Most Expensive Gasoline in 2011

I visited many different gas stations in the western half of the United States this year. This station located near Mono Lake, California was the most expensive, at more than 5 dollars per gallon.

December 26, 2011 at 1:32 pm | California

The Navajo Bridge

The bridge on the left-side of this photograph is the Navajo Bridge. The bridge connects the two sides of the Colorado River at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 1981. The bridge was built in 1928 and it was never intended to carry the weight of today’s vehicles, so a second bridge was built beside it which is wider and stronger. The center pin that connects the two halves of the new bridge, on the right, was set on October 14, 1994. The Navajo Bridge is now closed to vehicles, it’s used by tourists who can walk across it.

December 19, 2011 at 10:02 pm | Arizona

Wild Turkeys at Wind Cave National Park

While I was driving through the Elk Mountain Campground at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, I saw these wild turkeys running though the grass. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots before they disappeared. The wild turkey is not native to the area, they were introduced many years ago—hunting brought the population down to the point where they became threatened nationwide. I’m planning to visit Wind Cave National Park again next year when the weather warms-up.

December 11, 2011 at 10:49 pm | South Dakota

The Arches Sign

I take a lot of photographs of park signs. Come to think of it, I take a lot of photographs in general. Check-out the Arches National Park sign above. I don’t understand what the architects were thinking about when they thought of this sign, maybe they had a limited budget to work with? The sign is about two or three feet tall. Anyone who spends any time at National Parks knows that just about every tourist wants their photo taken next to the park sign–probably to show that they’ve been there. Bryce Canyon has a great sign. It’s large, there’s a seat made of stones in front of it for you to sit on while your photo is taken, and there’s even a place to set your camera in front of the sign, while it’s on a timer, so you and your other can both get in the shot when there’s nobody else around to take one for you. Look at the Arches sign–it’s too short. I suppose you could sit on the sign… maybe that’s what the architect wants?

December 4, 2011 at 11:52 pm | Utah

Arches National Park

Arches National Park is a really amazing place. I enjoyed my recent visit to the park, but I thought it was too crowded with tourists and tour buses–all the traffic was a bummer. I arrived early in the morning and there weren’t many people around, but by the afternoon the road and trails were packed with visitors. Check-out this double-arch, it’s one of the popular tourist destinations.

December 2, 2011 at 11:30 pm | Utah