have explained here before, black and white photographers, like Adams, used various colored filters in front of the lens to change the values of the light striking the film. For instance, using a red filter will darken a blue sky considerably and render red subjects, like Utah rocks, much lighter, almost white. Using a blue filter would lighten a sky and darken red subjects…and that is what I did here…except I did it digitally.

I used a special black and white plug-in called “Silver Efex Pro,” made by NIK that works inside of Photoshop. It allows you to select different color filters that simulate the filters put in front of a camera loaded with black and white film. Ironically, I seldom use blue filters (either in Photoshop or with real film cameras), but I loved the effect that it produced here.

I hope you also enjoy it.

Postcard from Kodachrome Basin – Little Yellowstone

Kodachrome Basin lies east and a little south of Bryce Canyon. It is also about 2,200 feet below that of Bryce. In the basin itself, there are places where you can actually see the cliffs of Bryce off in the distance (if you look on the right side of photo #1, that is Bryce way off in the distance). But, Kodachrome Basin’s landscape and origins are nothing like Bryce.

Kodachrome Basin contains many multi-colored rock formations of red, yellow, pink, white and brown, as well as massive sandstone chimney spires. Geologists believe Kodachrome Basin was once similar to Yellowstone National Park with hot springs and geysers, which eventually filled up with sediment and solidified. Through time, the Entrada sandstone surrounding the solidified geysers eroded, leaving large sand pipes (aka chimneys). Sixty-seven sand pipes ranging from two to 52 meters have been identified in the park.

How did the park get its name? In 1948 the National Geographic Society explored and photographed the area for a story that appeared in the September 1949 issue of National Geographic. They named the area Kodachrome Flat, after the then relatively new brand of Kodak film they used. In 1962 the area was designated a State Park. Fearing repercussions from the Kodak company for using the name Kodachrome, the name was changed to Chimney Rock State Park, but renamed Kodachrome Basin a few years later with Kodak's permission.

While the road to the park is paved, much of the park roads are not, but they are easily traversed. There are easy short hikes as well as longer more difficult hikes throughout the basin.

The morning I was there, the day started out clear, but by late morning and early afternoon, the clouds and thunderheads started to form, allowing for some wonderful photographs. It actually did rain later in the day, but by then I was back at my campsite in Red Canyon.

I enjoyed this little park very much and have many more interesting and unique photos…more than I can show here. I will endeavor to get the good ones up on my Web site soon and will let you know as soon as I do. Stay tuned.

Postcard from Kodachrome Basin – Just a Tease

I have been out all day and must admit I am just a bit too tired to write a full blog. But, just to tease you for the the next stop on our tour, I am including a single photograph from Kodachrome Basin.

What you see is Chimney Rock, the largest sand pipe structure in the Basin. It stand 171 feet high. If you look to the right of the rock, you might be able to make out the freestanding sign that might help you get a feel for its height.

Tomorrow, I will explain more about the park. But, simply put, it is a spectacle of massive sandstone chimneys that change in color with the day's mood. They are very unique to all of the Southwest.

Stay tuned.

Postcard from Bryce – The Mossy Cave Trail

The trail to Mossy Cave lies a few miles away from the main Bryce Highway. In fact, you leave the park boundaries, rejoin Highway 12, then head east towards the small town of Tropic (this is the town visible from some of the viewpoints in Bryce). You quickly start descending down the mountain. About halfway down to Tropic, you come to a trailhead that is the Mossy Cave Trail.

At this point, you are looking up to some of the beautiful formations in the northern part of Bryce (and you are back inside the park again). The Mossy Cave trail is a 1/2 mile uphill trail that take you to, surprise, Mossy Cave. The interesting part of this excursion not the cave itself…but rather the scenery along the way. In fact I am not even going to show you a photo of it as it is not really a cave, but a large area under a big rock that has been carved out by nature…and, oh yes, has some moss and moister in it. It is interesting, but not very photogenic.

No, it is the scenery along the way the makes this trail well worth the trip. You will see arches (photo #1), a waterfall (photo #2) and other very beautiful scenery carved out by nature. This is the only place in the park where you will see water, even though water plays a major part in the formation of Bryce itself.

If you ever go to Bryce, be sure not to miss this little side trip. As, I said, the scenery is spectacular. And you will be looking up at Bryce, not down like you do in the rest of the park.

Postcard from Bryce Canyon – Fairyland

As I hinted at in my last blog, Fairyland Canyon is not well visited by tourists, which is their loss. It is one of the more intimate places in Bryce as it is smaller in comparison to the sweeping vistas of the Amphitheater, allowing the visitor to feel much closer the the intricately carved hoodoos and rock formations…perhaps more than anywhere else in the park.

Its trails seem gentler and easier to walk than others, allowing us older folks to feel a little less strain in our legs than the other steeper trails in the park…and at 8,000 feet, that is important. While the trail does get steeper, the first part allow you some very good close views of Fairyland’s formations.

Why so few visitors? Here is my explanation. Fairyland is the very first turnoff you come to after crossing the park boundary, but before you get to the main park entrance. And, there is no sign as you drive south on Highway 63 approaching the main gate and visitor center. There is a sign as you leave the park heading north, but I think most people are psychologically finished with the park after they leave the main gate, thinking they have seen everything there is. How wrong they are!

I hope you will remember to stop at Fairyland if you ever pay a visit to this glorious national park.

Next stop…the Mossy Cave Trail…complete with waterfall.

Postcard from Bryce Canyon – New Places

Bryce Canyon National Park isn’t really a canyon at all. It is a wall that runs approximately 17 miles north to south, facing east. It contains some of nature’s most beautifully sculptured creations, but a surprising large portion of the park is never seen by most visitors.

Most of the tourist activity centers along an area called “Bryce Amphitheater,” a series of fours stops, not far from the main park entrance, that contain arguably the most beautiful scenery on our planet. Most of the photos you see of Bryce, including ones I have shown here before, come from the amphitheater area. In planning this visit, I decided to concentrate on the rest of the park…although I did spend some quality time in the amphitheater.

While the amphitheater features four viewpoints, the rest of the park, connected by Highway 63, has 11 other viewpoints…most of which definitely lend themselves to being photographed. I spent three days in the park taking photographs. Except for one stop, all photographs were shot in the morning light.

The first photograph was taken at Paria View, just outside the amphitheater area. I liked this viewpoint very much as the hoodoos and rock formations are very close. Now, notice the light in the foreground…it looks as if the sun is at my back as it is so bright and colorful. In actual fact, my camera is points in the direction of the sun. What makes the foreground so light is the sunlight reflecting off of other red rock walls beneath where I am standing. You will find this kind of reflected light in many Bryce photographs, especially mine, which helps make the park a photographer’s delight. In fact, all three photographs here show off this phenomenon.

The second photo is of Natural Bridge, another easy-to-take photograph as all you have to do is get out of your car to see it. I am sad to say I do not remember exactly where I took the third photograph, but it might be at Black Birch Canyon.

Next stop, one of the least visited parts of Bryce that is actually the very first turnoff once you are inside the park…and one of the most intimate and beautiful places you will find.

Editor’s note: I have temporarily fixed the photo problems that plagued the last few blogs I posted. I am still looking for a permanent solution, but that won’t stop me from continuing on. -JRC

Test of Photo Quality

Please ignore this edition. I am testing to see if I have solved the issue of low quality JPG’s on the Postcard blog. Sending a blog is the only way I can see if I have solved the problems.

Thanks for your patience.

Postcard from Tucson – Apologies

Hi everyone.  I fully intended to write a photo blog today on Bryce Canyon, but the last few photos I have attached to the blog have not been good.  The colors are washed out and nowhere near the originals.  I hate showing my photos when the displayed results are not even close to what I intended.

Am not sure why this is happening but am trying to find a solution.  I will resume the blog as soon as I figure out why this is happening.  My apologies and hope you will stay tuned for some really good photos and stories.

Jim

Postcard from Red Canyon – Up a Mountain

One of the items I carry with me on these trips is a marvelous 3 volume set of books called “Photographing the Southwest,” by Laurent Martres. Volume one is about Southern Utah, volume two is Arizona, and volume three covers Colorado and New Mexico. It is an indispensible guide to places worthy for photographing, including the best time of day for shooting each location. It also rates the scenic and photographic qualities of every place mentioned, road conditions and ease of the trails.

In volume one, there is a paragraph on Red Canyon where it describes a scenic trail called the “Arches Trail,”using the word “easy” in the description. That sounded good to me, as the reward at the end of the trail are some some red rocks with window openings (hence the name Arches).

Well, Mr. Martres and I must have a different definition of “easy.” The trail was almost exclusively up a steep mountain…so steep in places they had to build wooden stairs. Now remember, Red Canyon is already at an altitude of about 7,000 feet, and this trail goes much higher. And I realize that I am no spring chicken anymore, but climbing a mountain can in no way be called easy. I don’t care who you are!

But, despite the challenges and many stops to catch my breath, I made it to the top where the window rocks are located (photo #2). The view, as you might imaging is quite lovely, but lack of oxygen in my system made me appreciate it a little less than normal. But, I am privately proud of myself for making it to the top. It reminded me of my journey through the Fiery Furnace in the Arches National Park, a story that I have not yet told you.

Anyway, before the trail starts to climb the mountain, you come across an interesting rock structure, as seen in the third photograph. Legend has it that it was built by Butch Cassidy and his Hole-in-the-Wall gang as a simple food storage facility. Hole-in-the-Wall is actually located in Wyoming, not here…but who am I to disregard legends.

As I explained in my last blog, I saved my morning photography for Bryce Canyon, ten miles to the east. In my next edition, I will take you there and show you some new sights from Bryce, never before photographed…well by me anyway.

Postcard from Red Canyon – Revisiting

Long time readers of this blog may remember a few of my past posts on Red Canyon including some photographs. I was there two years ago and at that time was not even aware of its existence. Part of this trip was dedicated to traveling the entire length of Utah Highway 12, so, I had to travel right through it again. But, my visit was more than just a 1/2 day stop like the last time.

On this trip, I planned to camp here and use it as a base of operations for other nearby destinations, including Bryce Canyon. But I also wanted to see more of this colorful place and explore some of its back roads and trails.

Its a marvelous and unique destination, and as you can see from the photos, very aptly named. Its red rocks are far more red than those in nearby Bryce Canyon. Although they were sculpted by the same forces as Bryce, the results are definitely different.

As written here before, most people who come to Red Canyon stop to take a few photos, then head east 10 miles to Bryce Canyon National Park. Few stop to explore this wonderland of sculpted red rocks.

But on this trip I camped here for five days and sampled some of its hidden canyons and trails. I liked what I found. One of the best ways to see the back country is to take a fairly rough dirt road just west of Red Canyon and go north for a couple of miles. From there, you can take the easy trails through Castro and Losee Canyons…and beyond.

But be aware…these trails are also open to four wheel ATV vehicles. I ran into a convoy of about 10 of them in Castro Canyon. If you don’t have one of your own, you can rent them in nearby. The next time I visit there, I may try one myself and go even deeper into the canyons.

My pre-planned strategy for photography worked out well. I would get up early and head east to photograph Bryce in the morning…then come back to Red Canyon and hike and photograph here in the afternoon. Because of the brightness of these rocks, morning and evening light are not as critical as normal.

Next, I will tell you about my hike through hell to get a few good photos. Stay tuned.

Postcard from Southern Utah

Note: Sorry I haven’t done a Postcard blog in a few days. Life’s trials and tribulations got in my way…car and computer problems, to name a couple. Anyway, all is well now so will try and get back on track…JRC

With the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in my rear view mirror, I headed north to rejoin Highway 89A, then into Southern Utah. It is a very pretty drive and after a short while, the cliffs of the Grand Staircase of the Escalante came into view and I new I was approaching the Utah/Arizona border.

Just over the border, in the small town of Kanab, Highway 89A rejoins Highway 89 and heads due north. Just outside of Kanab I came across a small lake with a cave eroded into the red rock. I stopped to take a photograph (photo #1), not realizing at the time this was one of the few pictures I would take on this trip that included water. There are just not many water features to photograph in the area of Southern Utah where I visited.

Continuing on my way, I soon approached the turnoff for the eastern approach to Zion National Park. It was a difficult decision, but I chose to skip Zion this time. The place would be loaded with vacationers (like the Grand Canyon), it was too early for fall colors, and I would have to ride the shuttle bus in Zion Canyon. Not my idea of fun. I was there almost two years ago in November, when the buses were shut down for the season and autumn was going strong. I settled for that as I still have a ton of pictures from that trip that have not been processed.

Continuing north on 89, I saw this pastoral country for the first time, even though I had driven this road two years previous. At that time, it was still dark. I was glad to see it in sunshine this time. It is mostly beautiful farm country, with red and white rock formations as a backdrop.

Sixty miles north of Kanab, I turned east on Highway 12, Utah’s most beautiful and celebrated highway. In about 10 miles, I arrived at Red Canyon, my destination for this day.

I’ve written about Red Canyon here before and have shown a few photos. I decided to spend some time here as there is much more to explore than I saw on my last trip. And, I used it as a base for some other nearby photographic destinations. Red Canyon is overseen by the National Forest Service and there is a great campground there. I found a great secluded campsite up in the hills. It was so nice that I stayed here for five nights.

It was here I discovered if you arrive late morning, you can almost always get a campsite. By early afternoon, this campground, along with all the others I visited on this trip, were filled to capacity.

Not many people stay at Red Canyon as they are very anxious to keep going the additional 10 miles to see Bryce Canyon National Park. As a photographer, I know that Bryce faces east and is best photographed in the morning. So, I decided to spend the rest of this day on the trails in Red Canyon.

Stay tuned!!

Mostly Microsoft…Good and Bad

Vista/IE market share slide, Win 7/Firefox/Chrome surge

According to data supplied by web metrics firm Net Applications, both Vista and Internet Explorer lost market share during September, while Windows 7, Firefox and Chrome all saw a surge in market share.

Microsoft in Cahoots with Twitter, Facebook

Microsoft on Wednesday announced major new initiatives with some of the world's most popular Internet services companies. The software giant will integrate Twitter micro-blogging posts into its Bing Internet search service and, at a slightly later date, provide similar functionality with public posts from the Facebook social networking service.

Windows 7 Media Center: Netflix and Internet TV

Just days before it officially launched Windows 7 around the world, Microsoft quietly updated the Windows Media Center component of that OS, dramatically increasing the availability of online content. The update takes two forms: Compatibility with Netflix "Instant Queue" streaming and the final version of Internet TV, which provides a pretty decent selection of free TV show content as well as, surprise, surprise, access to video podcasts via Zune Marketplace.

Low-cost Windows 7 laptops hit retail

At many stores on Thursday, Best Buy refreshed almost its entire stock of laptops: all running Windows 7 and all sporting new model numbers. Frys--a megastore electronics retailer with locations throughout California, Arizona, and Texas--also refreshed many of its laptops with new Windows 7 models.

Five Best Software Update Tools

Rather than wait around for your software to notify you of updates (let's face it, a lot of applications never will), these five handy tools keep an eye on your apps, alert you when an update's available, and streamline the updating process.

Post Card from the Grand Canyon – Point Imperial

On my second day of my stay at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, I arose before sunrise and headed back into the park, then east on a narrow road to photograph Point Imperial.

Whereas most of us are used to seeing the Grand Canyon that runs east to west, this viewpoint is of the canyon as it starts to head north. As it faces east, it is best photographed around sunrise, so I was ready. The problem was, the canyon wasn’t. As I soon discovered, it was heavily saturated with smog that often plagues the canyon these days. It ruined the light, making my photographs less than desirable. I have spent some time cleaning them up for display here, but it was a disappointing morning.

Still, Point Imperial is worth seeing. It is the highest view point in the park. The Grand Canyon style cliffs are very close to you, giving you a more intimate feel with the park. The dominate feature in the first photo is Mt. Hayden.

Then, looking east, off in the distance, you look past the Colorado River and see a different view of canyons and desert terrain, as shown in the distance of image #2.

It was sad to have so much smog ruin the photographic possibilities here, but am still glad to have seen it. I had planned to go to nearby Cape Royal, but the light and smog convinced me to cancel that part of the trip.

I headed back to camp after a quick stop at the lodge at Bright Angel Point. I was planning to break camp and head north, but changed my plans at the last minute and stayed in camp for the rest of the day, reading, listening to music, and just plain relaxing.

My revised plan now called for me to leave early next morning and head north into Utah. Stay tuned.

Postcard from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

While the distance between the North and South Rims of this spectacular National Park is only a little over a mile, the driving distance between the two is 211 miles! Having been to the south rim earlier this year, I headed directly for the North Rim as I had never been there.

To get there, one takes Arizona Highway 89 north from Flagstaff, past the cutoff to the south rim, to Highway 89A. Then, after many miles of twists and turns (while continuing to gain in elevation), you turn south at Jacob Lake on a road that goes 43 miles to the Park Entrance.

A big difference between the North and South Rim is the approach. On the south side, you drive through mainly desert-type terrain, while the northern approach is through thick forests and broad meadows. The north side is 1,000 feet higher than the south.

Twelve miles past the park entrance, you arrive at a magnificent lodge that sits at Bright Angel Point on the rim of the canyon. It is a beautiful, luxurious lodge with a large patio where you can sit and enjoy the incredible view. The lodge caught me totally by surprise as I had no idea it was even there.

What also caught me by surprise was the number of people there…many more than I expected. Many were retired persons like myself who travel when the weather is beautiful and the crowds are less…and many of them arrive in RV’s. The park campgrounds were full so I wound up camping 5 miles outside the park, and was lucky to get one there. Full campgrounds was something I experienced on my entire trip, but I learned quickly how to solve that problem.

There is another large difference between the North and South Rims. On the south side, one can travel many miles along the rim with plenty of places to stop and admire the view. On the north side, the main highway ends at Bright Angel Point and that is your only view. There are two other roads inside the park, one paved and the other not. The paved road twists for several miles and brings you to Point Imperial and Point Royal. The unpaved roads lead to a couple of other viewpoints many miles away with plenty of bumps along the way.

But, my first day here was spent exclusively at Bright Angel Point. The point itself is accessible by an interesting 1/4 mile hike from the lodge. I say interesting as the trail is narrow with plenty of places to fall off. Not for those folks with a fear of heights.

The sky was full of clouds and photography a little tricky as they continuously blocked the sun, especially at sunset. There was also a very strong wind that day that was very evident out at the point. The first photo shows the view from Bright Angel Point and the second is a view along the trail.

The next morning I got up before the sun, and after a strong cup of coffee, headed off the see the sunrise at Point Imperial. Stay tuned.

Picture of the Day – Side Canyon

This is a very busy day for me, so I don’t have time for a full-blown blog about the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But I could not let the day slip by without giving you a little sample of this less visited side of the National Park.

This photo is of a side canyon that leads into the main canyon near Bright Angel Point. As you can see, it was a great day for photography with lots of clouds and sunlight to bring out the colors of the canyon.

This actually was my first view of the north side of this great chasm as you don’t really see it from the road until you arrive. More photos and stories in my next blog. Click on the image to see it in a large size.

Postcard from Lee’s Ferry – Beginnings and Endings

Hello, everyone. I am back in Tucson, where I belong. It was a great 3+ weeks on the road, seeing old friends, going to places where I have never been, taking photos until my trigger finger was worn out, gathering new memories and stories, and just plain enjoying myself.

My trip covered 6 states and over 3,000 miles. I camped in beautiful places and was favored with outstanding weather. It was a successful journey that ended with a 3-day wedding photo shoot that turned out very well on all levels.

I started and ended my trip with my son…first enjoying football and great food in Mesa, AZ where he was on his weekend warrior duty…then spending the last day of my trip with him and his lovely wife Jill at their home in Blythe before heading home to Tucson. While I had a fantastic time, I was ready to come home.

After my trip to Mesa, and an overnight stay in Flagstaff to watch football, I headed north on Arizona 89 (and later 89A) towards the north rim of the Grand Canyon. My first stop was in Lee’s Ferry, AZ, many miles NE of the Grand Canyon. Lee’s Ferry is where most raft trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon originate. It is about the only place where you can get to the river as the start of the deep canyons begin shortly afterword.

There is something special about traveling roads where you have never been and don’t know what’s around the next bend. It is what I live for…to see new places and things. When I travel a new road, the music goes off and the audio books are put away. This is time to savor the sights and smells of new places.

In the first photo, you can see the Colorado River beneath the Navajo Bridge that spans the canyon at Lee’s Ferry. This picture was taken from the old Navajo Bridge that also spans the canyon next to the new bridge. It is a spectacular view from here…the beginnings of the Grand Canyon.

The next picture shows a balance rock which is on the road down to the river. I chose to do it in black and white as the rocks and canyon walls are all red. Only the sky is blue.

The last photo shows the Vermillion Cliffs which run for many, many miles along Highway 89A. Needless to say I had some great cloud formations that day.

Next stop, the Grand Canyon North Rim.