Glob: Travels

Life on Mars

Monument Valley - Sep 2004, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Sep 2004: Spot the car in the picture. When I see a Land Rover in Utah, I can't help but snicker.

Leap of faith

Leap of faith - Canyonlands - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: The canyon country makes me jump for joy. This one is at Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

The Archer

The archer - Canyonlands - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: The sun shines a spotlight on her posed as a ballet-dancer. Easily a 500 ft drop to the canyon floor under her, she waves atop Musselman Arch, White Rim Trail, Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

Archer's Rest

Turret - Arches - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: Turret Arch (bottom right) peaking at the La Sal mountains with a squint in Arches National Park, Utah.

Butte Seriously

Butte seriously - Canyondlands - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: Weathering action in the canyon country leaves a spectacular mix of well-sculpted mountains. These can largely be divided into three types: Mesa (like plateaus), Butte (like pyramids) and Needle (like needles). Native Americans consider these structures sacred and name them after mythological characters or events. The red rocks present a breathtaking light show at sunrise and sunset.

Pink Floyd and White Rim

Nov 2006: Canyons in Utah provide 100's of miles of offroading trail where you can take your machine away from the machines. This is the Gooseberry section of the White Rim trail in Canyonlands National Park, Utah and we are grooving to Shine on you Crazy Diamond, Pink Floyd.

Rare View Mirror

Rare view - Canyonlands - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: Biking the 100-mile White Rim trail of Canyonlands makes it into the all time top 10 list of most mountain bikers. Thankfully, running out of gas is not a worry for bikers but getting back on the road before nightfall is.

Martian Ice-caps

La sal - Arches - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: A trip to the canyon country in south Utah is like going to another planet - a red planet. The national parks of south-east Utah - Canyonlands, Arches, Needles - are in areas with sparser population and vaster wilderness, and magnify this effect. In a desert land with scarce vegetation, the La Sal mountains form a contrasting backdrop to the stellar rock formations in Arches National Park. Sort of like Ice-caps on Mars.

Road less traveled

Off road - Canyonlands - Nov 2006, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Nov 2006: The 100-mile White Rim loop trail is a haven for off-road vehicles, mountain bikers and dirt bikers. A moderately difficult drive for high clearance vehicles, this loop takes you from the top of Island-in-the-Sky mesa (plateau) to the basin of Colorado and Green rivers 2,000 vertical ft below and back. At any point along the trail, you would find yourself somewhere in between, looking at (say) 1000-ft above you on one side and 1000-ft under you on the other. Ever wondered if you are one with the Nature miles away from civilization, or you are one with the Machines that let you experience nature in this way!

Island in the Sky

Island in the sky - Canyonlands - Mar 2001, originally uploaded by righthalf.

Mar 2001: The falling clouds are moving in. I am 15 minutes away from getting poured on. A casual jump over a gap with a 500-ft drop takes me to a little rock-island on "Island in the Sky" at Canyonlands National Park, Utah.