Scenic Sunday: Above the Clouds (Sometimes)

August 7, 2011

Looking down on clouds from View John Rock overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. August 4, 2011.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

I took Betsy to Asheville, North Carolina, to celebrate her birthday.  Fortunately we both love that part of the country and are happy for any excuse to go there.  As usual, we were in no hurry, so we took the scenic route by getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley and taking that to Asheville.  It took much longer than the interstate would have taken, but the scenery was much more enjoyable.

Thursday started out partly cloudy, but as the afternoon wore on the skies became more and more overcast.  We found it hard to get good pictures until we got near View John Rock overlook (Milepost 419).  There we found we could look down on clouds in the valleys below us, as you can see from the picture above.

The view from Cherry Cove overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina. August 4, 2011.

We stopped at the next several overlooks if we could see clouds below us.  This gave us a very pretty view, even if the day was cloudy.

Blue skies above low clouds in the valleys. August 4, 2011.

As we approached Mount Pisgah, breaks began to appear in the clouds overhead.  This allowed us to see blue skies and sun light above the clouds in the valley below.

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Someone Is Having a Birthday

August 4, 2011

I don’t want to mention any names, but someone is having a birthday tomorrow.  I definitely won’t mention anything as crass as age, but can you guess who this birthday person is?

The picture above shows her with her father before she grew into an accomplished drive-by shooter (with a camera!).  But even at that young age she was in the driver’s seat, making sure the men in her life went in the proper direction.

As you can see, Birthday Girl developed an early appreciation for flowers.  So really, what choice did I have but to promise her a rose garden?

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the Birthday Girl is my Beautiful Bride, Betsy.  If you would like to wish her a Happy Birthday, you can do so by clicking HERE.

I’m trying my best to have a proper birthday celebration, so we may not have much computer time through the weekend.  But we’ll both be back on Monday.

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Watery Wednesday #151: Lake Mead

August 3, 2011
Lake Mead from an overlook at Hoover Dam. June 17, 2011.

Lake Mead from an overlook at Hoover Dam. June 17, 2011.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

After visiting the Grand Canyon, Betsy and I headed west to go around the canyon to get to Utah and Zion National Park.  Along the way we stopped at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

Lake Mead was formed by Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, and was named after Elwood Mead, the Bureau of Reclamation commissioner at the time the dam was built.  Lake Mead is the 16th largest man-made lake in the world and the largest man-made lake in the Western Hemisphere.  The lake occupies about 1.5 million acres — twice the size of Rhode Island — and has a shoreline of approximately 820 miles.

The National Park Service established Lake Mead as a national recreation area in 1964.  The lake offers year-round recreation, including boating, swimming, hiking and wildlife viewing.

Lake Mead as seen from across the desert. June 17, 2011.

Lake Mead is surrounded by red sandstone and black lava rock in Black Canyon.  Some of the lava hills are approximately 6 million years old.  The contrast between the blue lake and the desert sands is striking, and attracts many visitors each year.

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My World: Day Lilies in Bloom

August 2, 2011

Spanish Glow Day Lily, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 25, 2011.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I missed the blooming of most of the lilies and day lilies in our yard because of our trip last month.  But some day lilies are continuing to bloom, and we are enjoying their bright refreshing colors during this hot spell we’re enduring.

All of these day lilies are in our new flower bed along the road, and this is the first time they’ve bloomed for us.  The day lily above is Spanish Glow.

Carlotta Day Lily, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 5, 2011.

Carlotta is the reddest of our day lilies.

Wild Horses Day Lily, Fiarfield Glade, Tennessee. June 30, 2011.

Wild Horses only had one blossom while we were home, which made it difficult to get a good picture.  But I did like the color.

Elegant Candy Day Lily, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 5, 2011.

Elegant Candy Day Lily, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 5, 2011.

Elegant Candy has a pretty — dare I say, elegant — pastel color.

Fooled Me Day Lily, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. July 25, 2011.

We weren’t sure that Fooled Me was going to bloom this year, but it did come through and shared its bright colors with us.

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Scenic Sunday: The Tepees

July 31, 2011

The Tepees of the Painted Desert, Petrified Forst National Park, Arizona. June 13, 2011.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

The Tepees under a beautiful blue sky. June 13, 2011.

The Tepees is an area of the Petrified Forest National Park dominated by cone-shaped rock formations.  It’s in the southern section of the park between Newspaper Rock and Blue Mesa.

Beautiful colors all around. June 13, 2011.

The Tepees contain layered blues, purples and grays in addition to the colors found in other portions of the park.  That day’s clear blue sky (with a few white clouds) only added to the beauty of the Painted Desert.

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SkyWatch Friday: Arizona Skies

July 29, 2011

The sky above Puerco Pueblo in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. June 13, 2011.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

There is no doubt that the main attractions of the Petrified Forest National Park are the Painted Desert and the petrified logs.  But the sky is also an attraction, especially on a clear day like it was when we visited in June.  As the day wore on, a few white clouds appeared.  The long, flat cloud in the picture above appeared over Puerco Pueblo, where we saw our first group of petroglyphs.

The Painted Desert south of Newspaper Rock, Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011.

By the time we got past Newspaper Rock, a few smaller wispy clouds put in their appearance.

The Painted Desert, Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011.

I can’t help but feel that those white clouds in that beautiful blue sky added to the wonderful colors of the Painted Desert.

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I Married a Drive-by Shooter

July 28, 2011

The Painted Desert in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. June 13, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

No, not that kind — the good kind!

One disadvantage to doing the driving on a road trip is that it’s easy to miss some of the scenery because you have to keep an eye on the road (and traffic).

The Painted Desert in the Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

Fortunately Betsy has become a very accomplished drive-by shooter with her camera.  She took all these pictures as we drove along Petrified Forest Road between Newspaper Rock and The Tepees in the Petrified Forest National Park.

The Painted Desert in the Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

If there was a pullout I could stop, enjoy the scenery, and take some pictures.  But pullouts were few and far between, so I’m glad Betsy got these great shots of the scenery.

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Watery Wednesday: Virgin River Gorge

July 27, 2011

Cascades on the Virgin River, Virgin River Gorge, Arizona. June 18, 2011.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

As you know, it is very difficult for Betsy and me to travel without attempting to get close to a waterfall or at least some fast flowing water.

We had such a chance when we traveled through the Virgin River Gorge, located between St. George, Utah, and Littlefield, Arizona.  The gorge is a long canyon that has been carved out by the Virgin River in northwest Arizona.  It connects he southwestern rim of the Colorado Plateau and the northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert.

Interstate 15 runs through the canyon, and we got this picture of the cascade at a pullout.

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My World: Petroglyphs

July 26, 2011

Petroglyphs at Puerco Pueblo, Petrified Forest National Park. June 13, 2011.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I have often heard  others talk about petroglyphs, and when we visited the Petrified Forest National Park we were able to see some for ourselves.

Another boulder at Puerco Pueblo with petroglyphs. June 13, 2011.

The first set we saw was at Puerco Pueblo, an archeological site which was occupied between 1250 and 1400.  The petroglyphs were on the side of cliffs adjoining the village, although we were unable to view one set because the trail leading to the viewing platform was closed because of swarming bees.

The ruins of Puerco Pueblo. June 13, 2011.

The picture above shows some of the ruins of the village.

Newspaper Rock, Petrified Forest National Forest. June 13, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

The second set of petroglyphs was at Newspaper Rock, shown above in a picture that Betsy took.  There are more than 650 petroglyphs on the cliff and on boulders that have tumbled from the cliff.

Because of defacement that has taken place in the past and unstable hillsides, visitors are restricted to a viewing platform at the top of the cliff.  There was quite a crowd on the platform, and it was very windy, but we did manage to see a few of the images.

Petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock. June 13, 2011.

The light wasn’t the best for the petroglyphs on this boulder, but they are on at least two of the sides.

Petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock. June 13, 2011.

The lower image on this boulder reminds me of how I feel after working all day in the garden.

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Scenic Sunday: The Painted Desert

July 24, 2011

The Painted Desert from the Tawa Point overlook. June 13, 2011.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

Neither words or pictures can adequately describe the Painted Desert.  It truly looks as if an artist has spread beautiful colors over everything in sight.  We were there on a beautiful clear day, and the brilliant blue sky was just an added bonus.  This picture was taken at the Tawa Point overlook in Petrified Forest National Park.

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