Kolossal Kolob Canyons in Zion National Park, Utah

The Kolob Canyons are located in the northwestern part of Zion National Park in southern Utah. They're quite different to Zion Canyon in that their magnificence can be viewed from afar.

If you click on this photo to enlarge, you can actually read the information plaque about the Kolob Canyons.

I did find my patches of blue sky and the pale background just highlighted the coloured rocks.


Unfortunately, I couldn't spend as long as I liked in this section of the park. There are many walks to do and places to explore and some of the wildflowers were out too.

I would love to revisit the Kolob Canyons because there weren't as many people and consequently it's much quieter than Zion Canyon.

There are no camping facilities here either and people probably like the campgrounds which are not too far away from Springdale near the south entrance to Zion National Park.

I preferred this area but it may also have been because the weather was slightly better than the more famous canyon. You can decide yourself when you visit.

If you would like a larger version of the bottom photo for a desktop wallpaper email me at fran@franwest.com.

Read more about the park here http://www.nps.gov/zion

Zoom in on Zion's Kolossal Kolob Canyons, Utah

Zion National Park, in southern Utah, is a park which is very spread out, having an east entrance and the main south entrance to Zion Canyon. In the northwest there's another entrance leading to the Kolob Canyons. It involves leaving the southern section of the park and heading west on Route 9 and connecting with the I-15. Well worth the drive.

The weather, while I was in the southern part of the park, was overcast and not ideal for photos, so I decided to head to the Kolob Canyons to see if I could find a patch of blue.

Here there was an excellent visitor centre and landscape much more to my liking. Unlike Zion Canyon, where I felt boxed in and had to look up at the rock formations, the Kolob Canyons were more open and easier to photograph in the landscape format (for my DVD purposes).


The location of the visitor centre is a bit deceiving because it doesn't really prepare you for the spectacular views along the road leading into the canyons. More photos of the Kolob Canyons in a future post.

Read more about the park here http://www.nps.gov/zion

Sensational Salzburg offers so many Scenic Spots

Sensational Salzburg offered so many scenic spots for the "Sound of Music".

When we visited this historic Austrian city many years ago, we just had to take a "Sound of Music" tour. The area is so picturesque with mountains and lakes and provided a wonderful backdrop for the movie. It was on the news fairly recently about the cast's 45th anniversary and this in turn reminded me of our time in Salzburg.

There are of course other things to see and do there, like exploring the Mozart connection, attending a performance of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre and enjoying the buildings, food and culture.

Visit Salzburg.

Awesome Alaska's Perfect Portage is a Gorgeous Glacier

Due to popular demand, here's another angle on Alaska's Portage Glacier. It's not that far from Anchorage for a day trip.

Once you reach the lake, which is surrounded by mountains draped with patches of snow, the Ptarmigan takes you right up to the glacier.

As you can see from the photo, the vessel is small but sturdy and as it approaches the glacier more and more people head for the top deck (even though it's quite breezy).

When the glacier calves, massive chunks of ice crash into the lake and become mini icebergs.

This fish tank on board, filled with glacier ice (and a rubber duckie), clearly illustrates the point that most of an iceberg is hidden below the surface of the water. So even in a lake, the vessel has to steer clear of these beautiful bits of glacier just in case.


By the way, the water in the tank was freezing too!

All in all, a good adventure to go on while in Alaska.

Cruising the Canyons, Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona

One of the many activities to do at Lake Powell, in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, is to take a cruise around the lake and into the canyons.

Usually there are half day and full day cruises, with lunch provided on the full day ventures. On a hot day, if you choose to be on the top deck, drink plenty of water (provided) and take a hat and sunscreen. Just make sure that the hat ties on because someone on our cruise had to wave his hat goodbye as it blew off into the lake.

As you can see from the photo, the boat is right in the canyon.

Before we boarded for our cruise I was eyeing off the nice big boats moored at the jetty and was disappointed when we embarked on our smaller vessel.


However, as we proceeded through the canyons, I soon understood that a smaller vessel was more manoeuvrable. Even so, on one of the cruises, the boat was so close to the canyon wall that one of the loud speakers was smashed. The cruise captains were just so skilled, they were fantastic.

Red Sun on the Kangaroo Paw

A couple of my aerial photos of airstrips from my flight around Australia's coast are included in this book by Kevin Gomm.

Red Sun on the Kangaroo Paw is about Japanese air raids and submarine attacks on Western Australia during World War II.

For anyone wanting to purchase a copy(s) they can do so by correspondence to:

Helvetica Publishing
PO Box 2186
High Wycombe
Perth Western Australia
AUSTRALIA 6057
helveticapublishing@gmail.com
$40.00 incl. post & packaging.

I'm not an Ugly Duckling! Video Clip

Black swans are a feature on the River Torrens which runs through Adelaide, capital of South Australia.

There's a walk and cycle path which winds its way alongside the river and it's a favourite place for workers and tourists alike.

Just lovely to see the cygnet with the adult swan, very different in plumage.