Tag : photo-gallery

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My 6-State Road Trip: Road Photos

Day 1: Norman, Okla. to Gallup, N.M.

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I can attest to the factualness of the number of construction zones. Breakfast: cold pizza on the road, lunch: Rudy’s Barbecue in Amarillo, dinner: Panda Express in Gallup. Lodging: EconoLodge. Much luxury. Gas mileage was very poor — around 16. Rudy’s’s reliability notwithstanding, least interesting day of the drive (by a pretty fair margin).

Entering Texas:
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And then New Mexico:
Entering New Mexico
Somewhere just east of Albuquerque, the scenery picks up and you’re in worth-driving territory. I think this one is somewhere west of ABQ though.
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Day 2: Gallup, N.M. to Flagstaff, Ariz. via Petrified Forest National Park

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Breakfast: bad waffle at the EconoLodge, lunch: Mexican place in Winslow, dinner: Flame Broiler in Flagstaff. I realize I am the only person on earth who likes Flame Broiler. So be it. The Flagstaff branch did itself proud. Lodging: Days Hotel in Flagstaff.

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Entering Arizona. Nothing says “welcome” quite like making people drive on the shoulder.

Entering Arizona

And then, once inside Petrified Forest National Park

Inside the park.

Petrified Forest National Park Road

Some of these reflections off the hood turn out all right. The one below is somewhere closer to Flagstaff.

Nearing Flagstaff.

Day 3: Flagstaff, Ariz. to Hurricane, Utah

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Breakfast: probably something at the hotel, lunch: Hurricane DQ at like 4 PM, dinner: with Brit-Dev and the Erors at… some Utah chain that’s like Café Rio, but isn’t Café Rio. First time in my life I ever ordered a salad at a restaurant (as the main course). Milestones. Lodging: Super 8 in Hurricane. Gas mileage improved into the 18s.

This drive, btw, is one of the prettiest drives on earth. You do hit a little bit of RV traffic north of the Grand Canyon, but, man, the scenery is non-stop. I hadn’t driven it since I was an undergrad 20+ years ago.

Below is the Days Hotel room. Decent place, good wifi, glass elevator with view of the pool. Wall art was hung too high though, so deduct 1.5 stars for that.

The Days Hotel room. Decent place, good wifi, glass elevator with view of the pool. Wall art was hung too high though, so deduct 1.5 stars for that.

And back on the road:

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Bridge over the River Colorado. I got out of the car to take this one.

Above is from the bridge over the river Colorado. I got out of the car for this one, but this is literally the view from off the bridge you drive over on Highway 89 (89A? whichever).

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Out of the desert, into the high hills nearing the AZ-UT border:

Out of the desert, into the high hills along the AZ-UT border.

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Then back down into the desert:

Kaibab National Forest

And the Utah state line. If I’d seen a Lost Boy around there, I would have at least given him a ride into St. George. (Although I don’t suppose they get dropped off along the highway in the town where they actually lived.)

Entering Utah. FWIW and from the highway, Hilldale seems more like a place humans might live than does Colorado City.

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Day 4: Hurricane, Utah to Zion National Park

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Breakfast: uh — I feel like I ate something, but don’t know what it was; I was too proud to eat at the Super 8. Lunch: a mounds bar I think, dinner: crackers with peanut butter and a pouch of beef jerky (about which I should probably come clean — it was only 80 calories/oz.). Lodging: Campsite 5. This was the first day of the Narrows hike, so didn’t cover a whole lot of miles in the car.

Hurricane to Zion

And, since I’m being post facto honest, I think the above photo was actually from the previous afternoon when I drove into the park to pick up the permit. It’s between Hurricane and the park, though, so — right scenery regardless.

Day 5: Zion National Park to Richfield, Utah via Chamberlain Ranch

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Breakfast: granola out of a Ziploc bag, lunch: shelled pistachios at the Temple of Sinawava bus stop, dinner: DQ in Hurricane (again). Lodging: Comfort Inn in Richfield (one of the best budget hotels ever — super happy and helpful employees, room was very clean and modern-enough, wifi was strong, breakfast was a smorgasbord).

The Chamberlain Ranch dot looks like it’s in the wrong place. Oh well. It’s where we parked one of the two cars we needed for the shuttle situation required by the Narrows hike.

Trailhead parking lot:

Chamberlain Ranch trailhead parking lot

And back on the freeway:

I-70 East, Utah

Day 6: Richfield, Utah to Gunnison, Colo. via Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

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Breakfast: Richfield Comfort Inn, rich and varied; lunch: KFC in Montrose, Colo. (neither rich nor varied); dinner: pb&j sandwich at the hotel in Gunnison. Lodging: Quality Inn, Gunnison. Gunnison had the attitude of a tourist town, but looked run-down. FWIW. Gas mileage up near 20 — maybe the engine finally got broke-in.

Also, I-70 from Richfield to where highway 191 cuts in is a gorgeous stretch of interstate. But when you drive it in the morning, the sun’s right in your windshield. Just: don’t hold the lack of quality photos in this section against that stretch of freeway. Which I know you were totally going to do if I hadn’t said something.

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Viewpoint at the side of the freeway. Very desert:

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Pretty drive, photography hampered by the sun always being in the wrong place.

And, entering Colorado, splattered bugs say “hello”:

Entering Colorado. Splattered bugs say an in-focus hello.

Day 7: Gunnison, Colo. to Lake City, Colo. via the Animas Forks

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Breakfast: Quality Inn (was okay), lunch: pb&j again?, dinner: Mountain House Spaghetti in Meat Sauce (that had expired in 2013). Lodging: Mill Creek Campground Site #21, the last campsite available and the only one in the campground with insufficient trees for privacy (it was fine, the neighbors were discrete).

The drive from Gunnison to Lake City was a nice one, aside from the guy who was driving full-speed in the wrong lane for not reason (I moved over to the left lane to get around him, he decided that he, after all, wanted to be in that lane, so I corrected back into the right lane and we missed each other by, oh, less than a car length anyway; then he went back to driving in the wrong lane for no apparent reason). (I assume it was a he.)

I chronicled elsewhere the Alpine Loop off-highway drive to Animas Forks, but, rest assured, it was also awesome and scenic.

Here, all vehicles are in their correct lanes:

Gunnison to Lake City

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Day 8: Lake City, Colo. to South Fork, Colo. via Chimney Rock National Monument

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Breakfast: one Pop Tart, lunch: Taco Bell in Pagosa Springs, dinner: one small carton of blackberries. Lodging: some hotel in South Fork with a made-up name, despite looking like every other Quality/Comfort/Days/Econo/8/6/etc. Inn ever (though on the cleaner side of that roster). Also, Chimney Rock was not exactly on the way between Lake City and South Fork. But then, I couldn’t find a decent hotel price in Pagosa Springs, my tent was still wet from the night before, and, well, things occurred.

The worst part about that detour was that the good Chimney Rock National Monument was already closed because I arrived SO LATE (2:45 PM). I looked at the bad part instead. Then talked to some older female rangers, who — well, I don’t think they have PhDs in Puebloan Studies. They were nice, though, and at least as far as Pagosa Springs, the drive was pretty.

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This was a roadside waterfall:

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Probably still is.

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Chimney Rock National Monument, the boring part that I got to see:

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The 8th of 12 station-fulls of wonder! Anyway, driving:

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Day 9: Soth Fork, Colo. to Norman, Okla. via Taos, N.M. and Capulin Volcano National Monument

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Breakfast: hotel I think, lunch: blue enchiladas, Christmas style at that diner-like place in Taos, dinner: KFC in maybe Guymon, Okla. Lodging: own bed.

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Then, re-entering New Mexico:

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Below: Capulin Volcano!

Capulin Volcano from the Road

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I figure the more photos of prairie I give you, the more endless it seems. There was an Entering Oklahoma back there too somewhere.

And, finally, I leave you with Boise City:

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And then another six hours and I was home.

Average speed while photos were taken was probably in the low-50’s. A lot of tuning of the vibrance slider went into these and I think my windshield has a slight blue-green tint to it.

This is probably a better post without the commentary.

bkd

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New Zealand South Island Road Trip

I don’t usually do road trips in foreign countries, but when I do, they apparently can look like this. (You can click on the photos — you’ll get a much bigger version if you do.)

Heading back to Christchurch

Heading back to Christchurch

In Mt. Cook NP

In Mt. Cook NP

Kea Point, Mueller Glacier Lake, and the Southern Alps

Kea Point, Mueller Glacier Lake, and the Southern Alps

Hooker River

Hooker River

Hooker River with Mt. Cook in the distance

Hooker River with Mt. Cook in the distance

Swing bridge heading toward Mt. Cook

Swing bridge heading toward Mt. Cook

Mueller Lake in Mt. Cook NP

Mueller Lake in Mt. Cook NP

Hooker River in Mt. Cook NP.

Hooker River in Mt. Cook NP.

Moeraki Boulders, made of naturally occurring cement for some reason.

Moeraki Boulders, made of naturally occurring cement for some reason.

Kiwi viewing station. There were no kiwis. Weren't even any New Zealanders.

Kiwi viewing station. There were no kiwis. Weren’t even any New Zealanders.

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South coast shoreline.

South coast shoreline.

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As far south as I've been in my life.

As far south as I’ve been in my life.

View from the southern tip.

View from the southern tip.

Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown)

Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown)

There are also cows in New Zealand.

There are also cows in New Zealand.

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Marian Creek, on the way to the lake.

Marian Creek, on the way to the lake.

Lake Marian in Fjordland NP

Lake Marian in Fjordland NP

Bowen Falls near the Milford Sound port.

Bowen Falls near the Milford Sound port.

Sunny day on Milford Sound, looking out from the port.

Sunny day on Milford Sound, looking out from the port.

Sterling Falls in Milford Sound

Sterling Falls in Milford Sound

First there would have to be a kea for me not to feed it.

First there would have to be a kea for me not to feed it.

Waiting to enter the Homer Tunnel on the way to Milford Sound

Waiting to enter the Homer Tunnel on the way to Milford Sound

Mirror Pond on the way to Milford Sound

Mirror Pond on the way to Milford Sound

Drive heading toward Milford Sound

Drive heading toward Milford Sound

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Sheep following other sheep. You might need to click on the photo to see the white sheep dots.

Sheep following other sheep. You might need to click on the photo to see the white sheep dots.

Matukituki sheep.

Matukituki sheep.

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A bridge over the Matukituki

A bridge over the Matukituki

Matukituki Valley

En route to Rob Roy Glacier

En route to Rob Roy Glacier

Rob Roy Stream; en route to Rob Roy Glacier.

Rob Roy Stream; en route to Rob Roy Glacier.

Waterfalls, peaks around Rob Roy Glacier in Mt. Aspiring NP.

Waterfalls, peaks around Rob Roy Glacier in Mt. Aspiring NP.

West Matukituki River

West Matukituki River

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Trail heading toward Franz Josef Glacier. Many unruly European tourists. Many.

Trail heading toward Franz Josef Glacier. Many unruly European tourists. Many.

Route back from Fox Glacier.

Route back from Fox Glacier.

Fish, chips. Ketchup and tartar sauce cost extra.

Fish, chips. Ketchup and tartar sauce cost extra.

Hokitika Gorge (, bridge over).

Hokitika Gorge (, bridge over).

Castle Hill, west of Christchurch. With lawnmower.

Castle Hill, west of Christchurch. With lawnmower.

Track heading toward Devil's Punchbowl in Arthur's Pass NP.

Track heading toward Devil’s Punchbowl in Arthur’s Pass NP.

So that was it then. Nine days I think? Close to that. We went counter-clockwise. Rained a lot. This was in December 2014. Just trying to keep the blog from getting lapped by a year.

bkd