Travels in the Southwest Colorado Plateau

September 9, 2017 — September 16, 2017

Looking southeast across Arches National Park. Pillars of red sandstone can be seen to the right. In the distance, the walls of a desert canyon almost seem to glow in the Sun's light.

A week spent road-tripping to Arches, Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon National Parks, and a few more spots in between.

Looking north across Arches National Park. A small bush sits in the foreground, while the background is dominated by tall, thin fins of red sandstone.
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Looking east across a series of 'fossil' sand dunes at Arches National Park. Some of the park's arches and mesas can be seen on the horizon. In the foreground, a small bush grows in a wave-like twist that seems to mimic the fossilized dunes.
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Looking south back along the main road into Arches National Park. In the distance, massive fins of red sandstone.
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The undulating wall of a mesa near the entrance to Arches National Park.
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Looking north along the main road into Arches National Park. To the road's left, the undulating wall of a mesa made of red sandstone stretches into the distance.
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A lone pillar of red sandstone emerges from the desert ground in Arches National Park.
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The North Window Arch in Arches National Park.
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A desert trail loops around the back of a wall of red sandstone. All of the visible rocks are red sandstone, with the only plants small juniper trees and desert bushes. In the distance, mountains.
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Len, in a gray shirt, stands far down a trail of red sandstone, her hands on her hips. Walls of red rock stand to her left and right, and a small grove of juniper trees is in front of her.
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Looking southeast across Arches National Park. Pillars of red sandstone can be seen to the right. In the distance, the walls of a desert canyon almost seem to glow in the Sun's light.
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A lizard suns itself in the desert sand. Its coloring closely matches the red sand, except for a stipe of turquoise spots down its back and tail.
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A wide-angle photograph looking up at Double Arch in Arches National Park. Both arches can be seen, almost at right angles to each other, with the closest arcing almost directly overhead.
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Looking through one of the arches of Double Arch back out towards the rest of Arches National Park. The wide-angle shot makes the arch almost look like a cave. In the foreground, Len watches an approaching group of hikers.
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Len sits at the bas of a wall of red sandstone pillars. The pillar to her left has a large spherical top.
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Looking east across Arches National Park. Red and white sandstone undulates across the top of the plateau, with a few stone pillars visible in the distance. On the horizon, the mesas and canyone of Canyonlands National Park.
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A desert panorama across Arches National Park.
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Looking back towards the Arches National Park visitors' center and the main road into Moab just after dawn.
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A desert sunrise over Arches National Park.
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A desert sunrise over Arches National Park.
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A massive fin or red and white sandstone with a tunnel-like arch (Tunnel Arch) near its middle.
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Looking through Pine Tree Arch in Arches National Park. The stone of the arch is exceptionally red, and the ground very sandy. Small desert shrubs grow on either side of the arch.
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An oblique view through Pine Tree Arch in Arches National Park. The stone of the arch is exceptionally red, and the ground very sandy. A small juniper tree is growing almost in the middle of the arch.
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An oblique view through Pine Tree Arch in Arches National Park towards the rising sun. Unusually shaped sandstone mounds and pillars can be seen in the distance.
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An oblique view along Pine Tree Arch, revealing the remainder of the thin fine of sandstone it's part of. On the far side of the arch, sand has piled up into a small, shrub-covered dune.
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Len taking a picture of me taking a picture of her. She stands at the base of a shrub-covered dune on one side of the Pine Tree Arch, while I stand next to a Juniper tree near the middle of the arch.
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An incredibly thin red sandstone arch, with the Moon visible just beyond it.
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An incredibly thin red sandstone arch.
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A small tree grows in the sand in the narrow space between two high sandstone fins.
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A small arch in a red sandstone alcove. Fine red sand covers the ground below it.
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Len approaches a large bow-shaped arch made out of red sandstone. White sandstone boulders, many larger than her, litter its base.
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Looking through a rock arch towards a surprisingly green plain beyond. In the distance, the convoluted wall of a low mesa.
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A distant view of Delicate Arch, which sits atop a large, wide sandstone fin. Scores of hikers, almost too small to see at this distance, cluster around it.
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A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The Colorado River is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.
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A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The Colorado River is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.
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A large black wasp with bright orange wings sitting on a small cluster of flowers.
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A large black wasp with bright orange wings sitting on a small cluster of flowers.
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Long, wide, thin yellow and black beetles cover the flowers of a low, moss-like plant. In the distance, the walls of the Grand Canyon can be seen.
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Two long, wide, thin yellow and black beetles on the flower of a low, moss-like plant. They are obviously having sex.
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A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The Colorado River is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.
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A view across the Grand Canyon. Morning fog partially obscurs the far side. In the foreground, part of the South Rim juts into the Canyon, forming an island-like structure. Small trees grow on it.
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A view across the Grand Canyon. Morning fog partially obscurs the far side. In the foreground, part of the South Rim falls away into the Canyon in a series of steep terraces. Pine trees cover its terraces and slopes.
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A narow red and white sandstone ridge descends towards the floor of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. A mesa-like outcropping called a 'temple' can be seen near the far end of the ridge.
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A concave portion of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, seen from some distance in. Thick bands of red and white rock form steep cliffs linked by only slightly less steep, pine-tree covered slopes.
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Len stands on a trail descending into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The shadow of the South Rim ends just before her, and in the background another part of the South Rim, composed of thick red and white sandstone bands, can be seen.
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A mesa-like 'temple' near the end of a long ridge descending towards the floor of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. Parts of the trail down to the floor of the Canyon can be seen in the foreground.
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Len sitting on a large flat red sandstone rock. Beyond her, a mesa-like 'temple', and further still the floor of the Grand Canyon itself.
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A black-and-white selfie of Len and myself, with the Grand Canyon in the distance.
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A black-and-white photograph of the Grand Canyon shortly after dawn. Thick haze obscures the far side of the Canyon. In the foreground, a pillar of rock rises out of the South Rim.
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A black-and-white photograph of the Grand Canyon shortly after dawn.
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A view along the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, almost parallel to the Colorado River's course. The River itself is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.
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Looking across the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and into the desert beyond. Rain clouds gather in the distance.
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A clearing in a pine forest. Beyond it, towering above the trees, is a low cinder cone with a distinctive red rim near its top.
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A clearing in a pine forest. In the distance stands a low ring of peaks, obviously the remains of an incredibly large volcano that exploded towards where I'm standing at some point in the past.
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A rocky lava flow that looks like it should be in Hawaii, not Arizona. Low cinder cones rise beyond it. In the foreground, bright yellow-orange flowers.
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A clearing in a pine forest. The ground is covered in fine volcanic cinders. Beyond the clearing, a steep cinder cone with a distinctive red crater rim.
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A small plant grows among volcanic cinders and pine needles.
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The Glen Canyon Dam, with Lake Powell extending behind it to the horizon. The rocks on either side of the lake are bright red-orange, but turn white just above the water.
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A wide-angle shot of the Glen Canyon Dam (left) and Glen Canyon Dam Bridge (right), with the Colorado River below.
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The Glen Canyon Dam, with Lake Powell extending behind it to the horizon. The rocks on either side of the lake are bright red-orange, but turn white just above the water. A thunder storm can be seen in the distance.
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A wide-angle shot of the iconic Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River (technically within the Grand Canyon National Park, as the park extends from the rim wall to the River all the way to the Glen Canyon Dam).
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A wide-angle shot of the iconic Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River (technically within the Grand Canyon National Park, as the park extends from the rim wall to the River all the way to the Glen Canyon Dam).
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A tight cluster of yellow flowers at the very edge of the Grand Canyon's rim.
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A detail of the south side of the Colorado River as it rounds Horseshoe Bend.
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A large, free-standing solar panel in a forest clearing. Beyond it is a second panel, angled straight up as if it were a giant table.
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The South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.
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The undulating South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.
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The South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.
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Looking down a steep gulch in the wall of Bryce Canyon to the pine forest below. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.
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A fin of soft red and white rock extends from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. The fin is quickly reduced to a series of pillars, and then a low, pine tree covered ridge that can be seen to extend some distance into the forest below.
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Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest. At left stands an exceptionally tall pillar, which is higher than the Canyon wall itself.
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A fin of soft red and white rock extends from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. It abruptly ends in two wide pillars of rock.
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An arch in a fin of rock extending from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Pine trees are beginning to grow in the steep gulch descending through the arch.
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A fin of soft red and white rock extends from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. The fin is quickly reduced to a series of pillars, and then a low, pine tree covered ridge that can be seen to extend some distance into the forest below.
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The view down an exceptionally wide fin of rock extending from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Beyond it, a pine forest stretches out to the horizon.
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Looking down Swamp Canyon in Bryce Canyon National Park. The floor of the canyon is green with life, but the trees are all blackened and dead, killed by a fire the previous year.
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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.
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Sculpted red and white rock, superficially similar to a badland, but interspersed with pine trees. Low mesa-like structures are formed by tight clusters of red and white rock pillars.
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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.
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A small pine tree growing right on the rim of Bryce Canyon. The rim has been washed away from below the tree, such that it now stands on its roots, as if it were about to walk away. The red and white rock pillars of Bryce Canyon can be seen beyond it.
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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.
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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. The pillars eventually cluster into distinct stone fins that meet up with the South Wall of Bryce Canyon.
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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.
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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. The pillars are packed so closely together that few trees can grow between them. The shadows of clouds move across the amphitheater.
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A rubber ducky perched on the rim of a hotel bathtub. To its right, a small bottle of complementary hotel shampoo, and on its left is a small bar of complimentary soap.
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A selfie taken near Vail, Colorado. I am wearing a green soft-brim hat and a green shirt, and am making a weird face while giving a thumbs up.
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Nathan Acks on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 2:01 PM in #Medium

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Looking north across Arches National Park. A small bush sits in the foreground, while the background is dominated by tall, thin fins of red sandstone.

September 9, 2017 at 2:49 PM — Looking north after ascending to the plateau that makes up the majority of Arches National Park. This is well before the first of the arches that are accessible from the main road.

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Looking east across a series of 'fossil' sand dunes at Arches National Park. Some of the park's arches and mesas can be seen on the horizon. In the foreground, a small bush grows in a wave-like twist that seems to mimic the fossilized dunes.

September 9, 2017 at 3:15 PM — Looking east after ascending into Arches National Park. The first arches are in the far distance; in the mid-distance is a field of “fossilized” sand dunes.

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Looking south back along the main road into Arches National Park. In the distance, massive fins of red sandstone.

September 9, 2017 at 3:15 PM — Looking south (back towards the park entrance), after ascending into Arches National Park. This is well before the first of the arches that are accessible from the main road.

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The undulating wall of a mesa near the entrance to Arches National Park.

September 9, 2017 at 3:27 PM — Looking west after ascending into Arches National Park (the entrance is below and behind this ridge). This is well before the first arches that are accessible from the main road.

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Looking north along the main road into Arches National Park. To the road's left, the undulating wall of a mesa made of red sandstone stretches into the distance.

September 9, 2017 at 3:29 PM — Looking north after ascending into Arches National Park (the entrance is below and behind the ridge at left). This is well before the first arches accessible from the main road.

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A lone pillar of red sandstone emerges from the desert ground in Arches National Park.

September 9, 2017 at 3:56 PM — Looking southwest from the first group of arches accessible from the main road. The arches themselves are off-frame behind, and to the left and right, of this photograph.

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The North Window Arch in Arches National Park.

September 9, 2017 at 4:04 PM — The North Window arch, one of the first arches accessible from the main road in Arches National Park.

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A desert trail loops around the back of a wall of red sandstone. All of the visible rocks are red sandstone, with the only plants small juniper trees and desert bushes. In the distance, mountains.

September 9, 2017 at 4:09 PM — On the trail around the South Window and North Window arches, two of the first arches accessible from the main road in Arches National Park.

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Len, in a gray shirt, stands far down a trail of red sandstone, her hands on her hips. Walls of red rock stand to her left and right, and a small grove of juniper trees is in front of her.

September 9, 2017 at 4:14 PM — On the trail around the South and North Window arches, two of the first arches accessible from the main road in Arches National Park. Len is head of me.

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Looking southeast across Arches National Park. Pillars of red sandstone can be seen to the right. In the distance, the walls of a desert canyon almost seem to glow in the Sun's light.

September 9, 2017 at 4:21 PM — Looking southeast from the trail around the South Window and North Window arches, two of the first arches accessible from the main road in Arches National Park.

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A lizard suns itself in the desert sand. Its coloring closely matches the red sand, except for a stipe of turquoise spots down its back and tail.

September 9, 2017 at 4:30 PM — One of the many lizards of Arches National Park. Taken on the trail around the South and North Window arches, two of the first arches accessible from the main road.

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A wide-angle photograph looking up at Double Arch in Arches National Park. Both arches can be seen, almost at right angles to each other, with the closest arcing almost directly overhead.

September 9, 2017 at 5:06 PM — The Double Arch, imaged with the wide-angle feature of the Android camera. These two arches were formed from a sinkhole in the containing mesa.

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Looking through one of the arches of Double Arch back out towards the rest of Arches National Park. The wide-angle shot makes the arch almost look like a cave. In the foreground, Len watches an approaching group of hikers.

September 9, 2017 at 5:10 PM — Looking southwest from under the Double Arch, imaged with the wide-angle feature of the Android camera. Len is siting in the foreground, near the center of the frame.

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Len sits at the bas of a wall of red sandstone pillars. The pillar to her left has a large spherical top.

September 9, 2017 at 5:34 PM — Len (on the left side of the frame), sitting near the Garden of Eden, a series of eroded rock ridges and towers.

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Looking east across Arches National Park. Red and white sandstone undulates across the top of the plateau, with a few stone pillars visible in the distance. On the horizon, the mesas and canyone of Canyonlands National Park.

September 9, 2017 at 5:35 PM — Looking east from near the Garden of Eden, a series of eroded rock ridges and towers.

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A desert panorama across Arches National Park.

September 9, 2017 at 5:51 PM — Looking north from the aptly named Panorama Point, about halfway into Arches National Park.

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Looking back towards the Arches National Park visitors' center and the main road into Moab just after dawn.

September 10, 2017 at 7:05 AM — Looking southeast from near the entrance of Arches National Park. The visitor center is just off the right side of the frame, with the main body of the park to the left.

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A desert sunrise over Arches National Park.

September 10, 2017 at 7:25 AM — Looking east towards the sunrise, about halfway into Arches National Park (just before the turnoff for Delicate Arch).

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A desert sunrise over Arches National Park.

September 10, 2017 at 7:27 AM — Looking east towards the sunrise, about halfway into Arches National Park (just before the turnoff for Delicate Arch).

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A massive fin or red and white sandstone with a tunnel-like arch (Tunnel Arch) near its middle.

September 10, 2017 at 7:57 AM — Tunnel Arch, the first major arch on the Devil’s Garden Trail in Arches National Park. A smaller “sinkhole” arch (formed in a similar process as Double Arch) is left-of-center.

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Looking through Pine Tree Arch in Arches National Park. The stone of the arch is exceptionally red, and the ground very sandy. Small desert shrubs grow on either side of the arch.

September 10, 2017 at 8:07 AM — Looking north through Pine Tree Arch, the second major arch on the Devil’s Garden Trail at the end of the main road in Arches National Park.

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An oblique view through Pine Tree Arch in Arches National Park. The stone of the arch is exceptionally red, and the ground very sandy. A small juniper tree is growing almost in the middle of the arch.

September 10, 2017 at 8:09 AM — Looking northwest through Pine Tree Arch, the second major arch on the Devil’s Garden Trail at the end of the main road in Arches National Park.

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An oblique view through Pine Tree Arch in Arches National Park towards the rising sun. Unusually shaped sandstone mounds and pillars can be seen in the distance.

September 10, 2017 at 8:12 AM — Looking east from the “other side” (i.e., opposite the trail) of Pine Tree Arch, the second major arch on the Devil’s Garden Trail at the end of the main road in Arches National Park.

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An oblique view along Pine Tree Arch, revealing the remainder of the thin fine of sandstone it's part of. On the far side of the arch, sand has piled up into a small, shrub-covered dune.

September 10, 2017 at 8:12 AM — Looking back towards the trail through Pine Tree Arch. If you look closely, you’ll see Len standing in the bushes towards the lower right.

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Len taking a picture of me taking a picture of her. She stands at the base of a shrub-covered dune on one side of the Pine Tree Arch, while I stand next to a Juniper tree near the middle of the arch.

September 10, 2017 at 8:16 AM — Me, taking a photo of Len, taking a photo of me at the Pine Tree Arch, the second major arch on the Devil’s Garden Trail at the end of the main road in Arches National Park.

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An incredibly thin red sandstone arch, with the Moon visible just beyond it.

September 10, 2017 at 8:42 AM — Landscape Arch, just west of the Devil’s Garden Trail in Arches National Park.

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An incredibly thin red sandstone arch.

September 10, 2017 at 8:46 AM — Landscape Arch, just west of the Devil’s Garden Trail in Arches National Park.

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A small tree grows in the sand in the narrow space between two high sandstone fins.

September 10, 2017 at 9:48 AM — Heading south on the trail towards Sand Dune Arch, in Arches National Park.

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A small arch in a red sandstone alcove. Fine red sand covers the ground below it.

September 10, 2017 at 9:52 AM — Sand Dune Arch, in Arches National Park.

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Len approaches a large bow-shaped arch made out of red sandstone. White sandstone boulders, many larger than her, litter its base.

September 10, 2017 at 10:15 AM — Len approaches the south side of Broken Arch, in Arches National Park.

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Looking through a rock arch towards a surprisingly green plain beyond. In the distance, the convoluted wall of a low mesa.

September 10, 2017 at 10:17 AM — The north side of Broken Arch (looking south), in Arches National Park.

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A distant view of Delicate Arch, which sits atop a large, wide sandstone fin. Scores of hikers, almost too small to see at this distance, cluster around it.

September 10, 2017 at 11:12 AM — Delicate Arch as seen from the Upper Viewpoint in Arches National Park. If you look closely, you can see all of the hikers that hiked the trail to Delicate Arch itself.

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A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The Colorado River is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.

September 11, 2017 at 9:15 AM — Looking west along the Grand Canyon from near Hermit’s Rest. The Colorado River is visible near center.

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A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The Colorado River is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.

September 11, 2017 at 9:32 AM — Looking east along the Grand Canyon from near Hermit’s Rest. A sliver of the Colorado River is visible in the lower left.

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A large black wasp with bright orange wings sitting on a small cluster of flowers.

September 11, 2017 at 9:52 AM — A tarantula hawk feeds on flower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon near Hermit’s Rest.

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A large black wasp with bright orange wings sitting on a small cluster of flowers.

September 11, 2017 at 9:52 AM — A tarantula hawk feeds on flower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon near Hermit’s Rest.

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Long, wide, thin yellow and black beetles cover the flowers of a low, moss-like plant. In the distance, the walls of the Grand Canyon can be seen.

September 11, 2017 at 10:56 AM — Goldenrod Soldier Beetles, taken about half way between Hermit’s Rest and Hopi Point along the South Rim Trail.

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Two long, wide, thin yellow and black beetles on the flower of a low, moss-like plant. They are obviously having sex.

September 11, 2017 at 10:57 AM — Goldenrod Soldier Beetles, taken about half way between Hermit’s Rest and Hopi Point along the South Rim Trail.

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A view into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The Colorado River is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.

September 11, 2017 at 12:04 PM — Looking east along the Grand Canyon from near Hopi Point. The Colorado River is visible near center.

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A view across the Grand Canyon. Morning fog partially obscurs the far side. In the foreground, part of the South Rim juts into the Canyon, forming an island-like structure. Small trees grow on it.

September 12, 2017 at 8:18 AM — Looking north across the Grand Canyon, somewhere between Hopi and Yavapai Points.

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A view across the Grand Canyon. Morning fog partially obscurs the far side. In the foreground, part of the South Rim falls away into the Canyon in a series of steep terraces. Pine trees cover its terraces and slopes.

September 12, 2017 at 9:40 AM — Trees growing just below the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, taken near Yavapai Point.

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A narow red and white sandstone ridge descends towards the floor of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. A mesa-like outcropping called a 'temple' can be seen near the far end of the ridge.

September 12, 2017 at 10:57 AM — Looking towards Yaki Point from the Grand Canyon visitor center. Len and I hiked later to the Cedar Ridge overlook on the South Kaibab Trail, just above the “temple” in this photo.

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A concave portion of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, seen from some distance in. Thick bands of red and white rock form steep cliffs linked by only slightly less steep, pine-tree covered slopes.

September 13, 2017 at 8:50 AM — Looking back towards a point between the South Kaibab Trail Head and Mather Point from the South Kaibab Trail.

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Len stands on a trail descending into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. The shadow of the South Rim ends just before her, and in the background another part of the South Rim, composed of thick red and white sandstone bands, can be seen.

September 13, 2017 at 8:51 AM — Len, ahead of me on the South Kaibab Trail.

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A mesa-like 'temple' near the end of a long ridge descending towards the floor of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. Parts of the trail down to the floor of the Canyon can be seen in the foreground.

September 13, 2017 at 8:57 AM — Looking down towards the Cedar Ridge overlook and across the Grand Canyon from the South Kaibab Trail near Ooh Aah Point.

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Len sitting on a large flat red sandstone rock. Beyond her, a mesa-like 'temple', and further still the floor of the Grand Canyon itself.

September 13, 2017 at 9:04 AM — Len poses near the Ooh Aah Point on the South Kaibab Trail.

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A black-and-white selfie of Len and myself, with the Grand Canyon in the distance.

September 13, 2017 at 9:06 AM — Len and I take our obligatory vacation selfie near the Ooh Aah Point on the South Kaibab Trail.

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A black-and-white photograph of the Grand Canyon shortly after dawn. Thick haze obscures the far side of the Canyon. In the foreground, a pillar of rock rises out of the South Rim.

September 14, 2017 at 7:33 AM — Looking east across the Grand Canyon shortly after dawn.

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A black-and-white photograph of the Grand Canyon shortly after dawn.

September 14, 2017 at 7:52 AM — Looking northeast across the Grand Canyon shortly after dawn.

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A view along the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, almost parallel to the Colorado River's course. The River itself is barely visible in a steep gorge near the center of the Canyon.

September 14, 2017 at 8:27 AM — Looking north across the Grand Canyon.

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Looking across the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and into the desert beyond. Rain clouds gather in the distance.

September 14, 2017 at 9:06 AM — Looking east across the Grand Canyon from the Desert View Watchtower. The Colorado River can be seen entering the Grand Canyon at the far left.

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A clearing in a pine forest. Beyond it, towering above the trees, is a low cinder cone with a distinctive red rim near its top.

September 14, 2017 at 10:20 AM — Sunset Crater, a volcanic cone less than a thousand years old, just south of the Grand Canyon. It’s the youngest volcano in the San Francisco Volcanic Field.

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A clearing in a pine forest. In the distance stands a low ring of peaks, obviously the remains of an incredibly large volcano that exploded towards where I'm standing at some point in the past.

September 14, 2017 at 10:22 AM — The San Francisco Peaks, the remains of a massive stratovolcano that exploded in a northeasterly direction (towards where I’m standing) about 200,000 years ago.

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A rocky lava flow that looks like it should be in Hawaii, not Arizona. Low cinder cones rise beyond it. In the foreground, bright yellow-orange flowers.

September 14, 2017 at 10:47 AM — Looking across the Bonito Lava Flow, just northwest of Sunset Crater.

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A clearing in a pine forest. The ground is covered in fine volcanic cinders. Beyond the clearing, a steep cinder cone with a distinctive red crater rim.

September 14, 2017 at 11:33 AM — The east side of Sunset Crater.

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A small plant grows among volcanic cinders and pine needles.

September 14, 2017 at 11:35 AM — A small plant grows in the lava flow east of Sunset Crater.

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The Glen Canyon Dam, with Lake Powell extending behind it to the horizon. The rocks on either side of the lake are bright red-orange, but turn white just above the water.

September 14, 2017 at 2:37 PM — The Glen Canyon Dam, with the artificial Lake Powell extending behind it.

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A wide-angle shot of the Glen Canyon Dam (left) and Glen Canyon Dam Bridge (right), with the Colorado River below.

September 14, 2017 at 2:42 PM — At left, the Glen Canyon Dam with the artificial Lake Powell extending behind it. At right, the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, with the Colorado River below.

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The Glen Canyon Dam, with Lake Powell extending behind it to the horizon. The rocks on either side of the lake are bright red-orange, but turn white just above the water. A thunder storm can be seen in the distance.

September 14, 2017 at 2:48 PM — The Glen Canyon Dam, with the artificial Lake Powell extending behind it.

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A wide-angle shot of the iconic Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River (technically within the Grand Canyon National Park, as the park extends from the rim wall to the River all the way to the Glen Canyon Dam).

September 14, 2017 at 3:38 PM — Horseshoe Bend is in Grand Canyon National Park (the park begins at the top of the rim walls and extends to the Glen Canyon Dam), but the overlook I’m on is BLM land.

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A wide-angle shot of the iconic Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River (technically within the Grand Canyon National Park, as the park extends from the rim wall to the River all the way to the Glen Canyon Dam).

September 14, 2017 at 3:47 PM — Horseshoe Bend is in Grand Canyon National Park (the park begins at the top of the rim walls and extends to the Glen Canyon Dam), but the overlook I’m on is BLM land.

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A tight cluster of yellow flowers at the very edge of the Grand Canyon's rim.

September 14, 2017 at 3:48 PM — A small flowering bush clings to the cliff just above Horseshoe Bend.

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A detail of the south side of the Colorado River as it rounds Horseshoe Bend.

September 14, 2017 at 3:32 PM — The Colorado River snakes southeast from Horseshoe Bend.

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A large, free-standing solar panel in a forest clearing. Beyond it is a second panel, angled straight up as if it were a giant table.

September 15, 2017 at 9:44 AM — Solar panels near the Bryce Canyon visitors center.

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The South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.

September 15, 2017 at 10:26 AM — Looking northeast from Rainbow Point on the south side of Bryce Canyon.

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The undulating South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.

September 15, 2017 at 10:33 AM — Looking northwest from Rainbow Point towards the main extent of Bryce Canyon.

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The South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.

September 15, 2017 at 10:46 AM — Looking northeast from Rainbow Point on the south side of Bryce Canyon.

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Looking down a steep gulch in the wall of Bryce Canyon to the pine forest below. Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the rim of the Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest.

September 15, 2017 at 11:07 AM — Looking east from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon, just north of Rainbow Point.

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A fin of soft red and white rock extends from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. The fin is quickly reduced to a series of pillars, and then a low, pine tree covered ridge that can be seen to extend some distance into the forest below.

September 15, 2017 at 11:21 AM — Looking southeast from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon, just north of Rainbow Point.

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Red and white pillars of soft rock cluster together, eventually becoming the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. The pillars stop abruptly, and are immediately replaced by a pine forest. At left stands an exceptionally tall pillar, which is higher than the Canyon wall itself.

September 15, 2017 at 11:46 AM — Looking southeast from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon, just north of Rainbow Point.

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A fin of soft red and white rock extends from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. It abruptly ends in two wide pillars of rock.

September 15, 2017 at 11:47 AM — Looking north from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon, just north of Rainbow Point.

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An arch in a fin of rock extending from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Pine trees are beginning to grow in the steep gulch descending through the arch.

September 15, 2017 at 12:07 PM — Looking east through the Bryce Natural Bridge, just north of Rainbow Point.

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A fin of soft red and white rock extends from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. The fin is quickly reduced to a series of pillars, and then a low, pine tree covered ridge that can be seen to extend some distance into the forest below.

September 15, 2017 at 12:30 PM — Looking southeast from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon, just north of Rainbow Point.

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The view down an exceptionally wide fin of rock extending from the South Wall of Bryce Canyon. Beyond it, a pine forest stretches out to the horizon.

September 15, 2017 at 12:34 PM — Looking east from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon, just north of Rainbow Point.

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Looking down Swamp Canyon in Bryce Canyon National Park. The floor of the canyon is green with life, but the trees are all blackened and dead, killed by a fire the previous year.

September 15, 2017 at 12:53 PM — Looking east through Swamp Canyon from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon.

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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.

September 15, 2017 at 1:38 PM — Looking southeast from Sunrise Point from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon; the Queen’s Garden Trail Head is just off frame to the left.

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Sculpted red and white rock, superficially similar to a badland, but interspersed with pine trees. Low mesa-like structures are formed by tight clusters of red and white rock pillars.

September 15, 2017 at 1:45 PM — Looking northeast from Sunrise Point from the rim wall of Bryce Canyon; the Queen’s Garden Trail Head is just off frame to the right.

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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.

September 15, 2017 at 1:52 PM — Looking southeast into Bryce Canyon from just south of Sunrise Point.

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A small pine tree growing right on the rim of Bryce Canyon. The rim has been washed away from below the tree, such that it now stands on its roots, as if it were about to walk away. The red and white rock pillars of Bryce Canyon can be seen beyond it.

September 15, 2017 at 1:54 PM — A tree on the Bryce Canyon rim, about half way between Sunrise and Sunset Points.

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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.

September 15, 2017 at 1:56 PM — Looking southeast into Bryce Canyon from just between Sunrise and Sunset Points.

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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. The pillars eventually cluster into distinct stone fins that meet up with the South Wall of Bryce Canyon.

September 15, 2017 at 2:04 PM — Looking east into Bryce Canyon from Sunset Point.

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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. Pine trees grow in the sandy ground between them.

September 15, 2017 at 3:02 PM — Looking southeast into Bryce Canyon from the lower Inspiration Point.

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A semi-circular amphitheater filled with hundreds of densely packed red and white stone pillars. The pillars are packed so closely together that few trees can grow between them. The shadows of clouds move across the amphitheater.

September 15, 2017 at 3:20 PM — Looking across Bryce Canyon from between the upper and lower Inspiration Points; the main “amphitheater” of Bryce Canyon can be seen to the left.

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A rubber ducky perched on the rim of a hotel bathtub. To its right, a small bottle of complementary hotel shampoo, and on its left is a small bar of complimentary soap.

September 15, 2017 at 7:43 PM — The hotel that Len and I stayed at on the way back to Denver from Bryce Canyon provided a rubber ducky with the normal toiletries!

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A selfie taken near Vail, Colorado. I am wearing a green soft-brim hat and a green shirt, and am making a weird face while giving a thumbs up.

September 16, 2017 at 2:01 PM — So green that Len couldn’t stop laughing.

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