I Had a Day...

Arrived Thursday afternoon in Deer Valley, Utah—just up the hill from Park City, a short drive from Salt Lake City. Woke up at 4:15 am; out the door at 4:45. Drove 4+ hours to Moab. Entered Arches National Park at 9:00 am. Hiked until 1:30. Lunch at the Moab Brewery; coffee at Moab Roastery. Entered Canyonlands National Park at 3:30. Hiked until sunset, ~6:30. Drove back to Deer Valley, arriving 11:15 after all the skiers in the party had gone to bed. The day was nearly perfect: 60-65 degrees, mostly sunny. All told: 500+ miles driving; ~20,000 steps. These are some snapshots I took.

[Click pics to embiggen slideshow]

Gee, that's a GREAT looking LAKE! Wonder if it's SALT-y

Downtown Park City

Three Wisemen near the entrance to Arches NP

THREE WISEMEN up close and personal.

Contrails or Chemtrails? You decide! Tic Tac Toe above ARCHES NP.

You want to hike with me! The ledge trail on the way up to Delicate Arch.

Gee, that DELICATE ARCH seems kinda' tiny!

Delicate Arch: Astride the mountainside

Delicate Arch from underneath

Haha. Yes, I was there.

Such a poser.

Petroglyphs.

Moar arches!

Vistas for days.

DOUBLE ARCHES. [Click pic to enlarge so you can see the tiny people]

BALANCING ROCK

COURTHOUSE. Exiting ARCHES NP

GRAND MESA, otw to CANYONLANDS NP

Breath taken! CANYONLANDS NP

Canyons within Canyons within Canyons!

I may have mentioned: You want to hike with me! Scruffy Troll photobombing my picture. The path to GRAND VIEW POINT runs right along the canyon edge.

Like I said... 

Gasp! Sufficiently breathless.

For the ongoing series: Things growing on other things.

The path to Grand View Point.

Careful there, Jimbo!

View from the path.

The GRAND VIEW POINT!

A Heart Not Necessarily Left Though Certainly Lent

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit I've never been to the Bay Area. Until now. San Francisco is one of this country's great cities. I connected with friends I haven't seen in decades, friends who acted as personal tour guides as we caught up on each others' lives. Great food, great coffee, decent beer. Dined at friends' homes in Alameda, Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond Point, as well as restaurants in Chinatown and several places in the city. In my four days there, I walked a tad over 25 miles. I'm not ashamed to say I enjoyed being a tourist and doing touristy things for a few days. For example, I learned the original name of San Francisco was Yerba Buena, which translates to 'Mint' or, more literally, Good Herb. Did not know that! Of course, with the legalization of marijuana in California, that whole 'Good Herb' thing takes on a whole new twist. Next visit, I can get deeper. Here's a few snaps. [As always, click pic to embiggen slide show.]

A rising sun limns the canyonlands en route.

The skeletal remains of a buried giant?

Mono Lake from the sky. A different perspective.

Buster Posey, Canine Operating Officer, greets me in my hotel room. SF Giants catcher from ATL.

Sunset drinks at Land's End. Camera Obscura. Vertigo setting.

Fern, Moss, Redwoods: Muir Woods.

Tram through Fishermans Wharf.

They're scarier than the look. Mechanical brakes, steep hills. Be prepared!

Arch frames ship. Prime selfie spot.

Num num num.

It is what it says it is.

Yes. This is what I've been trying to tell you.

And more of this, please!

Botanical Gardens, Golden Gate Park.

A sacred site.

Note the birds, man.

Note the graffiti from the 1969 Indian takeover.

Inside.

Down on the Bay.

Berkeley by Night.

LaLa Land

Flying over the geometry of the Mississippi River. But where am I going?

Oh. Must be L.A. But why?

Daughter's MSW from USC! Congrats! So Proud!

Forever Felix!

And this must be Santa Monica!

Colorful ruins of Santa Monica.

That DTLA feeling.

Hiking behind the Hollywood sign.

Western Hikes are different.

Reward? Meh.

"But, Doc!" 

Drunk or merely recumbent. DTLA, again.

Too pretty to eat, Nobu Malibu (edible flowers, yo!). Celebratory dinner.

At sunset, no less! Chillier than you'd think.

Like I said, Western hiking is different. Bloom above Malibu!

Ditto.

Canyons (technically in the city).

Train Station, DTLA.

Leaving LA under a cloud. But where am I going?

Santa Fe? Is this New Mexico? And who is this Saint Fe you speak of?

No! It's the home of the Fathers! Petco Park.

San Diego. Whale's vagina or post-modern Kafka-esque hellscape?

SD Zoo was a bit disappointing, as are most zoos. But where else can you see a sad Mandrill so close?

Or a magnificently odd Giant Anteater?

La Jolla Cove, after diving with sea lions, banded guitar fish, horned shark, & Garibaldi in a kelp forest preserve.

And close out the trip with field level seats for a Padres game! (Fathers gave up 8 runs in the top of the 1st. Beer was good, though!)