Monthly Archive: September, 2013

Capitol Reef, Part 1: Scenic Drive, Grand Wash, and Capitol Gorge

The rest of our time in Capitol Reef did not disappoint though rock slides on one trail forced us to change our hiking plans and rain threatened our travelling in slot canyons. I… Continue reading

The Great Salt Lake and Arrival in Capitol Reef National Park

After two weeks of travelling with my friend Rachel I now have even more to catch everybody up on. We visited five national parks and made several other interesting stops along the way… Continue reading

Fuel, Food, and Alpacas

Driving I-84 on my way out of Idaho, I saw a billboard promising, “Fuel, Food, and Alpacas” in 15 miles. I was not in need of either of the first two things, but… Continue reading

Snake River Canyon and Shoshone Falls

My next scheduled stop was Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls, Idaho but I paused in order to soak up the views after crossing the Perrine Memorial Bridge, which spans the mighty Snake River… Continue reading

City of Rocks… But Not the Right One… Or the One That’s Famous

After Craters of the Moon I headed towards City of Rocks, a point of interest marked in my atlas. Without any guidance other than a point on the map, I headed south on… Continue reading

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Craters of the Moon is a concentrated area that displays the full range of volcanic events, with which you all are probably more familiar with now than you might care to be. But… Continue reading

Diamond Craters and Round Barn

Next up was an exploration of Oregon’s Diamond Craters, an area that – other than the craters – has more lava flows, cinder cones, and spatter cones. Located in a fairly remote area… Continue reading

The John Day Fossil Beds, Part 3: Sheep Rock

I visited the Sheep Rock Unit last, spending an entire day there. While this area has rock formations no less stunning than the other two units, the stars here really are the fossils.… Continue reading

The John Day Fossil Beds, Part 2: Clarno

The Clarno area of the park showcases formations from the time directly preceding the Painted Hills, from 54 to 37 million years ago, and shows a very complete record of the different mammals… Continue reading

The John Day Fossil Beds, Part 1: The Painted Hills

The John Day Fossil Beds are three separate areas in central Oregon managed by the National Park Service. Where there are fossils, there are usually interesting rocks and with that, I headed towards… Continue reading