Minnesota Fall

It seems while we where on vacation in Arizona and Utah, Minnesota began its transition into fall. Below are some fall pictures we collected from late September at or near Jay Cook State Park.

A bush found on the banks of the St. Louis River which is on fire with color.

An abandoned train tressel that spans over the St. Louis River. It now carries a portion of the Munger Trail which connects Duluth to Hinkley about 75 miles to the south.

The reservoir behind the Minnesota Power Dam near Jay Cook. The reservoir was really high at the time of our visit due to several large rainstorms that came through, finally ending our drought.

Another shot of the reservoir capturing the fall colors on its rocky peninsulas and islands.

The St. Louis River carving its way to Lake Superior.

The spillway at the dam.

The Last Day

The day finally came that we've all been dreading. Our last full day of vacation. Sara and I regrettably had to return to Minnesota while our friends Quent and Christina would stay for several more days.

The morning sun breaking through the overcast clouds over Bryce Canyon.

Morning sun against the walls of Bryce Canyon

The Glen Canyon Dam in Page, AZ. We stopped at the dam for a brief moment and went inside to read about its history. Fascinating stuff for all of us Civil Engineers. Christina was kind enough to humor us for awhile.

The Colorado River as hit heads south from the dam towards the Grand Canyon.

The road to nowhere? Or for Sara and I the road back home. We actually jumped out of the car to get this one.

Another lonely road. The occasional thunderstorm streaked across the horizon. None of us could seem to spot the "phantom" lightning that enamored Quent. We later did see the lightning with our own eyes. It was quite a show.

A large butte that dominated the surrounding sage.

Dark storm clouds above the sunlight terrain.

Standin on the corner in Winslow, AZ. Just as the famous Eagle's song says we were takin' it easy.

Another shot of the infamous corner.

Bryce Canyon

Sunrise from Rainbow Point, located at the far southern edge of the park. This was one of the few mornings where the girls joined us to watch the sunrise. It was also a cold morning too, so the warmth of the morning sun was welcomed by all.

The cliffs and hoodoos of Bryce Canyon stand out in contrast to the pine forest covering the valley below.

The "Natural Bridge" though more accurately categorized as an arch. (Natural bridges must be span over some hydraulic feature, such as a river or stream) This is one of the largest arches in the park.

More of the unique features of Bryce.

We took one of the trails down into Bryce Canyon from Sunset Point. The canyon was even more amazing up close.

More scenic views along the trail.

This was a neat cavern that was formed from decades of erosion.

The pillars seem to guard this corner of the canyon.

This is a section of the Wall Street trail leading out of the canyon. It was reported that this trail was closed at the time of our visit due to a rock slide, however we found it easily navigable.

This is the section of the Wall Street trail that was partial blocked due to the rock slide.

A view at the canyon rim.

Sara and I pose for another photo-op.

Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon

Our second night at the North Rim we camped at the National Park campground. The following morning after a quick shower we packed up and headed north into Utah. On the road north to Bryce Canyon we saw a roadside sign for Zion National Park. It wasn't on our agenda but it was a place both Sara and I wanted to see. So we took a short side trip into the park. I think our trip into Zion was one of our favorite moments along the trip. It truly was spectacular and we were disappointed we didn't have more time to visit. Someday we'll return.

An island of aspen in a forest of pine. We stumbled across this aspen on our walk back to our campsite after watching the sunrise at the canyon rim.

These pictures cannot capture the beauty of the sandstone cliffs that surround the park. Here is a picture of one of the cliffs that towers over the park road.

Sara snapped this picture of me as I take a break from scrambling around on the rocks. I can see now why many consider this place as one of the best kept secrets of the National Park system and also one of the premier mountain biking destinations.

Sara doing her part to prevent erosion. We found this dugout along the Canyon overlook trail in Zion.

A view of Zion Valley from the end of the Canyon Overlook trail. Notice the park road winding down at the base of the valley.

Another view from the Overlook trail.

More of the sandstone landscape that make Zion unique.

A checkerboard patern on on one of the large buttes within the park. Sara snapped this picture as we passed by in our car.

A snapshot from Red Canyon on our way to Bryce.

We made it to Bryce Canyon just in time to for sunset. The unique geologic features of Bryce Canyon dominate the foreground with Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument can be seen beyond.

The sun sets below he Utah horizon and briefly illuminates the smaller limestone hoodoos below us.

Another shot of the glowing hoodoos.

The three amigos.

The last light of day.

North Rim

After camping just north of the Park, Quent and I awoke early to view the sunrise over the canyon. This photo doesn't due the experience justice.

The same picture as above except later in the morning.

Mount Hayden in the foreground and the Grand Canyon in the background as viewed from Point Imperial along the North Rim.

Sara posing for a picture at Point Imperial.

A black and white of the cliffs.

A black and white of Mount Hayden bathed in sunlight.

Sara again at Point Imperial. We spent quite a bit of time here as the views warranted our attention.

Painted Desert

The next morning we left the south rim and traveled the loop to the North Rim through the Painted Desert. Most of the day was spent in the car but we occasional stopped to enjoy the scenery.

Morning light from the South Rim.

A view of the Little Colorado River on its way to the Colorado. This photo was taken looking north. Notice the flat plateau that extends to the east.

The ground at one of our spots was dessicated creating the crack pattern seen at the surface here. Our resident geotech engineer identified the soil as expansive silt with a touch of clay. It was quite an odd sensation walking upon it, as it felt spongy and would collapse under our weight.

King of the Mountain. Quent and tore through the barbed wire fence seen here in the foreground and raced to the top of this hill to check out the the view. I say tore because I ripped my shirt on my way through and drew blood on my shoulder on my way back. I haven't yet met a barbed wire fence that has not taken a liking to me or the clothes I'm wearing. These fences however have seemed to show no interest in Quent. They must have become bored with him after his many years on the farm back in Michigan.

An interesting sight along the highway. Years of erosion have exposed the distinct layers of soil along this ridge. Our resident geotech giggled with excitement. The rest of us yawned. Just kidding, we all were impressed.

The beginning of Echo cliffs on the eastern side of the road. This area was basically open desert with these cliffs suddenly rising from the sage.

A view of the Vermilion Cliffs directly ahead of us as we traveled west towards the Colorado River.

The new truss arch bridge spanning over the Colorado River. Its abutments were built directly into the face of the canyon.

The original truss arch bridge is to the right and currently only supports pedestrian traffic.

A view of the Colorado River from the old bridge. The water here is a deep green with milky clouds of sediment flowing beneath the surface. Quite a contrast from its mud brown appearance within the Grand Canyon.

Another view of the Vermilion Cliffs.

A picture of the House Rock Valley. The edge of the Vermilion Cliffs are to the right.

After leaving the House Rock Valley the terrain quickly changed. The road turned south and climbed towards Jacob Lake. A mix of pines and grassy fields dominated the terrain. After making a quick stop in Jacob Lake we continued south to our campsite for the night, located in a National Forest Campground just north the the National Park.