The World Through Our Lens
After spending the early part of an afternoon at Mesa Verde National Park where we were enthralled with the Puebloan cliff dwellings, Bob and I made plans to arrive back at Monument Valley in time for the sunset. Not a minute was wasted in order to achieve our goal. The time was tight, but traffic was light, road construction closed up for the night, and our gas tank was full. Monument Valley here we come! Read more
On our first day in Grand Canyon National Park, after gaining a bird’s eye view of the spectacular world-famous canyon from a helicopter, we set off to explore the South Rim trails. In the afternoon, we caught a shuttle bus to the extreme western end of the trail at Hermit’s Rest. An impromptu exploration below Hermit’s Rest Lookout turned up a fleeting glimpse of this Rock Wren. Read more
During our stay at Grand Canyon National Park, Bob and I explored many sections of the South Rim Trail since we were supremely situated with our room at Maswik Lodge. After completing a guided Fossil Walk one morning, we continued along the Rim Trail towards Maricopa Point. In addition to providing excellent views of Bright Angel Trail from Lookout Point, the trail also affords suitable habitat for numerous birds in the Pinyon Pines and other shrubbery that grow tenuously at the edge of the Canyon. That is where we found this Mountain Chickadee. Read more
It was becoming a habit, it seemed, for Bob and me to wake up between 6-6:30 a.m., and the day following our hike on the Bright Angel Trail was no different. Because our leg muscles were way too spent for any other activity, our intentions were to drive across Arizona into Colorado to Mesa Verde National Park. Once there, we were absolutely in awe of the excellent examples of preserved and protected cliff dwellings once used by Pueblo people. Read more
As Bob and I cruised along the black tarmac, the air literally shivered with the heat. In the distance, at the base of the Vermilion Cliffs, a mirage appeared complete with stone houses rising up out of the desert sands….or so we thought. This was one of Blanche Russells Rock Houses that was constructed during the Great Depression. Read more
Despite having been awake since a very early hour, it was not until about 10:30 a.m. that Bob and I decided to make a run for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was approximately 200 miles from the South Rim, and the roads were very good, so there was plenty of time left in the day to get there and back again. One of the striking features of landscape to impress us along the route was the Painted Desert with its myriad formations in all colors of the rainbow. Read more
When Bob and I first arrived at Grand Canyon National Park, it was getting late in the day, dusk in fact, so we were eager to find our accommodations in the Grand Canyon Village. As we drove down one stretch of the pavement, adjacent to the railway track, Bob caught sight of a number of Elk making their way from one side of the roadway to the other. Read more
All along the South Rim Trail at Grand Canyon National Park, we observed various Common Ravens, often in flight over the gaping abyss, Read more
Bob and I had been at Grand Canyon National Park for a few days, and on top of exploring the phenomenal panoramic sights, we had also been engrossed in the observation of a variety of bird species. It was not until the morning of a guided Fossil Hike that we first came upon some Mule Deer. People wanting to join the hike were to assemble on the canyon-side patio of Bright Angel Lodge, and there, just below the stone wall edging the pathway, a family of Mule Deer was having its breakfast. Read more
Bob and I had planned our trip to the Grand Canyon so that our helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon was on the first morning after we arrived, hoping that it would give us a great overview of the landscape before we set off on foot to explore it. Read more
