Photos from the Southwest

More travel pictures - this time, from the Desert Southwest:

Monument Valley - no photo will ever do this place justice. These buttes must be seen and felt to be believed. The only reason it is not a national park is because it is within Navajo lands - it is a tribal park instead.

But the 17-mile dirt road through the landscape took a toll on my shoulders. (While it was well-maintained, I was the only one insane enough to drive it in a German luxury car.)

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, just outside Moab, Utah.
This is a familiar sight from some Utah license plates.
I had to hike 1 1/2 miles of steep terrain to get here, but it was worth it.

Landscape Arch, also within Arches National Park.
It was an easier 0.8-mile hike.

This was as close as I could get though, because of a partial collapse in 1991.

Again, not too many pictures worth sharing...

Travel plans changed

It looks like I may be "on call" to report to work for minor administrative stuff during the July 4th week. As a result, I had to scratch my Canadian road trip.

A truncated road trip will take me to the Grand Circle of natural attractions in Arizona and Utah instead. Sights will include Monument Valley, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park. A night in Las Vegas will finish things off.

Granted, I would rather spend my money in Canada than in a reactionary state, and the Canadian Rockies hold my fancy much better, but I can always go up there in the future... I'll find some excuse to fly up to Calgary, either this fall, or next year.