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Sedona, my impressions

by Loree | Jun 12, 2015 | Deserts, The Vagabond Lifestyle

Having recently spent some time near Sedona, Arizona, it strikes me how the “tourism industry” can spoil a place. With somewhere between 2 and 4 million visitors a year, Sedona is a very popular tourist destination. The Chamber of Commerce touts tourism as the “core industry and economic generator” for the town. I use the word town loosely. Sedona is really a city pretending to be a small town. The small town image is obviously more attractive to visitors.

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Heavenly sunset at Cathedral Rock, reflected in Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona.

There are some absolutely gorgeous sights to see around Sedona, including Cathedral Rock. But, there are a limited number of places to photograph the lovely natural beauty of the area, due to massive commercial and private development. Most views of the stunning natural red rocks are blocked by golf resorts, hotels, and sprawling private mansions with huge KEEP OUT and NO TRESPASSING signs posted everywhere.

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Watching the full moon rise between the spires of Sedona, Arizona’s Cathedral Rock is a truly unforgettable experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the wonderful and unique natural landscapes around Sedona. What I didn’t enjoy were the four lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, the “tourist information” buildings on every corner that are nothing more than fronts to sign people up for high-pressure time-share sales pitches, or the uppity attitude of the campgrounds when they found out I had the audacity to try and secure an rv space less than a year in advance. As it turns out, I’m glad I couldn’t get a space in Sedona, since I ended up staying about fifteen miles away in Cottonwood, which is a lovely little town with friendly people and unpretentious shops and restaurants.

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Double rainbow over Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. Recent rains have left pools of water, creating an opportunity to capture a reflection of the famous, mystical rock in the foreground.

While I love natural wonders, I prefer my nature with a bit of remoteness and solitude rather than a huge dollop of commercial development and modern conveniences. Obviously, the millions who flock there each year feel differently than I do, and that’s fine with me. To each their own. All in all, I’m glad I went to Sedona, if only to say I did. Suffice to say, it’s not on the list of places I want to go back to.

Please take heed if you live in a lovely little town, surrounded by natural wonders, and believe that tourism is the panacea to all your economic woes. Careful what you wish for. Your town could become another Sedona.

The most amazing thing I never thought I would do.

by Loree | May 15, 2015 | Aerial Photography, National Parks, Photography

I have a fear of heights. It’s not something I think about, but more of a primal reaction when I’m in a high place like the edge of a cliff or a balcony on a tall building. My body reacts automatically. My legs get shaky and I get butterflies in the stomach. So, never in my wildest imaginings did I think I would be doing aerial photography from a helicopter. And, one with the doors off, too! Yet sometimes life takes you to places you never intended to go.

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Red Butte is an 1800 ft. pyramid shaped monolith just outside Zion National Park’s Kolob Canyons area. It is home to a natural arch, which is seldom seen except from the air. In this aerial photograph, you can see the arch on the left side of the mountain, opposite the hoodoos on the right.

So, when offered the opportunity to go up on a private flight with the doors off, the photographer in me won out over the acrophobe, and I said yes! I expected to be terrified the whole time.

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Aerial view of a cliff face at the top of Kolob Terrace in Zion National Park, Utah. Spring rains have resulted in a lush green landscape in the southern Utah desert highlighted by sunlight breaking through a light cloud cover.

I still don’t know if being seated and strapped in dissipated my fear, or if I was just so awestruck that being scared had no emotional space, but I didn’t react as I expected to. I have to say, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

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Aerial view of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park, Utah. From the ground, this place is hard to believe. From the air, it’s almost unfathomable.

The pilot, Nate, of Zion Helicopters, was extremely knowledgeable and did a great job of taking us to places where the best photos could be had. He also monitored the wind speed while in the air in order to take us lower when it was safe.

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Smithsonian Butte is a 6632 ft. mountain situated just south of Zion National Park and just west of the Canaan Mountain Wilderness in southern Utah. In this aerial photograph, you see the top of Smithsonian Butte in the foreground and the cliffs of Zion Canyon in the background.

It was one of those things that you don’t even realize is on your bucket list until after you have done it. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want to do it again!

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The Canaan Mountain Wilderness is a remote wilderness area to the south of Zion National Park. The wilderness area consists of over 44,000 acres, dominated by Canaan Mountain. Pictured here is a portion of the mountain’s 2000 ft. Navajo sandstone cliffs. If you look closely at the highest point of the cliffs, you will see an American Flag planted by some hearty local explorers.

My advice to you is, if you ever get the chance to go on a helicopter tour–do it! Even if you are not a photographer, it’s an experience you will never forget.

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The mouth of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park from the air. Mount Kinesava and the West Temple dominate the left of the image while the town of Springdale, Utah can be seen in the middle right of the scene below the East Temple.

Egrets…I Have a Few

by Loree | Mar 12, 2015 | Birds, Quirky Stuff, The Vagabond Lifestyle, Wildlife

Well, it’s been almost half a year since I left a somewhat stable and predictable existence behind to embark on a mobile lifestyle. I thought I would share some things I’ve observed along the way that were unexpected.

Hidden

1.) Being completely off the information grid

For the first few months, in places that were without WiFi, I usually had a decent enough cell phone signal to use the internet. In places without cell service, I usually had WiFi. Some places even had cable TV included in the space rent, which is always a nice bonus. Then I encountered a few places that had none of the above. No WiFi, no cell signal, no TV (cable or otherwise). I have to say, it caught me by surprise to be totally out of contact with the outside world and I didn’t like it very much. Since I have a car in addition to my motor home, I could drive a few miles and get a cell signal in order to make a phone call, but that’s really not ideal. From now on, connectivity is pretty high on my list of criteria when looking for a place to stay for a week or more.

Small section of a large rookery where great blue herons (Ardea Herodias), great egrets (Ardea alba) and double crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) all nest together in large numbers.

High-Density Housing

2.) The diversity of circumstances and reasons why people live in RV’s

Most of the places I’ve stayed for any length of time have permanent residents. I actually seek out places like this because they don’t mind letting me stay for two weeks or a month, and also because they generally have more reasonable rates than the more “resort” type places. Probably a bit of naivete on my part, but I really didn’t expect to come across so many people who are living in RV’s because they don’t have any other alternative. I’ve also met men who live in an RV park hundreds of miles from their wife and children because it is where they could find work. Some of these guys drive many hours every weekend just to go home to their family. I’ve met people like me, who have retired, downsized and decided to travel, and as the weather gets better, of course there are families and groups of people who are simply on vacation. Not everyone in every RV park is there because they want to be, but I suppose that’s also true in cities and towns and just about anywhere you happen to go.

Great egret (Ardea alba) in breeding plumage in flight against a clear blue sky.

Angelic

3.) Finding so much to enjoy in the “boring” places

When I set out on this journey, I had (and still have) a list of places I want to visit. It’s a very far-flung list that stretches from Alaska to Mexico, and California to Maine. I don’t know if I will ever check off every place on my list, but I knew that getting from one place on the list to the next would require some stops in places that were not on the list. I figured that was just part of the journey I would have to endure in order to get where I wanted to go. Now that my travel “rhythm” has sort of developed, and I’ve discovered that long haul drives are not my style, I’ve been staying longer than I thought I would in places that I didn’t think I would. As it turns out, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying nearly every place I’ve hung my hat. It seems every stop has surprised me with its uniqueness and charm. I now look forward to each and every pin on the map, knowing there is an adventure to be had there and I truly understand “it’s not the destination, but the journey” more than ever before.

Great egret (Ardea alba) shaking out it's feathers.

Shake It Baby

4.) Undrinkable water

One of the things I thought I planned for was bad water. I invested in one of those big Brita water dispensers and knew I would be buying filters every month or so. Then I encountered a couple of places where the water was so bad that not even running it through the filter could make it drinkable. So, as much as I detest the idea of bottled water, I’ve had to suck it up and buy water in a few places. You know the water is bad when even the dog won’t drink it. She drinks from mud puddles! Probably a consequence of the severe drought conditions in the west, which I don’t expect will ease up any time soon, I have now accepted the fact that sometimes I will just have to buy drinking water.

Great egret (Ardea alba) at the top of the tree posing in the shape of the waxing gibbous moon.

Egret Mimicking the Moon

5.) Egrets!

By now you’re probably beginning to wonder why I used a silly pun borrowed from a Facebook meme as the title of this post. I didn’t expect to see so many egrets! The first one I spotted was back in the Columbia Gorge in Washington in October. Since then, I have been down the central Oregon coast to the northern California coast, over to the Sacramento Valley, and now into the San Joaquin Valley, and I’m still seeing them wherever I go! I don’t know what the Chinese calendar says, but for me, so far it’s the Year of the Egret!

Sacred Places and Arrogant People

by Loree | Oct 25, 2014 | Blog

(6/14/2016) UPDATE: “Casey Nocket, 23, of San Diego was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Oberto in Fresno to 200 hours community service and two years probation. Oberto banned Nocket while she’s on probation from visiting lands managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”

You can read the whole story here.

Having been fortunate enough to visit several national parks and monuments, as well as many state parks over the past few weeks, you must have known I would have an opinion about the young woman from upstate New York who recently went on a vandalism spree in national parks of the west. If you haven’t seen the story, this is the most recent update (From Modern Hiker). What troubles me most, is that she’s not the only person who feels entitled to deface nature. I’ve noticed more and more graffiti/vandalism in natural places in the last several years. The thing that makes this story so reprehensible, is the level of arrogance expressed by this woman who proudly posts her vandalism on Instagram and calls it art. I will not be mentioning her name in this article, nor will I be posting any photos of her vandalism, because my feeling is that she’s received quite enough attention already and I will not be adding to her ill-gotten fame. Instead, I will add some of my recent photos of places that haven’t (yet) been marred by graffiti.

The Reward

There are good reasons why what she has done is against the law, and I sincerely hope that those charged with enforcing the law will see to it that her selfish behavior carries an appropriate penalty. There seems to be an attitude, among some, that everything that exists is there for the taking. That if you pay an entrance fee, or even just make the effort to go somewhere, you can do whatever you want. Never mind the next person who will visit after you, just go on ahead and paint your mark on it. And it’s that attitude that is slowly destroying whatever is left on this planet that could be considered “natural.” The thing is, these parks belong to us all, not any one of us individually. Millions of people visit these places every year. If everyone had the attitude of this woman, there wouldn’t be a single bit of them without a mark on it.

Perfect Autumn Waterfall

I’ve read opinions of people who say “what’s the big deal?” “so she painted some rocks, so what?” The thing these people don’t understand is the spiritual connection with the natural world. It’s the incredible humility that comes from putting yourself in a position to realize just how insignificant you are in the vast universe. It’s impossible to explain and at the same time, I don’t need to explain it because if you’ve felt it, you know exactly what I’m talking about. For me, and many people I know, nature is our temple, our place of worship. I doubt this woman would walk into a cathedral and paint her graffiti on it, yet that’s exactly what she’s done in my eyes. I realize that I’m not going to change the opinion of anyone who thinks this kind of behavior is okay, but I feel compelled to express how offensive this is to me, and how important it is to actively discourage it with the imposition of negative consequences. Hasn’t the human race already marred the natural world enough? Shouldn’t places that have been set aside to remain as natural as possible be protected from those who would scrawl all over them?

The Chute

I believe that nature’s beauty can absolutely inspire creativity. If the desire to make art comes to you as a result of visiting a natural wonder, that’s not a bad thing. But please make your art in a way that doesn’t tarnish the place that inspired it. Even if you don’t feel the reverence that I do for places like these, at least have some respect. “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” It really is that simple.

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Good Morning Crater Lake

(Note: according to the story and investigation, Crater Lake National Park is one of the places that was vandalized)

Oregon Rocks!

by Loree | Oct 3, 2014 | Blog, Deserts, National Parks, Oregon, The Vagabond Lifestyle, Wildlife

No, really, I mean literally–Oregon rocks.

While week one was spent in mostly familiar places, week two has been all about the unfamiliar and unknown. Well, unknown to me anyway. Most of this week was spent exploring John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Eastern Oregon. I had seen photos of this place, but never visited. And, I see why few people ever do visit. Besides the remote location, there is no easy way to get there as far as I can tell. All the roads seemed to be narrow and twisty with an average traveling speed of about 40-45 miles per hour. And once you finally get there, the choices for accommodations are pretty slim. I think I saw maybe three motels in a stretch of about 40 miles and two RV parks. There are also a handful of primitive campgrounds. I guess I got lucky because the campground I stayed at was beautiful, clean, well-maintained and affordable. They only have six spaces, but that didn’t seem to be much of a problem. The Fish House Inn and RV Park is highly recommended, should you ever need a place to stay in Dayville, Oregon.

Sheep Rock

The National Monument is actually three different areas, or units, as the Park Service calls them. Closest to Dayville is the Sheep Rock Unit, named for the prominent landmark of the same name. The historic Cant Ranch serves as a museum and visitor center in this unit. Also in this unit, you will find the Blue Basin. Yes, it really is blue. Although a little more toward the green end of the spectrum the day I visited. I suppose it depends on the light.

Blue Basin

Cathedral Rock is just a little farther up the road, and even more spectacular than Sheep Rock in my opinion. But, hey, I didn’t name the unit.

Cathedral Rock

Probably the most well-known and most photographed unit of this National Monument is the Painted Hills Unit, which is about fifty miles from Dayville. That doesn’t sound very far, but take my word for it, it is. See above note about narrow, windy roads. I went there in the late afternoon, hoping for a great sunset. The sunset was lackluster, but the constantly changing cloud cover provided some really nice light that was different from one minute to the next. The Painted Hills are spectacular. When the light is soft, they look like velvet.

Sweeping View of the Painted Hills

Painted Hills

On the drive back, in the dark, an owl nearly flew into the windshield of my car. So, I guess I do have some kind of connection with them. Maybe someday I will find myself in a situation where I can actually photograph one.

And since I’m now at the Columbia River, I hope to get an opportunity to do some more wildlife photography.

Great Blue Heron

I’ve heard these guys like to hang out near the Columbia, and bald eagles, too. I spotted a bald eagle near the Deschutes River in central Oregon, but it was too far away to get a shot. I’ve also seen a couple of amazing sunsets since I’ve been in Washington, so I hope to find a scenic spot to capture one while I’m here.

The RV has been reorganized at least three times since the journey started, and it’s not done yet. I’m starting to think it’s just going to be an ongoing process. More on that in a future post. So, I will be here in southeastern Washington for several more days, then plan to move farther west along the Columbia. Keep your fingers crossed for a colorful autumn in the gorge!