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Excursions Off The Beaten Path ≈ Travel . The Outdoors . Photography .
Outlasting Time Itself
Moab is a hotbed for adventure and Gentiles alike, but you won’t find much real beer here.
—Anonymous
While on a recent trip to Moab, we stopped in at Pasta Jay’s after a grueling 23 mile ride of Porcupine Rim. We found much more than delectable Italian food. Our server Lara was nice enough to answer a couple of weird questions we had on the origins of the name “Moab,” and whether it was a gentile hotbed within the confines of Mormon Utah. Her answers were not far from the truth:
Moab is a Biblical name, citing a fortress-like city South of Jerusalem (big surprise, right?). Though fertile, it was known for being extremely arid and hot. Crusaders quickly recognized the defensible aspects of the locale, and built accordingly. Tourists today can see the similarities instantly. Towering red rock pinnacles jut from the Colorado river, and echoes of primitive times blaze in the desert sun. Also, Turret Arch (seen below) stands like an stone battleship awaiting one last battle. Click HERE for further details. Though Brigham Young was the first to send missionaries into the Grand Valley (aka Spanish Valley), Native Americans populated the area long beforehand.
A moonlit landscape brightens Turret Arch and the distant South Window, while star trails slide up above. Windows District, Arches NP outside Moab, UT.
After a couple heated battles, the Mormon settlers packed up and headed back North to Salt Lake. But this lapse in White occupation on the central Colorado Plateau proved to be temporary. The trail had already been blazed, and settlers of a different breed began to mosey toward the valley. If you asked me, this is where the town gets its real character. Click HERE for more. As Lara explained, ranchers and miners staked claims through the area while making peace with the Natives. They drank, smoked, and spent nights at brothels, but didn’t try and convert the local inhabitants. Is this why adventure seekers from places like Aspen, Telluride, and Crested Butte yearn to be in this arid wastelands? Is it a similar inclination towards adrenaline? We may never know. But one thing’s for sure: though Moab offers copious amounts of 3.2% beer, it has a wilder, more colorful side to it than Salt Lake or Provo ever will.
Check back later for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Crown Trail Quagmire
I was a digital sinner, but then I saw the light. But it was blown out, so I used HDR to get a better look at it.
-Mr Numb (Flickr Pro user)
I consistently hear non photo enthusiasts (or at least those who aren’t hip to certain techniques) say that HDR is a cheater’s tool to make up for lacking skills in the photog arts. For the layperson, HDR is an acronym for “high dynamic range.” In short, this is a way to combine the color information from multiple photos into one magnificent final product. Where the human eye can view distant sunsets and adjust to see nearby blades of grass instantly, a camera’s photo can only correctly expose the foreground, mid, or background in a single exposure. What seems to be a pitfall of modern photography is the cause of the ruckus I speak of today.
Just another delicious panoramic sunset over Carbondale, CO. This is NOT HDR folks...
We all have our own preferences and distastes, and the art world is no exception. Since art is not a static idea or set of principles, then there is no right or wrong when it comes to expressing oneself. Art is in the eye of the beholder, and that’s one of the few things in this life we can call our own. With that said, the above picture is NOT an HDR image. Though it contains some of the aspects of a high dynamic range photo, it was a single exposure processed using Adobe Lightroom. So is the above picture an abomination because it’s been edited and tweaked? In the end, serious critics of HDR may be inexperienced, or envious of the results of others. Some users start with overcooked images, but learn to harness the true power of HDR (or other photography tools) to bring out the best in their own photography. Either way, it’s about having fun, and experiencing the world around us.
Click HERE for a tutorial that helped jump start my learning and obsession with processing photographs.
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Pastel Paradise
“The most arid, most hostile, most lonesome, most grim, bleak, barren, desolate, and savage quarter of the state of Utah — the best part by far.”
Though there are a LOT of breathtaking vistas to be seen in Utah, Mr. Abby definitely has a point. 337,570 acres of standing, tilted, and broken red rock lay homage to ancient times, but also ancient inhabitants as well. Even during the harshest of summer heat, the Anasazi people chiseled life into the rocks that gave them shelter and spirituality. Though they seem to have disappeared from the face of the Earth, the native inhabitants were not the only ones exploring this maze of rocks. Learn more HERE.
The Wilhite Trail leads adventurers from the Island in the Sky district down to the White Rim Trail. Canyonlands, UT.
Bates Wilson was the superintendent of the newly formed Arches National Monument in 1951, when word came of a massive string of canyons not far from what soon became the town of Moab, UT. Wilson began exploring and mapping the region on horseback, and sending his finds back to local government. By the late 1950s, our national government had taken a serious interest, and placed Wilson on a special committee to create a new national park. This was to be called “Grand View National Park.” Click HERE for more info. Though the name has changed, the surreal colors and vistas have not. The picture shown above is a view from Island in the Sky, a 1,500 ft butte that stands above Canyonlands NP.
Check back later for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Waking Light
Though a fickle beast, lens flares can accentuate what the human eye can easily miss. In more specialized cases, direct rays from the sun or other light sources can actually add striking emphasis to photographs, as seen from the brilliant desert sunrise below. With the La Sal Mountains flooded with warming sunlight, Canyonlands’s Mesa Arch begins to glow. For a background on how lens flare can be harnessed, click HERE.
Mesa Arch offers an amazing window to the waking desert below. Canyonlands NP, Utah.
Lens flare seems to be a growing trend with photography laypersons and pros alike. Rules of composition and perspective have been shaken in recent years by innovative and dramatic photogs who dare to capture the world in new and artistic ways. In the recent past, lens flares were unwanted light pollution that wreaked havoc on lens elements (the glass parts of camera lenses). Though not harmful to the actual lens, these unwanted artifacts mostly lowered contrast, leaving pictures washed out and dull. HERE‘s more info.
Check back later for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Where Angels Dare
Zion National Park, found just outside of Springdale, UT is an astounding place. But unlike most it’s counterparts (Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands) Zion has an abundance of water. This crucial element in the arid Colorado Plateau has changed the landscape in countless ways. The Virgin River snakes through places like Zion Canyon (pictured below) and has brought life to the desert heat for millennia.
Few, if any, of Zion's 2 million visitors each year witness such a vista. Angel's Landing, Zion Canyon, Zion NP UT.
The most interesting aspects of time and water are also found far away from the popular Zion Canyon road. Quite unexpectedly, Zion NP holds the world’s 4th largest arch. Kolob Arch stands at a height of 104.7 ft tall, and has a span of 287.4 ft. Click HERE to learn more. Though the Colorado Plateau has the greatest concentration of arches and natural bridges in the world, visitors flock to Springdale and Hurricane UT for the grandeur of sheer cliffs and narrow canyons. The arches found in the park tend to be hidden in a maze of backcountry sandstone. And though a paved path led three quarters of the way to the vista shown above, no such luck will greet the adventurer looking for Kolob Arch. For further Zion details, click HERE.
Check back later for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Carbondale Nightscape
“Top 12 towns” in the “50 next great places to live and play.”
—National Geographic Adventure magazine
When winter enthusiasts think of the top resorts in the world, Aspen Colorado is at the top of the list. But seldom to tourists consider the cogs that allow the powerhouse to function. Since the late 1800s, Carbondale has supported surrounding towns with goods such as energy and food, but also manpower. Click HERE for more.
Red Hill's vista over the Roaring Fork Valley shows Carbondale waking from slumber
Nowadays, the laid back mountain town still supports Aspen and Glenwood Springs, but has learned to differentiate itself in new ways. First Fridays are a hit with locals, and visitors alike. Unlike Aspen’s high end galleries, this art showing is down to Earth, and targets the average art lover. Learn more HERE. In its own funky way, Carbondale caters to those who are looking for adventure, but want to be removed from the bustle and sometimes gaudy fashion of the Aspen high end culture. An example would be a slice of counter culture: Thrasher’s King of the Road competition, which completed its countrywide tour in 2007 at Carbondale’s massive and unforgiving skatepark. Because of these aspects, and many more, Carbondale is a place that has earned its own identity. The next time you decide to venture towards Aspen, stop in and have a look for yourself.
Check back later for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Taking the Plunge
“In 1995, a 400 ton boulder fell 225 feet from the face of the [Multnomah Falls]…It caused a 70-foot splash…which in turn caused minor injuries to a wedding party that happened to be on [the bridge] for photos at the time.”
Multnomah Falls is not only one of the tallest waterfalls in the United States (standing at 620 ft), but it’s also one of the most accessible attractions in the Greater Portland, OR area. Read more HERE. Because of it’s easy access, it’s high up on the list of “to dos” in Oregon. Not only is parking limited, but the mobs of tourists that flock to the site each year love to stand in your shot. Unless you enjoy removing unwanted portions of pictures with Photoshop, I suggest you get an early start.
The icy water plunges 620 ft before coming to rest near the foot of Hwy 84, OR.
One aspect that does make this waterfall special is that it’s fed by underground springs, located beneath Larch Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge. Though the tallest waterfall in the US stands at a far greater height (Yosemite Falls at 2,425 ft), no other waterfall of this stature comes from a hidden source. A 12+ mile round trip hike brings visitors to the top of Larch Mountain, and past the origin of the famed falls. Read further details HERE.
Check back later this week for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Tattooed Sandstone
Color is one of the first things that viewers see when they visit the desert. Shades of red, orange, and white dominate the landscape and offer a moon-like presence. Much of the Colorado Plateau (which spans the vast 4 corners area of the US) has been nicknamed “Red Rock Country.” This is quite true for more famous places like Moab, and Zion National Park. But as usual, there’s much more to see than meets the eye when it comes to desert color and exploration.
A rock formation in Cottonwood Cove demonstrating the bleaching process. Outside Page, AZ.
The color of minerals (and rocks) depends on the chemical composition, and also the wavelength of light that a particular element emits. This can be tricky, since different elements can display the same color, and homogeneous minerals (such as sandstone) can have varying colors. Even more bizarre, waves of color can be found in rocks like sandstone when the whole thing is uniform. Read more on chemical colors and wavelengths HERE.
A bleaching process that effects sandstone comes from the rock’s porous properties, and natural force. Acting like a filter, the rock permeates water through microscopic holes. Under certain conditions, iron and other elements become dissolved within this runoff, and are flushed from the sandstone. Depending on which elements are more easily dissolved will lead to certain parts of the sandstone keeping color, or losing it all together. This fantastic natural phenomenon leads to seemingly “tattooed” rock. For more information on sandstone coloring and striations, please read the Rainbow of Rocks PDF, written by Marjorie A. Chan and William T. Parry.
Check back later this week for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
The Bizarre White Pocket
Roughly one-third of the Earth’s land is covered in desert.
—USGS
In survival situations, people have gone days, even weeks without food and come out alive. But go a day in the desert without water, and very bad things can happen quickly. A minimum of 2 quarts of water are required for the average human being to function properly, but under hot and arid conditions, that rule of thumb can go as high as 2 gallons per day, per person. Click HERE for more. Another scary thought is how much valuable water we lose through sweat and normal respiration. Studies have shown that even losing 2.5% of your body weight in water can lead to your cognitive and physical abilities to diminish by 25%. Rather than experience such a horrendous death yourself, you can read more about it HERE.
Though no mapped roads seem to lead to this destination, I swear it's a real place! White Pocket, AZ.
Luckily, there are places that are far off the beaten desert path that still see some water each year. Mostly in the late fall and winter months, Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs National Monument of Arizona fits this description. The bizarre striations in the rock lead to potholes of varying sizes, and these collect rain and snow precipitation when temperatures are more hospitable for humans. Supposedly, waters over time even bleached the overlying rock formations, leaving ghostly “brain rock” features on top of colorful sandstone foundations. Aside from these barren rock out-croppings, this arid landscape is not even a true desert. Scrub brush and pinyon pines thrive, along with wandering cattle and the occasional lizard. I guess this “semi-desert” has more to show us than meets the eye!
Check back later this week for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
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Fortress of Zion
“Zion is an ancient Hebrew word that stands for place of peace and refuge”
It’s commonplace within the West and Southwest to think of Zion National Park when this particular “zed” word is mentioned. But what moved early Mormon settlers to name this sacred land Zion Canyon? History teaches us that Zion was a hill or ridge line within Israel, that was captured by King David. This area became a stronghold for the triumphant Israelites, and eventually became a synonym for the city of Jerusalem; even all of Israel. THIS page has more detail. The interesting thing is that the word “zion” isn’t even Hebrew. Digging deeper, we find roots within Arabic language as well. In all, the exalted word can mean many things: from fortress, Utopia, and protect, to words such as engrafted, place of dryness, or simply a place without sea. Read more HERE.
Canyon Overlook peers into the gorgeous depths of Zion NP. Springdale, UT
No matter what it’s true root meaning, it’s hard to miss why early Mormon settlers considered this beautiful rock fortress a sacred place. While driving toward the National Park from any angle, arid vistas dominate the landscape. Suddenly, monstrous red, pink, and cream colored canyon walls burst up from the desert hills. The Virgin River moves confidently through the dry tundra, giving life to brilliant cottonwood groves. Even during winter months, Zion sees mild temperatures. In short, early settlers and conservationists aptly named the Utah spectacle that brings in more than 3 million visitors each year. Read more HERE.
Check back later this week for more details and images from © Rodeonexis Photography…brought to you by Jeremy Weir
