Happy Holidays

I am experimenting with a blog entry for a holiday message this year...I'm not very good at creating Christmas cards or things like that but will try to print out a couple pages of travel pix.  My first major trip was to New Zealand/Australia in Feb/March this year.  Here, near Arthurs Pass on the South Island, is a gnarly forest.  If it looks like something out of Lord of the Rings, of course the movie was filmed in NZ.

Lake Wanaka.  This area is prime wine country on the South Island, and looks a lot like northern California.  There are many beautiful lakes and mountains all over.

In the late summer warmth of February, the rata trees were in bloom on Arthur's Pass.  This was my first trip to the South Island and I was blown away by the beauty and diversity there.

New Zealand was in a drought...in two weeks I saw only a few showers.  Quite the opposite on the east coast of Australia, where storms were causing massive beach erosion and flooding.  Here's my hangout in Byron Bay, Tallow Beach, on a typical day during my visit. 

Minyon Falls, roaring in the hinterland west of Byron.  Last time I was here, about ten years ago, the falls were almost dry...a severe drought was in progress.  This time, copious rain, and the falls were roaring.  Neither is unusual for Australia.

In September/October I fulfilled a longtime dream and finally made it to Italy.  Here is the arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman forum.  I've been a Roman Empire buff since about fourth grade and it was very cool to finally see Caesar's old digs in person.

Inside the Colosseum.  The floor of the arena was wood, with sand on top; below was the warren of rooms and passageways visible in the picture.  This is where the gladiators and the lions et al warmed up before their appearances in the many games held here over the centuries.  The Colosseum even had a retractable roof that could be extended over the seats to protect patrons from the sun and rain.  Admission was free, but you had to sit in an assigned section...bigwigs got the good seats, and the plebs occupied the Uecker seats up top.

After a week in Rome, my friends and I ventured north into Tuscany.  This is the main piazza in Siena.  I loved the warm, earthy colors of the buildings everywhere in Italy; they were especially nice here.  Twice every summer the Palio is held in this piazza.  It's a no holds barred horse race, circling the square.  Riders from clubs in the city compete; the winners have bragging rights for a year.

We splurged and rented a villa on top of a hill in the Chianti region.  It was fabulous!  Coolest place I've ever stayed.  Tuscanynow.com is the website...Highly recommended!

We had a sweeping view of the Arno valley from our hilltop abode. 

In domestic travels, I wandered around the west at times.  Stayed in Grand Teton NP in September; at breakfast and dinner you could watch the moose chowing down  near Jackson Lake Lodge.

Just last week I stayed at the Grand Canyon overnight and found the low winter sun perfect for bringing out the colors of the canyon.  This is from Desert View, at the eastern end of the park.  BTW, for more blog posts go to oldsloat.blogspot.com

 

Happy holidays and best wishes and safe travels for 2014!    Steve

Winter Scenes in Northern Arizona

Last Wednesday, on the spur of the moment I took a shot at reserving a room on the rim of the Grand Canyon.  To my surprise, many were available, so instead of heading west out of Phoenix on Friday, I journeyed north...up to the plateaus, into the snow.  The last snow had fallen about five days before, so the roads were almost completely clear, and it was uncrowded and beautiful!  Winter is really a fine time to explore Northern Arizona if you do it between snowstorms, which is eminently possible.  Here are the San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff.  Towering to over 12 thousand feet, they're volcanic...the region has seen volcanic action for millions of years, with the maximum activity moving east over time.

I'm in Sunset Crater National Monument.  It's only two miles off the main highway north out of Flagstaff, which I've traveled many times, yet I don't think I'd ever been to this spot...bad negligence on my part!  This is a snow/lava mosaic, only about nine hundred years old.  Well, the snow is much newer but that's when Sunset Crater formed.

Here is Sunset Crater on a crisp winter day.  In the 11th century AD lava suddenly erupted from volcanic fissures, rapidly forming a cinder cone and sending the local inhabitants elsewhere...archaeological evidence indicates they had warning of the impending eruption and bailed before it occurred, evacuating their farms and homes near what became the crater.

I moved on to the canyon, entering the park from the east, and came upon this scene at Desert View.  Almost looks like a painting rather than a photograph.  Winter light is excellent for landscapes.  If you avoid snowstorms, winter is really a great time to go roaming...just take your gloves and a toque and you'll be fine.

Desert View tower was designed by the famous architect Mary Colter, and constructed in the early 1930s.  She had Native American artisans design the interior of the tower.  One can draw a parallel with the artists who painted the interior walls of Coit Tower in San Francisco at about the same time.  This is a typical mural inside Desert View, rendered by a master muralist, a Hopi if I recollect.

Desert View Tower amid the P-J forest.   A biting winter wind was blowing.  Harsh but majestic.

Late afternoon sun...plus the sunset mode on my camera...enhances the canyon colors.

Blow up this pic and at the center left you'll see a winding swath of vegetation on the Tonto Plateau.  That's Indian Gardens, and the snowline is not far from it.  At 3500 feet, IG probably got a little snow a week ago during a cold storm that dropped temperatures at Grand Canyon airport to 23 below zero F.  It was milder this morning however...8 above!

Sunset at the canyon, a few steps from my room at Bright Angel Lodge.  I had a cozy cabin with a partial canyon view...on two days notice!  A travel coup.

The canyon shines in the gathering dusk.  Short notice travel to the Grand Canyon in winter, between storms, is highly recommended!

Winter in the White Tanks

I went to the White Tank mountains west of Phoenix yesterday to do some winter strolling in the desert. It was a brisk day in the lower 50s, but with bright sunshine and crystal skies.  Here are some petroglyphs, probably made by the Hohokam a few centuries ago.

This is the feature that gives the mountains their name.  The white tank is made of granite and sits at the bottom of an intermittent waterfall.

The waterfall is perhaps 100 feet high and only runs after heavy rain.  About three weeks ago the area received 2-3 inches of moisture over three days and the falls must have been flowing quite nicely.  Now only a tiny trickle is left, but several water holes remain close to the dry cascade.

The bush testifies to previous strong water flows...probably just last month during the November 21-23 storm.

A saguaro rises above the bright blue winter sky.

Last months storm has caused a bright green carpet of grass to sprout in the desert.  There are very few flowers...just a brittlebush blooming here and there...but one more good rain during the winter should produce a fine spring flower season.

I love coming out to White Tank not only to explore, but to revel in the silence.  Get away from people...easy to do on a weekday...and it's totally quiet except for the birds, the breeze, and...well...an occasional plane.  But it's peaceful.  Amazingly so, since it's not far from the towers of Phoenix and the football stadium.

In late afternoon, the lowering sun illuminates the teddybear chollas.

Southwest Migration

I'm on my annual winter southwest migration.  My first stop is usually Pismo Beach.  I get an oceanfront room at the Best Western Shore Cliff.  This is the view at sunset from my balcony.

Pismo pelican.

The rocks in Joshua Tree NP are endlessly fascinating.

Is this rock a Hershey's kiss, or Cheech Wizard's hat?

A distant lenticular cloud heralds incoming weather.

Sunset from Ol' Dave's deck in Sun City West.

This gnarly dead tree is beyond cool, especially when juxtaposed with the rocks and the bluuuue sky.  First loading attempt was sketchy so I tried it again.