We Defected to the West! DLR 2013

[PrincessInOz]

I think that area of Utah really deserves at least a month in order to do each national park justice.

At least you stopped for a walk in Capitol Reef this time. Looks great.

Did Wilson go walkabouts as well?

 

[mom2rtk]

I think that area of Utah really deserves at least a month in order to do each national park justice.

At least you stopped for a walk in Capitol Reef this time. Looks great.

Did Wilson go walkabouts as well?

Yeah, I could totally spend a month there. But I'll take it in smaller doses if that's all we have. I think a lot of people just go to the Grand Canyon and call it done. Honestly, the Grand Canyon is cool, and something everyone should see. But it's quite a ways down on my list of favorite National Parks.

Wilson was not allowed out for walkabouts. He didn't know how to behave himself. The few times he got out to pose for photos at a park entrance he kept getting off the path, rolling into the road, you get the picture. Having him out near a cliff just would have been a very bad thing.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Just catching up! Stunning pictures as always.

I can't wait to get out there and do a trip like that one day. That would have to be a pretty big trip for us and I think I will wait a few years until the kids are older.

 

[mom2rtk]

Just catching up! Stunning pictures as always.

I can't wait to get out there and do a trip like that one day. That would have to be a pretty big trip for us and I think I will wait a few years until the kids are older.

Thanks! It really does pay to wait for this trip, especially if you think you might just get to do it once. They do need to be old enough that you can enjoy the area without worrying that they'll run off ahead and go off a cliff or something.

 

[MotoWifey185]

Hello! I am joining in pretty late. I just started reading on Monday and have really been enjoying your report! You and your dd look like you had an amazing time. There is too much to comment on, but looking at all of the pictures make me think I need to get a new camera haha, they are great! Looking forward to catching up more.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hello! I am joining in pretty late. I just started reading on Monday and have really been enjoying your report! You and your dd look like you had an amazing time. There is too much to comment on, but looking at all of the pictures make me think I need to get a new camera haha, they are great! Looking forward to catching up more.

Thanks so much and

You found us just in time!

 

[mom2rtk]

June 8, 2014: Canyonlands

I probably should have done more research on Canyonlands. But honestly, we have a pretty good track record of just showing up at any national park in Utah and being adequately wowed. There are 3 districts in Canyonlands. 2 are fairly accessible by car. We had seen Island in the Sky in 2010. So it made sense to start with the Needles District this time. It was a long way out, and a long way back. And honestly, it wasn't that interesting, so not worth the time. But live and learn.


IMG_8125 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8109 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8139 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

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IMG_8176 by mom2rtk, on Flickr



We decided to head back north and go try the Island in the Sky District again. We stopped in Moab on our way through for a chance to walk out across the foot bridge across the Colorado.

Moab Foot Bridge Over the Colorado by mom2rtk, on Flickr

P1000397 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I'm so glad we decided to try Island in the Sky again. We must have missed parts of it on our prior trip, because I definitely remember some parts and am quite sure we saw new things as well. My favorite view of the entire trip was in this area, and I know we missed it in 2010. My favorite sight was the Shafer Overlook. It was an amazing view with great access by car. Just pull over, step out and take tons of awesome photos.

IMG_8212 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8216 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

This was the best view.....walk up, look over the edge and watch the cars heading into the canyon via Shafer Trail. You can barely see it here, but there are actually cars on this trail. The second shot gives a better view, but farther down, they were so tiny it's hard to tell they are there. If ever there was a place to have an ultra wide angle lens for your camera..... this is it.

Shafer Canyon Overlook - Canyonlands by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8227 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Shafer Canyon Panoramic by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8231 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8257 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I also enjoyed visiting Mesa Arch again., although I did not enjoy hearing one woman in the area talk about maybe climbing out on top. I guess in the end I should just be grateful she blocked my shot for an extended period of time just sitting there. It is crazy windy up there, and the opposite side of that arch is sheer dropoff.

Mesa Arch Panoramic by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Mesa Arch by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8289 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8295 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8319 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Cactus Flower Near Mesa Arch by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8339 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[PrincessInOz]

Gorgeous!

That picture with the Shafer Trail switchbacks at Canyonlands overlook is stunning! As is the pictures of Mesa Arch. I can't imagine wanting to climb it.

I think I see Wilson.

 

[mom2rtk]

Gorgeous!

That picture with the Shafer Trail switchbacks at Canyonlands overlook is stunning! As is the pictures of Mesa Arch. I can't imagine wanting to climb it.

I think I see Wilson.

Shafer Trail was amazing. I tried hard not to change lenses too much out in the dry windy parks, but I knew I had to go wide angle on that one. It was so much fun to sit and watch the tiny car wind their way down. We saw one that just stopped on the trail for a while, and we were trying to imagine the conversation going on, assuming they had changed their minds and were afraid to continue on. I would love to do that drive one day but doubt I'd have the guts. And I'd need a different car.

I was aghast to find someone contemplating climbing out on the arch. I could barely stand up near it because of the wind. Then when we got home and I started looking around online, I found several photos of people actually standing up there. I really HATE being around people in the parks doing stupid stuff. It just adds unnecessary stress. On our first trip to the Grand Canyon some small kid was climbing the old metal railing at one of the viewing spots. I wanted to grab him and set him down far away from the edge, but figured I'd mess up and make him fall, so I just had to walk away.

And yeah, Wilson had to get out and work off a little steam again before we got near any cliffs.

 

[mom2rtk]

June 8th, 2014: Canyonlands Continued

Our next stop was the Grand View Point Overlook. It's the view I really thin of when I think "Canyonlands". Then we worked our way toward the front of the park stopping at the viewpoints on the other side of the road.


IMG_8390 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Canyonlands Desolation by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8451 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8453 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8509 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8521 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8577 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Canyonlands Panoramic by mom2rtk, on Flickr

When we got back to Moab, we dropped Timmy and Katie back off at the hotel. The NBA finals were on again that night and Timmy had been a good sport about missing so much of it already. We had not yet gotten a chance at photos around Balanced rock and I wanted to give that a try. It was the PERFECT time of day to visit, with golden late day light shining on the area. I also got lucky and had some interesting gray clouds move into the area without actually raining on us. We also visited the Windows section right as the sun was setting. The lighting was gorgeous and I'm glad we had made that one last trek into the park.


Storm Clouds Over Balanced Rock by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Moon Over Balanced Rock by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Up closer to the Balanced Rock area, I got frustrated with my shadow interfering with my shot, so I just decided to go with it. This is MY idea of a selfie:

Balanced Rock Selfie by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8689 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8692 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8721 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

And soon, someone flipped a switch and the gorgeous light went out.

IMG_8741 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Somewhere along the way that day my legs started itching like crazy. I won't burden you all with a photo of the result, but it was pretty bad. I really thought it was the bugs at Capitol Reef the day before, but I'm not sure why they would only go after my legs. I am now more convinced it was likely some plants I climbed through on the side of the road in the Needles District looking for the perfect shot. See, we really should have passed on Needles.

 

[mom2rtk]

June 9-10, 2014: Heading Home

This really is the worst day of the trip....... knowing we have all that ground to cover, but not really having time to break it up and enjoy the trip back. Katie had a volleyball game the next night, so not much time to spare. So the goal was to get up early and hit the road. Timmy and Katie aren't hard to get up when they know they can just climb in the car and sleep some more.

But then we hit a hiccup. I walked past the front desk for something and saw this video monitor on the way out. It showed something called "Dead Horse Point". I was mesmerized. We had been to Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ in 2010 and it was an amazing sight. This looked similar. I knew we didn't have time for any detours, but couldn't resist having Timmy look it up on his phone on our way out of Moab. We even took the turn out of Moab while he was reading the information to us. Turns out we had been very close the day before as it was near Canyonlands. Who knew? Well, apparently we didn't. It would be about a half hour out there, and we had no idea if there was a long hike once we arrived. And Wilson was hoping to get back for his game the next night........

But I know how to U-turn........ and I wasn't ready to be done. So off we went.

I still like Horseshoe Bend more, but this was definitely worth the detour:

IMG_8795 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Dead Horse Point by mom2rtk, on Flickr

With that one last wonder in the books, we headed east.

We did stop near the top of the Rockies for a summer snow sighting but mostly just drove all day. We stopped that night in Colby, Kansas and went the rest of the way the next day. It really seemed fitting when storm clouds rolled in the next day and it rained most of the way home.


IMG_8814 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8817 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_8819 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Kansas Thunderstorm by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[KCmike]

You definitely saved the best for the last in my personal opinion. The one shot of the cars going down on the switchbacks which look like dirt roads into a vast canyon would have me white knuckling it!!

Just an amazing set of images Janet. How long were you gone in total?

I'm trying to talk the entire family into a Route 66/Westward HO, Disneyland 60th Anniversary road trip next summer. I feel like mine might go something like National Lampoons Vacation though.

We're 61 days from a WDW Christmas. Our first time! I'm a little sick about magic bands as I haven't read nearly enough about this whole ordeal. Crazy week for our family as well as my oldest daughter travels to study abroad in Italy and my son plays in his first concert for the Kansas City Youth Symphony.

Did you get back for the volleyball game? How's your son doing at College?

 

[YodasMom]

Wow, Janet!!! Just one amazing shot after another!!! Thanks so much for sharing all of those photos!!! So glad you were able to take that trip!

Do you have another National Park trip planned for next summer?

 

[PrincessInOz]

You did well with that detour to Dead Horse Point. If I'm in the area, I'll have to remember to go seek it out. But I'm with you....I prefer Horseshoe Bend as well.
There was another entrenched meander along the Verde Canyon. We saw it from the Verde Canyon train but again it wasn't as spectacular as Horseshoe. The river cut was not as deep but it was still interesting to see the formation. Maybe if you decide to go to Sedona you can add that train ride to your list.

 

[mom2rtk]

You definitely saved the best for the last in my personal opinion. The one shot of the cars going down on the switchbacks which look like dirt roads into a vast canyon would have me white knuckling it!!

Just an amazing set of images Janet. How long were you gone in total?

I'm trying to talk the entire family into a Route 66/Westward HO, Disneyland 60th Anniversary road trip next summer. I feel like mine might go something like National Lampoons Vacation though.

We're 61 days from a WDW Christmas. Our first time! I'm a little sick about magic bands as I haven't read nearly enough about this whole ordeal. Crazy week for our family as well as my oldest daughter travels to study abroad in Italy and my son plays in his first concert for the Kansas City Youth Symphony.

Did you get back for the volleyball game? How's your son doing at College?

Thanks so much Mike! I really have a renewed love of Canyonlands. We apparently just missed too much in 2010. I could have stood at that Shafer Canyon Overlook for most of the afternoon watching the cars go down.

We left home on the 4th and returned home on the 10th. So yes, that was a LOT of ground covered in very little time. Lots of bang for the buck on this trip. And we actually didn't have any trouble getting back in time for the game. I was a little concerned about being pressed for time. That's why we pressed on to Colby, KS that first night.

And Timmy seems to be doing great at school, both in terms of his adjustment as well as his school work. He was home a week after we left because he had a 3 day weekend (Labor Day) but we haven't seen him since then. I figured we'd get him this past weekend, but he started an intramural flag football league that has games on the weekend. So we might have to go down and see him it seems. But that's all good. He's making friends and settling in. And how can that do anything but make me happy?

YEAH for our Christmas trips sneaking up on both of us! We're at 60 days today so we must both be heading for opposite coasts the same day. Watch for us in the Southwest terminal!

What an exciting time for your family though. You must be so proud of your kids for spreading their wings and heading out in the world. Congrats to your son for making the KC Youth Symphony!

Wow, Janet!!! Just one amazing shot after another!!! Thanks so much for sharing all of those photos!!! So glad you were able to take that trip!

Do you have another National Park trip planned for next summer?

Thanks Karen! I can't believe I even wondered if I could enjoy that trip to the SW without a Disney stop at the end. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to go back again.

No national parks planned for next year. The troops are lobbying for a return to Sanibel. Robbie even says he wants to come along, and he hasn't been on a family vacation since 2010. So I think we'll try hard to make that happen.

You did well with that detour to Dead Horse Point. If I'm in the area, I'll have to remember to go seek it out. But I'm with you....I prefer Horseshoe Bend as well.
There was another entrenched meander along the Verde Canyon. We saw it from the Verde Canyon train but again it wasn't as spectacular as Horseshoe. The river cut was not as deep but it was still interesting to see the formation. Maybe if you decide to go to Sedona you can add that train ride to your list.

Thanks for pointing that out. I'm definitely making a mental note to add that to the list. I do think though that I would have been more impressed with Dead Horse Point if I hadn't seen Horseshoe Bend already. I think the rest pales in comparison. I would love to be out there one day at sunrise. We at least got lucky and the day we were there it was somewhat overcast so it wasn't too hazy.

So update me on your Sigma lens. Is it in hand and have you tried it out? I feel really bad now for getting you excited about it then returning mine. I do have an update from my end. My bad experience really put me off. I was worried I might get another bad copy. And honestly, as great as it seems (REALLY GREAT) when focus is good, I just don't have the patience to deal with a bunch of shots with missed focus. B&H was going to exchange mine for another copy when they got one in, but after toiling over the whole thing for a while, I called them yesterday and asked if I could instead exchange it toward a new 6D. So that's what I did. YIKES! Now of course, I keep having second thoughts about that. But that's just how I am. Now I have a decent amount of EF-S glass to ditch off and help fund this new venture.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Whoa. The Shafer Canyon trail looks so amazing as well as the Mesa Arch. That must be fun and crazy to drive on the Shafer Trail.

Dead Horse Point looks amazing and it was worth the turn back to see it.

 

[MotoWifey185]

I am all caught up, finally! I started back up at the F! Dessert Seating post. DH and I have always wanted to do that, but agree that the time it takes to get the best spot is not the best use of our time either. I have always loved Fantasmic though and do want to go for it sometime. You are brave to be riding TOT so many times! After I drag my husband on I can barely stand more than one time myself! I didn't know Flo's had views of RSR. I will definitely have to eat there sometime. Great report, I look forward to reading the rest!

 

[mom2rtk]

Whoa. The Shafer Canyon trail looks so amazing as well as the Mesa Arch. That must be fun and crazy to drive on the Shafer Trail.

Dead Horse Point looks amazing and it was worth the turn back to see it.

Thanks Bret! I do push myself outside my comfort zone when I get to these national parks, but it's not likely I'll be driving down that trail anytime soon!

And Dead Horse Point was definitely worth the U-turn. It's not Horseshoe Bend, but not much is. This was still VERY cool and worth the detour.

I am all caught up, finally! I started back up at the F! Dessert Seating post. DH and I have always wanted to do that, but agree that the time it takes to get the best spot is not the best use of our time either. I have always loved Fantasmic though and do want to go for it sometime. You are brave to be riding TOT so many times! After I drag my husband on I can barely stand more than one time myself! I didn't know Flo's had views of RSR. I will definitely have to eat there sometime. Great report, I look forward to reading the rest!

I think we're going to go ahead and book Fantasmic again this year. But only because we have very few opportunities to see it and we're going to end up there on a Candlelight Processional night again, so very crowded.

I'm definitely looking forward to hanging out at Flo's watching the cars race by again!

One more Disney day to go. I'm hoping to get through those photos soon.

 

[missangelalexis]

Dead Horse Point looks beautiful. Lovely photos!

 

[PrincessInOz]

So update me on your Sigma lens. Is it in hand and have you tried it out? I feel really bad now for getting you excited about it then returning mine. I do have an update from my end. My bad experience really put me off. I was worried I might get another bad copy. And honestly, as great as it seems (REALLY GREAT) when focus is good, I just don't have the patience to deal with a bunch of shots with missed focus. B&H was going to exchange mine for another copy when they got one in, but after toiling over the whole thing for a while, I called them yesterday and asked if I could instead exchange it toward a new 6D. So that's what I did. YIKES! Now of course, I keep having second thoughts about that. But that's just how I am. Now I have a decent amount of EF-S glass to ditch off and help fund this new venture.

Congratulations on the new purchase!!!

If I didn't have a decent amount of EF-S glass, I would have gone FF myself. Good on you for pulling the trigger.



Seeing that you asked about the Sigma.....

These next two were taken ISO 100, f/8, 1/200 sec. I was happy with the sharpness and focus of the lens at this aperture setting.













I was also happy with the closer shots on the Sigma.

ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.











ISO 100, f/5, 1/640 sec.






I think this was the widest aperture setting I took on the day.

ISO 100, f/3.2, 1/1000 sec.






I have to admit that I missed the range of the Canon and for daytime shooting, I would stick with the Canon. The proof will be when I hit the dark rides at Disney next week.

In any case, it wouldn't hurt for my 'family' to have this lens in the house. DH has taken back the T2i and he has been shooting with the kit lenses. I suspect that he will be very happy to have the Sigma in his bag. We can always share it if the lens performs up to expectations.