(Previously: the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.)

K. and I drove back east and then north, heading for our last few stops: Monument Valley, and then later, Mesa Verde. Instead of just driving through Monument Valley (as I'd originally intended), we decided to stay the night there, in order to -- what else? -- see the sunset.


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(Previously: The North Rim and Antelope Canyon.)

Because of the long day (with stops at Antelope Canyon, the abortive attempt to see Horseshoe Bend, lunch, etc.), we ended up driving into the eastern edge of the South Rim as sunset was happening.


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(Previously: Death Valley and Zion National Park)

Our next objective, after Zion, was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.


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So, in early June, I went on a big trip to the Southwest with a bunch of fangirls, and it was awesome. And hot. IT WAS SO HOT. (Though not as hot as it would be a few weeks later in that area, after we'd returned home.)

It was particularly hot, since three of us decided to start in Death Valley.


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As promised, I selected just 24 photos to represent the year, and hit every month except for April and September, I think. Click any to embiggen at Flickr.

Let's see if I can get one of those new-fangled LJ Collapse things to work...
( I think I got it... oh it's just the old LJ Cut... )

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes yesterday. :) We actually had gorgeous weather here, so I took the opportunity to do something I've been meaning to do for a while, which was get out kayaking again. It surprises me to realize that I probably hadn't been out for 2 years, and as soon as I got back out on the water, I remembered how much I just ( Read more... )

Last weekend I went and visited my Mom, only two months after seeing her at Xmas. The biggest issue here is that it's a long drive and I get SO BORED with all of the possible routes, which I have done multiple times a year for years and years. SO BORED. I have gotten to the point where I will plot a route that is out of my way and on slower ( Read more... )

As mentioned: visiting my Mom a couple of weeks ago on the Jersey Shore, and the house my brother rented for his family came with a rooftop deck that was perched up higher than any of the other decks for a ways around. That made for a fun view during the sunset, so I went to get some pics ( Read more... )

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went again to visit my Mom down on the Jersey Shore; because this summer she had her 80th birthday, and to celebrate it, my brother rented a house a block from her so that his entire family (grown children and spouses) could converge, since Mom's place doesn't have the room (and has a cat, to whom my nephew's wife is ( Read more... )

(See my previous post for a link to a short video about hiking in Yosemite and climbing Half Dome, to get a feel on film for what the place is like ( Read more... )