Uploads from Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.), tagged national, with geodata

River Reflections

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:51:22 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

From: Day 7 of The Great Western America Road Trip

View On Black

YES IT IS REAL*

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:10:28 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

*I have to deviate from my plan of an image a day for each day of the road trip. This is from the day I will describe tomorrow but it is to cool not to post instantly. Besides the flip, minor shape transform, contrast, filter, curves adjustment this is totally real. I kid you not there is a formation that looks like this in Arches National Park. I will explain more tomorrow. Again, I am not one for "digital manipulation" but it is just to cool not to play with. I hope you find this as interesting as I do....... there was some rum involved by the time I got to this one so if you don't I completely understand!

One Of A Kind*

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:12:30 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

*99% sure this is a one of a kind angle, only because of the difficulty getting to it.

June 29th 2009, Day 13 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Today we covered a lot of ground. It started at the visitor center at 7am. We learned about the Fiery Furnas and got signed up for a guided tour the next day. And then headed out to Landscape Arch, measuring 290 feet it is the largest arch in the world! We then continued along the trail to Navajo Arch and Partition Arch. It was late morning and already getting extremely hot. There is no place to escape the shade in Arches so we went back to town as an oil change was needed anyway. After killing some time in the shade at camp we headed back to the park to do the Windows. This picture is actually looking through Turret Arch; the second arch is South Window. I am confident that there are not many pictures taken from this angle as I was hanging onto a 70 deg slick red rock wall 30 feet up from the ground. I typically don’t overdue HDR but I kept pushing this one and it seemed to grow on me, let me know what you think. After that short mile loop we made dinner in the parking lot before making the “movement” to Delicate Arch for the sunset. If you have ever been to Delicate Arch at sunset you know what I mean by movement, it really does look like exodus as people make the journey up along this open rock. Once we arrived it was like a party, the arch is located on the far side of an amphitheater and there are people everywhere! That is why I was forced to risk my life and go around back for the picture linked below; it was the only shot that didn’t have a person in the frame until after the sun went down. Everyone pretty much leaves right when the sun goes down so we hung around some more and enjoyed to quietness.

Arches is probably tied (with Yosemite) for my #1 National Park. It is so unique and the arches are so impressive I felt like a little kid wanting to know what was around each corner. There is so much that can be explored and the contrast between red rock and blue sky is stunning!

Other images from this day:
Delicate Arch

Surviving Harsh Conditions

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:55:04 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

July 3rd 2009, Day 17 of The Great Western America Road Trip

On our last day we went through Zion one last time before making the long drive back to LA for our flight the next morning. I hope you enjoyed the pictures, nothing I can do can portray the raw beauty we witnessed. If you ever have any questions I would be happy to answer them. It is an amazing country we live in and I hope you get a chance to see some of the things I did.

In summary the trip was everything we wanted it to be. During our 2.5 week vacation we traveled 8 hours in plane, over 3200 miles in car, 50 miles hiked, through 4 states and 7 national parks. Some of the animals we witnessed were elk, deer, big horn sheep, bear, bear cubs, marmots, Bryce Canyon goats, and seals. He hardly saw any rain which is a blessing while tent camping. This was something we dreamed about for many years. Things that made it affordable were borrowing my brother's truck, cooking our own meals, and sleeping in a tent. Truly a great experience and I am very thankful to have the opportunity. Thank you for following my trip and happy traveling!

Just Another Mesa Arch Sunrise

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:46:44 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

For those who think HDR is overrated
For those who aren't haters, enjoy it better

July 1st 2009, Day 15 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Wow the sun rises early in Utah! The twelve walk up sites in Canyonlands National Park were taken so we had to stay 13 miles outside the entrance at Horsebeef (I think that is what it is called) Campground. We arose around 4:45 in order to get to Mesa Arch for sunrise and boy was it worth it. I know this is a very popular place to photograph the sunrise but it is rightfully so. This is truly my favorite picture of the trip. Unless you have 4wd Mesa Arch is the best Canyonlands has to offer. We drove to all the overlooks in Island In The Sky and was on the road to Bryce by 7. It is 5 hours to Bryce via the interstate, if you cut south to Capital Reef it will add 2 hours to the commute. We voted for the shorter drive since there had been some long days on the road already.

Upon arrival to Bryce we drove to the end of the road and stopped at every overlook on the way back. I was not very impressed with Bryce. Maybe it was that we didn’t do any hiking, the hoodoos are cool but this was probably my least favorite park of the trip. I know some people love Bryce but it was kind of boring to me. The nice thing it is very easy to get to and if you are visiting Zion you might as well check it out. We left and arrived in Zion just before the visitor center closed, got some hiking information and went back out to camp. If you cannot find a place to camp in the park I would recommend finding a private campground on the west entrance. It takes 40 minutes to get from the visitor center to the east entrance and then it was another 15 minutes to our campground, which advertised 5 miles from Zion (true but there is nothing on that side of the park). That drive is amazing and the tunnel has a cool history, so defiantly go to the east entrance even if you are staying on the west. I was very impressed with Zion, extremely unique and the narrows was the best hike I have ever done, more on that tomorrow.

They Don't Call It The Fiery Furnace For Nothen'

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:18:03 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

June 30th 2009, Day 14 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

After a late night at Delicate Arch we slept in and enjoyed the cool Utah mornings. We then had to say goodbye to the most amazing campground ever. Since it was already mid morning we decided to stay out of Arches National Park because of the lake of shade. A guy at camp 4 recommended Negro Bill Canyon so we decided to give it a shot. It was a very enjoyable 1.5 mile hike back to the 6th largest national bridge in America. Consistent shade with a cool stream to dip a hat in makes this a perfect midday hike. On the way back we even went for a swim, the water only got to waist deep but it was very refreshing. Our hike to the Fiery Furnace started at 4 so we killed some time eating frostiest and playing cards at Wendy's. In the 2 days we were in Moab we learned a siesta is necessary in the desert heat.

You can obviously see why they call it the Fiery Furnace but in the furnace are canyons you can get completely lost in their beauty, lost in them physically as well but that is why a guide is required. They also require a guide because the dirt is 100's of years old! Who new there was an age on dirt? But apparently there is a micro world out there that provides the support of everything else. Out guide was full of information and if you are ever in Arches National Park defiantly consider doing this hike. We then made the 45 minute drive to Canyonlands National Park in order to catch the sunrise at Mesa Arch. Check back tomorrow for my favorite picture of the trip.

I Wish I Had That Coordination

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:56:28 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

Balancing Rock at Arches National Park, another image from:

June 28th 2009, Day 12 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

"If You're A Walker..."

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:42:00 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

June 27th 2009, Day 11 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Better pano view

We had one day in the Grand Canyon so we got an early start and headed to the visitor center. Took a look at some trails and decided to stay on the rim. We took the
shuttle bus to the Hermits Rest transfer and then to the Maricopa Point. The Rim Trail was a good decision because it was late June and there are numerous shaded stops. It pretty much follows the road so I guess you could see everything we saw from the shuttle bus but it was worth the walk just to experience the feel of being on the edge of the canyon. It is very interesting to watch the terrain, you would think it would all look the same but it doesn't. There are also overlooks to the Colorado River. We were going to walk all the way to Hermits Rest (6 miles) but it was getting hot and we were getting dehydrated. The good thing about the trail is you can pick up the shuttle numerous time so we cut it short by 2 miles. Another highlight in the Grand Canyon are the shuttle bus drivers, these people were top notch! This title comes from one of them explaining the next 4 stops and then lets us know "if you're a walker you will get to market plaza before the rest of us will" Seems cheesy now but it was just icing on the cake of other funny/cheesy lines he said as we piled into a sweaty bus. So the Grand Canyon lived up to everything I expected and easily doable in one day.

Its That Grand

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:33:06 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

June 26th 2009, Day 10 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

At the crack of down today we broke camp and were on the road. A word of advise, if you think you can get coffee around Lodgepole before the camp store opens you are wrong. About 30 minutes in we second guessed the 10 minutes we saved instead of boiling water on the coalmen. It is not a long drive (miles) to the first town but it is the most intense road I have ever been on. I feel pretty confident in my windy road driving skills, but the road south out of Sequoia is INTENSE. The truck was in neutral for more than 45 minutes as we took switchback after switchback averaging less than 10 miles an hour. Good think we left early because I can image a large RV clogging up the road. But we eventually made it down, found some coffee and headed for Arizona. Some more advise, bring some other form of music, as there are times the scanner just keeps going and going and going. It took about 11 hours from campsite to campsite so we had just enough time to set up camp and head for the canyon. If you are like myself and have never seen the Grand Canyon it is quite an experience. Pictures will never do this place justice, it is so huge, detailed, steep, unique, and grand. Just standing there watching the colors change along the red rock is fascinating. This picture was taken at Yavapia Point, which is extremely crowded at sunset, so I took sketchy steep walk to an outcropping below and enjoyed the light show from there.

Thank you for following my amazing road trip, if you have any questions let me know, I would be glad to help plan your adventure.

They Keep Going And Going And Going

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:44:30 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

View On Black

June 25th 2009, Day 9 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Today was one of my top 3 favorite of the trip. We hiked the GIANT FOREST, and it certainly lived up to its name. I can not tell you how many times we stopped and were just in awe. It felt like T-Rex was going to come around the corner. Out of the 100s of thousands of people who visit the Giant Forest few see anything more than General Sherman. During our hike we hardly saw anyone! From the General Sherman parking lot continue south to THE TREE. After taking your snap shots in front of the largest tree in the world continue south. There are numerous trails that wind through the Giant Forest so I would recommend visiting the ranger station to get a visual of where everything goes. But basically they all end in the meadow or at Morrow Rock. The cool thing about this hike is you don't have to hike back! There is a shuttle that will take you from both of these locations back to where you started. But I would still recommend driving back to there in order to take the famous car in tree picture as seen below. We also hiked to the top of Morrow Rock which is a short (398 steps) to a 360 degree view. No matter what you do in the Giant Forest you are guaranteed to feel very very small. Today is was our last day in California as we say goodbye to 80 deg afternoons and head to Utah.

They must be sisters, because brothers would of torn each other down by now.

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:54:53 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

June 24th 2009, Day 8 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Kings Canyon is a 2 hour drive from Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia. But right in the middle there is Grant Grove, the group pictured here is called The Happy Family. There is a little hike that takes you to General Grant tree, the second largest tree in the world. Another highlight in the grove is the Fallen Monarch which has been a hotel, a barn, and a saloon over the ages. You can walk completely through the fallen tree. A few miles north is "stump graveyard" you have to take a dirt road that is easily missed but after a mile you come to this field of giant stumps. Someone thought they hit a gold mind when the discovered these trees and just started chopping. It could take 2 men over 7 straight days to cut a giant sequoia down. Shortly after they had completely destroyed a field of ancient giants they realized the wood was no good and what wood was salvageable was turned into matches and fence posts. Its a shame that something over 2500 years old was killed by greed and lack of research.

The drive from Grant Grove to Kings Canyon is pretty cool. A lot of elevation change and plenty of overlooks. The road dead ends and there are some hiking trails in the canyon we did. A nice meadow walk as well as a waterfall, both of which are easy. Kings Canyon is actually the largest canyon in the United States but receives TONS less people than the more popular Grand Canyon and Yosemite. We only saw a handful of people while we were there. It was defiantly worth the 4 hour drive and most of the highlights can be seen in 1 day.

Toulumne Meadows

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:59:42 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

June 22nd 2009, Day 6 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Today we head to the Tuolumne Meadows in the northern part of the park. It is higher elevation which can make it 10-15 degrees cooler than the valley. Along the way we stopped at a Mariposa Grove, famous for tunnel tree. You had to hike a mile down (which means up coming back) to get to it so if you are planning on going to Sequoia National Park it is not worth your time. At Tuolumne Meadows you are again treated to a breathtaking view. This large open field is surrounded by snow caped mountains and filled with deer. We took the 3 miles round trip hike to Lembert Dome, which is an awesome hike. The last few 100 yards is a pretty intense rock scramble (we learned going down it is not as intense if you come around to the west side of the dome) and then you are treated to a 360deg view of the meadow and surrounding landmarks. It was an awesome day, the drive is fantastic (2 hours each way), the weather perfect (for hiking not really photography), and we witnessed some breathtaking views.

"Is that Old Jimmy"

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:32:03 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

Sorry for my long descriptions lately, it is mostly to document the day so I can remember years later. Don't feel obligated to read it, I would love to just hear what you think about the picture and suggestions for improvement.

June 20th 2009, Day 4 of The Great Western America Road Trip
Trip summery can be found here

Sentinel Dome is a must do short hike in Yosemite, only a mile to reach the summit of 8,112 ft. Those more adventurous hike Half Dome, but with a pregnant woman we decided that that 16 mile hike was too much. Sentinel Dome provides a nice alternative with a view of the valley and all its glory, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, etc. We learned about “Old Jimmy” on the way up to the top. This little boy who was at the age of non-stop taking told the story of Old Jimmy to his parents behind us. How there was a famous jeffery pine tree at the top that had died in a drought and when it fell over years later the whole town was saddened. The story was followed by any large tree along the trail “Is that Old Jimmy”. Little boys are awesome; we laughed knowing that would be our future one day. Later we got back and checked his story out and sure enough he was right.

This must be Young Jimmy; the feel of standing right under the tree is achieved with a 10mm lense. My generous cousin, Matt, let me borrow his Sigma 10-20 and that is one SWEET glass. It was crucial in shooting multiple locations on this trip; defiantly need to add one to the kit someday.

If planning a camping trip to Yosemite make sure to reserve a campsite 6 months in advanced, anything later and you will have to do the following: The next closest campsite is an hour away from the valley, we woke up at 4:45 to break camp and get to the first come first serve line at Camp 4. This is the only campsite like this in the valley and it fills up fast; there were 7 other groups already in line when we arrived at 6. The ranger station doesn’t open until 8 and takes in as many are leaving that day. I do know some that were in line at 8 did not get a site. Camp 4 is community camping, 6 people share a site and 4 bear boxes. It is one cool place, a lot of friendly people all there to enjoy the outdoors. We also learned that most people around there do not pay for sites, they travel with minimal supplies (that way not to take us much space in the bear box) and no tent. We woke up the next morning with 6 people sleeping on the ground, when the sun comes up they stuff their supplies in any box space left and head out to climb/hike/whatever. We also learned that most of them have mastered how to get a free shower (usually $5). I think many had been there for months with out paying for a campsite or shower. We killed time in the valley seeing some Indian museums and the ranger stations before going back to camp at noon to set up. So not having a reservation basically cost us a day between driving back out of the park last night to not being able to get on the trail until afternoon today. But that’s the way it goes, we spend the next 3 nights in Yosemite and I think you would cheat yourself if you spent any less.

Glad to be Home

nobody@flickr.com (Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.)) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:55:05 -0700

Dustin Prickett (.sunglow.) posted a photo:

Wow what a trip! We had such an amazing time, everything went smoothly, hardly a drop of rain, no car trouble, no injuries, and got to stand before some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. 2.5 weeks on the road in a no frills truck, driving 3200 miles, sleeping on the ground, taking over 1000 pictures, and hiking everyday can drain you. Even though I would love some more time out west I am glad to be home. We crammed all we could in that 2.5 weeks, 4 states and 7 national parks. I am going to do my best to post something from each day with some detail about places traveled, trails hiked and everything in between. None of this would have been possible with out my family, I borrowed my brothers truck, my dad's D80, and my cousin's Sigma 10-20mm.

Delicate Arch is all I got for tonight as we just got back today and I have to get on Florida time again. This was probably one of my scariest pictures taken as anyone who has been to this place probably knows how steep it is behind the arch. I was wearing Crocs which was probably not the smartest thing and almost slid down the 300ft 80deg slope numerous times. But I was able to snap this in one of the few seconds I released my death grip on the sandstone.

I look forward to catching up on all the wonderful uploads I have missed over my absence!

Trip summery can be found here