Tag: photography

National Forest Fun

by TravelPlanMom, posted in Travel, Virginia, West Virginia

“To travel is to live” – Hans Christian Andersen

There is so much lovely terrain right in our backyard, in the state of Virginia.  So my better half and I decided not to waste our beautiful Saturday on boring things like house work or yard work or household projects, and instead ventured out to enjoy the beginnings of the autumn colors in our region.  If you are ever visiting southwest Virginia, this day trip is a wonderful way to spend a day.

First I am going to tell you how to get there.  And make sure you eat before you go, because it is a bit of a drive.  On a previous trip to the area, I was starving, and the drive over two mountains made me a little car sick, so this time I made sure we ate breakfast right before leaving.  But I digress.  If you are in the Roanoke, Virginia area, leave Interstate 81 by Exit 141 and go west until you reach a traffic signal.  Turn right at the light onto 311.  This will take you over the first mountain pretty quickly.  After the first mountain, you will pass the Homeplace Restaurant on the left.  Sidebar – if you’ve never visited the Homeplace, you are missing out on a fantastic family-style meal.  Do yourself a favor and try it out!

Back to the directions – after passing the Homeplace, you will drive for 12 or 13 miles and then drive through the small town of New Castle, Virginia.  Keep on driving.  After an additional 16 miles of curvy roads while crossing over another mountain, you will reach the little crossroad known as Paint Bank.  Currently Paint Bank offers up a general store/restaurant combination, a lodge, and a gas pump.  There’s not much to see right at the crossroad, but what is there is very quaint.

Two story red brick building with two story porches on front and waving American flag with hanging flower baskets
Paint Bank General Store and Swinging Bridge Restaurant

The Paint Bank General Store, pictured above, also hosts the Swinging Bridge Restaurant in the rear of the building.  But we will come back to that later.

old train depo turned into a lodge that is two story grey building with metal roof and bikes in front
Paint Bank Depot Lodge

I’ve never stayed at the Depot Lodge, but this building is not the only accommodation available in the area.  In addition to the lodge, there is an amazing caboose, two “glamping” tents, two cabins, an airstream trailer, a house, a cottage, and “coming soon” the Lemon Hotel.  You can check out all of the lodging available at The Depot Lodge.  Seems like it would be a great place to host an extended family get-together.

Country road street corner with Waiteville Rd street sign, State Road 600 street sign, trees in background and metal guard rail

The picture above is what you will see immediately after the General Store.  Make a left here onto 600, or Waiteville Road. As you drive along, you will probably see buffalo grazing in one of several pastures along the left hand side of the road.

Green grass, buffalo in the distance against backdrop of autumn trees and mountains behind

Drive about 10 – 11 miles, and you will see a small sign on the left that says Hanging Rock.

Rural road green grass and autumn leaves in background with sign pointing the way to Hanging Rock

Turn right here onto Limestone Hill Road.  It is a lovely drive up this winding, curvy road.  We saw some beautiful leaves along the way.

rural road surrounded by trees with autumn leaves

Stay on this very narrow, paved road for almost 4 miles and you will come to the parking area on the left.  You’ve arrived!

One of the great things about this trail is that the small parking area is never crowded, at least not when we have been here.  We had passed by the trail heads of several other well-known hikes in southwest Virginia and they were packed out, but not here.  And it was a beautiful October day.

Okay, so now that we are here, it’s time to secure our valuables in the trunk, grab the backpack with water bottles and light snacks, and hit the trail!  The trail is probably rated as moderate, at least that’s what I think.  It is short and has some steeper areas, but also some flat places.

Smiling man in blue shirt standing at beginning of trail to Hanging Rock Observatory with tree with yellow painted square

Follow the yellow marks on the trees!  One of the steepest parts of the trail is right at the beginning, but it’s not bad.

Wooden sign for Allegheny Trail marking distances to Hanging Rock Lookout, Appalachian Trail, and Sugar Camp Farm

We’re headed for the hanging rock lookout.  I think the sign says it is .6 miles.  So, 1.2 miles round-trip.  Not very long!

Man in blue shirt walking ahead in rocky area in the woods on a trail

There are some rocky stretches along the trail, and in a couple of areas we will need to do some scrambling over rocks.  We keep walking until we get to this sign:

Wooden sign in the woods pointing the way to Allegheny trail and the fire tower and raptor tower

If we stay to the right we will join the Allegheny Trail, and if we go left, we will reach the fire tower.  Just a little farther and we will be there!

Wooden sign with blue backpack hanging on it in the woods and a trail leading upwards

When we reach the top, there’s a fire tower to the right and the hanging rock to the left.  In the past, we’ve only been up in the tower, so I wanted to try to take a selfie from the rock.  It would have been so nice to have a selfie stick in this situation!  None of our selfie pictures worked out.  Oh well!  But I did get a couple of shots from the rock, including this one:

Blue sky with puffy white clouds, wooden building with windows, and angled rock slabs with autumn trees
The Hanging Rock and the Fire Tower Observatory

Next, it’s on to the fire tower.  The views are amazing from up here.  You can see mountain ridges for miles and miles.

Deck railing with sign that says EL 3812 with mountains in the distance and blue skies with white clouds

Man in blue shirt standing in shadow at deck railing looking over colorful trees and mountains in the distance with blue skies and white clouds
Looking Over Miles of Mountains

Woman in blue leaning against deck railing with mountains in the background, autumn leaves, and blue skies and white cloudsMountains in the distance, blue skies, lots of white clouds and tops of trees in the foreground

Here’s a panoramic:

Panoramic picture overlooking tops of mountains and autumn trees, blue skies and white clouds

If you are a bird-watcher, this is the place to be.  The tower is right along the flight path of predatory birds.  Unfortunately, we forgot our binoculars this time but we’ve seen several bald eagles in the past without binoculars.  Red-tailed hawks and other large birds are known to pass by.  The tower is at an elevation of 3812 feet.

I failed to mention earlier, that not long after leaving Paint Bank, we crossed into West Virginia.  Most of the area we are looking over is West Virginia.  It sure is scenic!

Squinting man and woman in blue facing camera on deck of fire tower with tops of mountains, trees, and blue sky with white clouds in background

By this time, despite the little snack we brought with us, I was getting really hungry!  After filling our eyes with wonder, it was time to think about filling our bellies with delicious food!  So we grabbed our pack and headed back down the trail.  The return trip was a lot easier, with the exception of a little bit of knee strain.  We passed some young families with several young children who were heading up.  This trail can be trekked by just about anybody, as long as they have no mobility issues.

We got in our car and drove back to Paint Bank, arriving at around 3 p.m.  We were relieved to be able to walk right in to the Swinging Bridge restaurant and get a table.  The last time we had visited, there was a two hour wait!  Wow!  The restaurant does not take reservations unless your party has 8 or more people, and I think that sometimes large tour buses come with huge groups, but that’s not what we encountered this day.

In the picture below you can see the bridge crossing over the dining room:

Inside of open two story building with bridge across the middle of room, a christmas tree, taxidermy animals, old Texaco signs, people sitting at tables, log walls
Inside the Swinging Bridge Restaurant

The restaurant had a steady flow of customers but it wasn’t crowded.  The Swinging Bridge offers a varied menu, with buffalo options.  We decided on the ribs.  We saw them cooking outside on the smoker earlier and they smelled so good!  We also had baked potatoes and side salads and they brought a basket of rolls and cheesy cornbread to the table.  Every time I have eaten here the food has been very good.  We split the apple crumb pie with a generous scoop of ice cream for dessert.  We both had drinks (non-alcoholic) and our tab came to around $42 (we had plenty of left-overs to take home).

After our late lunch, we explored around the gift shop upstairs, the general store, and outside for a bit.

Then it was time for the long-ish drive home.  It was a fun and scenic adventure and we were glad that we put off the things we needed to do at home to enjoy a warm October day in the mountains.  It was time well spent.

Until next time, happy traveling!

 

 

A Page from Arizona

by TravelPlanMom, posted in Arizona, Planning, Travel, Vacation

“Take only memories, leave only footprints” – Chief Seattle

Arizona – a state of diversity

When I say that Arizona is a state of diversity, I’m not talking about skin color or cultural diversity, but geographical diversity.  On our family’s first trip to Arizona, I was amazed by the variety of topography to be found in the Grand Canyon state.  For example, in the Tucson area, you are likely to see cacti, front yards filled with rocks, rolling hills, heat, and desert terrain.  When you drive into the high elevation of the Flagstaff area, you are greeted with Ponderosa Pine, mountainous terrain, and much cooler temperatures.  Sedona, on the other hand, will greet you with towering red rock structures that jut out of the mostly flat landscape.  It is a wonder to behold.

That brings us to the Grand Canyon.  You can’t really think about Arizona without the Grand Canyon coming to mind.  It is a one-of-a-kind experience to gaze upon the vast and many-hued geologic wonder.  But, the Grand Canyon is not the only canyon in Arizona.  The state is also home to quite a few slot canyons.  While the majestic Grand Canyon is massive, experiencing it is a big endeavor.  If you want to explore down into the belly of the canyon, you either undertake a huge hike (much easier on the way down, a killer on the way up), or you can pay a lot to ride a mule in and out, or take an expensive helicopter ride.  In contrast, Arizona’s slot canyons are quite a bit easier to access.

When planning our family trip to Utah, my daughter-in-law mentioned wanting to visit one of those Arizona slot canyons – Antelope Canyon, and said that it was just over the border from Utah.  So we added Page, Arizona to our vacation agenda.  During the course of our planning, we also realized that Horseshoe Bend was located a mere few miles away.  So there you go – two fantastic destinations in one place – making the 2+ hour trek from our vacation rental very worth the drive.

In the past, I had seen some amazing slot canyon photos, although at the time I didn’t realize exactly what they were or where they were taken.  I really didn’t understand exactly what we were planning to see.  But as I did some investigating, I realized that this was going to be one of the highlights of our trip.

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So, with plans made and adventure on our minds, we set out from Utah and road-tripped it to Page.  Here I must note that Lower Antelope Canyon and Upper Antelope Canyon are both located on the Navajo tribal grounds and all tours are run by Navajo.  We visited the Lower instead of the Upper due to the lesser amount of visitors and the lower cost.  If we get the chance to return to the area, I would love to visit Upper Antelope Canyon.  But, back to the Lower – there are two different tour groups that you can use – Ken’s Tours, which is the original, and Dixie Ellis’ Lower Antelope Canyon Tours, which I think is run by Ken’s sister.  We took the Dixie Ellis tour, but I really don’t see how one can be much different from the other.

When we reached the Lower Antelope Canyon tour area, the two different tour companies were side by side.  Upon entering the parking lot of the tour company, there was a little building with a walk-up window and a long line of people waiting to check in.  I thought that by buying our tickets in advance, we would have an easy time at check-in, but it was pretty busy.  Upon arrival, each person in our group had to sign on a list of names as a release.  There were many other people doing the same thing and the tour company was not organized in their little office.  This is the part of the experience that I did not like at all!  Additionally, in the parking area there were two different very long rows of stinky port-a-pottys.  If you decide to visit, you may want to hit a restroom before you get there.  When buying our tickets online ahead of time, it seemed that there was a limit to the amount of people touring in each time slot.  This was not the case.  When our time group was called, we were surprised to see a bus group of about 50 tourists from Asia who were given priority over the rest of our time group.  And the last disappointing thing was that once our group was called, we walked down to the entrance of the canyon, surprised to find a huge line of people waiting ahead of us.  So despite buying a ticket for a specific time, we waited for about an hour in this last line until we entered the canyon.  I am relating all of this to you so when and if you go, you will be informed ahead of time, and not be too frustrated with the situation.

Now let’s talk about the good stuff.  As we waited in line to get into Lower Antelope Canyon, most of our wait was under a recently constructed shelter.  It was a big help to have that shade, otherwise we would have waited for an hour in the desert sun.  And our guide was great!

When it was our time to enter the canyon, we descended down some metal stairs where no pictures were allowed.  I guess cameras have been dropped on tourist’s heads in the past!  Yikes!  Then we entered the first big room of the canyon, and our guide was able to move us around the huge bus group of 50 tourists, which was awesome.  That gave us the liberty to explore some of the areas without dealing with a big crowd, and that made the whole experience much more pleasant.

I have to say, once we entered the cool of the canyon and began to explore and take in the beauty around us, the long lines and heat from the wait just evaporated.  It really was worth the hassle to be able to experience Lower Antelope Canyon.  And pictures!  I took more pictures in that canyon than I did in any other place we visited that week.  Around every corner we experienced something new that begged for a picture.  I am including a few below, a mere fraction of the total on my camera!  And our guide helped us so much by suggesting things to shoot, pointing out famous rock formations, and telling us how we could set our iPhones or Androids to capture the best colors of the canyon.

My daughter-in-law captured some great images with her new camera.

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When you see all the variations of light and hues of color it almost doesn’t seem real.  I enjoyed snapping some pictures along the way.

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Our guide was so helpful!

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He knew the best places to take some great pictures!  Of course, I think that just about anywhere in the canyon would look great in a picture.

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Then, he turned my camera side-ways and took an up-and-down panoramic.  I didn’t even realize you could do that!  I’ve taken all my panos from side to side.  Actually, now that I think about it, my DIL took a picture like that earlier in the week.  And it’s a great effect!

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And, the next picture I would like to share is my favorite.  The rock formation is called “Lady in the Wind.”  Can you see her?

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When we reached the end, we climbed out of the canyon on a series of small metal ladders.

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When we climbed out and walked a few feet away, I turned around and could hardly tell where we came out of the earth.  The canyon was almost hidden from the surface.

Next up was lunch and then on to Horseshoe Bend!

When we drove up to the Horseshoe Bend parking area, it didn’t look like it was going to be that exciting.  And from the reviews I read ahead of time, I was thinking that it was a really short walk from the parking lot, but I obviously had the wrong idea.  The walk was about 3/4 mile one-way and hot!  A sign at the beginning of the trail notified hikers to carry water.

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Thankfully there was some cloud cover, which helped a bit with the heat.  As we approached Horseshoe Bend, we could see people standing near the edge of a rock.

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What we didn’t realize is that at that edge was a HUGE drop-off down to the river below. This picture doesn’t really do justice to how scary it was!  My husband wouldn’t watch when I got close enough to get this selfie.

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Unfortunately, anyone who wants to get a really good shot of Horseshoe Bend has to get right up next to the edge.  Phew!  It was scary!  I would have felt much better if i had a rope tied around my waist, just in case.  Also, it helps to have a wide lens on your iPhone, because it’s hard to get the whole thing in one picture without it.  I think this one was without the wide lens:

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And this one definitely had a wide lens:

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After a long day of breathtaking scenery and lots of photos, we headed back to our rental house in Utah.  We had enjoyed two of the diverse attractions of Arizona and the experiences of the day were definitely worth the lengthy drive.  Thankfully, we had a crock pot full of soup waiting for us at the house, so after dragging our weary bodies in the door, we ate dinner and relaxed until we hit the sack.  It had been a full and rewarding day.

I hope you have enjoyed a Page from Arizona.  Until next time – happy traveling!

 

Colorful Valley of Fire at sunset

A Gem in Nevada

by TravelPlanMom, posted in Nevada, Travel, Vacation

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories” – Ray Bradbury

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary a gem is defined as:  a jewel, (or) a precious or sometimes semiprecious stone cut and polished for ornament, (or) something prized especially for great beauty or perfection.  Any of those definitions can be applied to the subject of today’s discussion – Valley of Fire State Park.

Where, you may ask, is this gem, this jewel, this stone cut and polished for ornament?  And, what is this place, prized especially for great beauty or perfection?  The Valley of Fire, aptly named, is located in Nevada and is an easy hour’s drive from “the strip” in Las Vegas.  It is a true gem, its brilliant colors rising in sharp contrast to the usual drab landscape of this slice of Nevada.

The picture below is the typical view out of the window of your car as you drive away from Las Vegas:

Bleak Nevada desert

As you can see, it is pretty much tan with a little bit of green thrown in.

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Pretty drab, right?  But as you drive up to the Valley of Fire, beauty begins to unfold before your eyes. Out of the dull and uninteresting, rock formations of reds and pinks and whites arise:

Road into Valley of fire

Red rock formations in Valley of Fire

You’ve reached the Valley of Fire!

As I was researching and planning our family trip to Utah this year, I also needed to decide how my husband and I could best spend our extra few days ahead of the official group vacation.  We were spending three nights in Vegas, and since we’re not big gamblers, we were looking for other things to do.  My search of the internet, and the forums on TripAdvisor.com, led me to this little gem in the desert.  And I am so glad!

I had planned on us leaving mid-afternoon from Vegas with a picnic supper and spending a few hours at VoF, enjoying the evening and the twilight hours, away from the worst heat of the day.  However, we got a little carried away walking the strip, ogling the fancy hotels and indulging in a huge lunch buffet at the Bellagio.  By the time we got back to our room we were wiped out and had to recuperate for a while, pushing back our leaving for the Valley of Fire.  By the time we got there, we didn’t have time to do everything I wished, including driving around the park, sightseeing, and taking the two trails I hoped to hike.  But, I must say, the hour or two before sunset are a great time to visit VoF.  The setting sun cast beautiful hues of pinks over the red and white rocks, and the skies were a bewitching cascade of color.  The pictures just don’t capture the splendor that the eye sees.  Here are a few of the evening pictures:

Red and white rock formations in Valley of FireRed rock and road in Valley of Fire at duskWoman in silver convertible in Valley of Fire at dusk

By the way, I rented that convertible as a surprise for my husband, because he loves convertibles and we can’t afford to buy one at this stage of life.  I was so excited and kept it a secret until we picked it up.  We got an incredible price on it from the car rental company named Sixt.  It’s a European company that’s new to the states and they offer prices on luxury/specialty cars that compare to standard cars from some of the other companies.  Check them out when you want to rent a special car!

So, back to Valley of Fire . . . here’s another evening picture – it’s kind of dark, but the sky is so pretty:

Sunset and red rock at Valley of Fire

Well, as I mentioned before, we got to the park a little too late to see everything that I had planned, and the park closes at sunset, so we had to leave.  But, thankfully, my husband was a good sport and he agreed to come back the next day after we visited the Hoover Dam.  When we drove away from VoF that first evening, it was a chilly 57 degrees!  Surprising for the last half of May in Nevada, at least for me.  But despite the chill, we rode back with the top down on our rental convertible (with the heat on), and enjoyed every daggone minute!  And the roads from the VoF back to Las Vegas were pretty empty, which made it even better!  It’s no fun to ride in a convertible when you’re surrounded by semi-trucks.  Ha!

The following day we came back in the afternoon, after visiting the Hoover Dam and taking Lakeshore Road (which comes with a big price tag – $20 – the entrance fee for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area) back to the Valley of Fire State Park.  It’s a prettier drive than the other alternative, although it doesn’t compare at all to the VoF itself.

Couple at Valley of Fire State Park sign

When we reached the park this time, it was not 57 degrees!  It was hot!  Whatever cold front that had been visiting the day before was long gone.  And although the park was still beautiful, the colors were not quite the same with the sun blaring down on our heads and the sweat dripping off of everywhere.  But, like I said, still beautiful.  But I am partial to visiting a little later in the day, when the colors are highlighted by the setting sun.

The main reason we came back the second day was so that we could hike to see Fire Wave, a visually stunning rock formation with flowing lines of red and white.  We hiked out and back, a round trip of about 1.5 miles.  And we felt every step in the heat!  Here are some pictures from the hike:

Desert and red rock in Valley of Fire blue skyRed rock formation and blue sky in Valley of Fire State Park

Man taking picture of

See what I mean?  Still beautiful, with contrasting colors of blue sky and red rock, but not quite as lovely as the night before.  And hot.  As we hiked closer to Fire Wave, we began to see the variegated red and white rock:

Red and white rock striations

And, finally, we reached our destination, Fire Wave

Fire Wave rockFire Wave

Long view of

You can see for yourself that Fire Wave is an unusual and magnificent rock formation.  And despite the walk through the sand and the heat, it was worth the trek and the sweat to be able to see it ourselves and take a few photographs.  My only regret is that we didn’t get to see and photograph it in the evening hours.  But who knows, maybe this particular spot is prettier in the daytime?

So, after our second visit to Valley of Fire, with our camera full of pictures and our hearts full of memories, we were ready to get back in the convertible, put the top down, and head back to Vegas.

I hope you have enjoyed our jaunt through the desert to the little gem in Nevada and that you will get the chance to visit Valley of Fire yourself someday.  Until next time, happy traveling!