279) Birthdays in Zion

Due to a scheduling fluke I ended up getting my birthday off and headed up to Zion for a hike.  Just like last year, I got up as early as I could (this year earlier than last- perhaps I am ever nearing that old man age when waking up super early is just part of the deal).

And just like last year, the plants were showing anyone fortunate enough to walk by how beautiful they can be.  Especially the maple trees.

I love the narrow, deep, beautiful canyons that are all about Zion.  The light bounces off one wall, changes color, filters through some trees and then hits the opposite wall.  The result is unreal lighting on already stunning scenery.  Walking through the scene is like walking in a dream.

Above and the two below are shots of the same trees.  They were a ghostly yellow/green in a narrow canyon of red.

278) Fall is in the Air

Fall is the best season of the year in the desert.  The sun starts pushing south at ever increasing speed.  The days become pleasant and the nights a little chilly.  Windows can be opened.  Fall in the desert is like early summer in the midwest, except you must minus the humidity and add in the leaves changing.

Michele and I drove out to the Grand Canyon's north rim for a few days.  Every once and while it is completely necessary to be far away from everything for a few days.  Hike.  Wander around looking for the tree with the best fall colors. Watch a campfire for the nights entertainment.  Fall asleep watching the stars.  Sleep on the dirt.  Wake up and watch the sunrise with no other agenda.

 It seemed like every day we got more fortunate with our sunrises and sunsets.  Clouds or storms would roll in and out with perfect timing.  The canyons changed to purple while the sky various shades of orange.  And then they would swap their color schemes.

The really nice thing about living in the low desert is that three out of the four seasons are ideal.  Summer is certainly more intense and drags on a little longer here, but come fall, it is all worth it.  This is the season for exploring and sleeping outside.

277) Various (Aug/Sept)

The other day we had a reported injured big horn sheep, his hind left leg was apparently broken or dislocated.   I followed him for a few hours, and he out-paced me, even with a mangled leg.  So our best guess is that he will either be one of those three-legged animals, or just lay down to die some place quiet.  We saw him eating, and he has no problem moving about on tough terrain, so hopefully it will be the three-legged option.

 With the days growing shorter, I have been back to watching the sun rise on most days.  It is a nice few moments before the day starts.

 Last year around this time I was with my dad in the Grand Canyon, watching storms build up, pass by and hit selected areas.  It seemed like we would only be getting passed by this year- storms building and missing us all around.  Then finally one day, we took the rain we have been waiting for, and plenty more.  As I was driving home I watched storms build up all around us until they finally hit that night and the next day.  We took about half of our annual rainfall in a matter of hours.  Flash floods burst all around, waterfalls erupted out of rocks, roads and trails became rivers, in a matter of minutes dry washes over the road were filled with debris and rocks three feet thick and 30 feet wide- impassable.

And then out of nowhere toads appeared in select spots, sang their songs, mated and disappeared back into the cracks they came from.  Two days later puddles were full of tadpoles.

 Above is a buildup that looked like it would smash us, but just passed by instead.  Below is a storm backlit by the sunset- coming close, but not hitting us.

 Below is misty rain backlit by the sunset.  That rain never made it to the ground, this phenomena is called virga.