IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

The other night it was looking like there might be a good sunset so I grabbed my camera gear and headed out towards the base of the Book Cliffs. Unfortunately, the sunset never panned out, but while driving out there the sun did shine through a few holes in the clouds and spotlighted the Book Cliffs for a few minutes. I managed to get my camera out and get these two photos before the light was gone.

Book Cliffs Spotlight I by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

In this second photo you can see that the spotlight had moved to the left quite a bit.

Book Cliffs Spotlight II by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

On my drove back through the North Desert I got stuck in on of the worst dust storms I’ve ever been in. I actually had to stop my Jeep for a few minutes because I couldn’t see anything!

Las Vegas Trip 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012

It was our second day in Las Vegas and we were ready to get out of the city again. After sleeping in we headed out to visit Hoover Dam. When we arrived, we decided that we didn’t want to pay or wait in a long line for a tour so we just walked across the dam to check it out.

View from the dam including the new bridge.

Looking Down by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Looking back towards the Visitor’s Center in Nevada…there sure are a lot of power lines around.

Dam & Power Lines by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Intakes on the Arizona side in Lake Mead.

Intakes by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Las Vegas Trip 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

It was our first full day in Las Vegas and we both could already tell that this city wasn’t the place for us. We had tickets in the evening for the Blue Man Group, so we decided to spend the morning just outside of town in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Red Rock Canyon by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I like the red stripe across this mountain.

Striped by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The bright red Calico Hills really stand out from the rest of the landscape.

Calico Hills View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

I just spent the weekend on Cedar Mesa in search of the specific ruin featured in the photo above, and as you might have guessed, I did manage to find it!

This well-preserved ruin is nestled in the back of a deep alcove which has helped protect it from the elements and kept it in good shape. The most unusual part of this ruin is the painted pictographs on it’s exterior. I can’t recall seeing anything else like it which makes this one pretty unique. Because of the photogenic alcove this granary was located in, I had a lot of fun taking photoso of it from all different angles, so I’m sure I’ll be posting other photos of it in the future. This photo was taken to emphasize the curved lines and golden color of the smoke-stained ceiling of the alcove above the ruin.

Las Vegas Trip 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012

After a great weekend exploring Zion National Park, Amanda and I decided to stick around a bit longer on Monday morning before starting our drive to Las Vegas.

I visited the Court of the Patriarchs in the morning to catch the sunrise. I was worried for a bit that the clouds to the east would block the early morning light, but I ended up getting this spotlighting on the large sandstone formations above the Virgin River.

Court of the Patriarchs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After some breakfast we hiked the Emerald Pools trail before leaving the park. This sidewalk lead around the lower pools and under the small waterfalls above.

Emerald Sidewalk by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Looking up at the small waterfalls pouring over the sandstone.

Emerald Falls by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr