Tag: road trips

California Trip, 2014: Redwoods in Yosemite

Michael Rappa

On my way out of Yosemite National Park I stopped for a hike through the Mariposa grove of giant sequoias (aka redwoods). They don’t grow as tall as the coastal redwoods, but they grow wider–some are so massive that their branches actually look like trees themselves. It’s impossible for any photo to do these behemoths justice, but the people in some of the shots below, and the fact that many of the large surrounding trees look like sticks next to the redwoods, help to provide a sense of scale.

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Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
I thought this was a redwood pine cone because of how enormous it is, but redwoods apparently have small cones, so I’m not sure what type of tree this belongs to.
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014
Yosemite National Park – October, 2014

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Panoramas

Michael Rappa

This is a collection of panoramas from my visit to Glacier National Park. For the most part I didn’t take any deliberate panorama shots on this trip–these were all stitched together from separate photos that I later realized would make good panoramas. The exceptions are the two night shots, which were sort of deliberate in that I aimed the camera in the dark at different angles for long exposures and hoped for the best (the Lake McDonald one, in particular, turned out pretty well).

The first four photos below feature views from the hotels where I stayed in Apgar Village and Many Glacier; the next three were taken during my hikes of the Highline and Grinnell Glacier trails, and the final photo is a view that should be familiar to fans of The Shining or Big Sky.

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Lake McDonald
Many Glacier: Swiftcurrent Lake
Many Glacier: Swiftcurrent Lake
Many Glacier: Swiftcurrent Lake
Highline Trail
Red pool near Grinnell Glacier.
Grinnell Glacier Trail
St. Mary Lake: Wild Goose Island

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon – Thor’s Hammer and Rim Trail

Michael Rappa

This final batch of photos from my visit to Bryce Canyon National Park consists of shots from the other leg of the Navajo Loop Trail, where I partially descended for a view of the famous Thor’s Hammer rock formation before climbing back up and starting my full descent into the canyon down the Wall Street leg. Additionally, there are photos from my walk along the Rim Trail between Sunrise and Sunset points.

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Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Thor’s Hammer on the Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Navajo Loop
Rim Trail
Rim Trail
Rim Trail
Rim Trail

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Canada Trip, 2016: Hopewell Rocks

Michael RappaLeave a comment

These photos are from my visits to the Hopewell Rocks at both low and high tides. Walking among the rocks at low tide, you can tell by the shapes of the rocks how much the water rises at high tide. When I visited the next day at high tide, there were people kayaking around the same rocks that I had walked underneath on the previous day.

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Twin Falls Trail

Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike of the Twin Falls Trail in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park. I had booked a boat (which I nearly missed after hitting road construction on the way to Two Medicine) to the far end of Two Medicine Lake, where I embarked on a guided hike to Twin Falls. I normally prefer to hike on my own, but being by myself in grizzly country, I thought it best to stick with a crowd, and considering the trees along the trail that were marked with giant grizzly claw scratches, I think it was the right call.

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Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail
Twin Falls Trail

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon – Queen’s Garden Trail

Michael Rappa

These photos are from my ascent up the Queen’s Garden leg of my 3-mile hike down into and back out of the canyon. As I’ve mentioned before, a stroll through Bryce Canyon National Park is like a visit to another world, and there are definitely some otherworldly looking photos in this batch.

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Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail – The Clenched Fist of Truth
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail
Queen’s Garden Trail

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Running Eagle Falls Trail

Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike to Running Eagle Falls in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park–actually, more of a stroll as it’s a short, easy trail to get to the falls.

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Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail
Running Eagles Falls Trail

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Point and Paria View

Michael Rappa

These photos are from two scenic lookouts, taken shortly after a massive rainstorm finally subsided. I had thought the entire day was going to be a washout and considered giving up, but I stuck it out and was rewarded with some beautiful scenery. The first few pics, shot at Paria View, feature multiple rainbows shooting down from the clouds, though one rainbow is most prominent.

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Multiple Rainbows at Paria View
Paria View
Paria View
Paria View
Paria View
Paria View
Paria View
Bryce Point
Bryce Point
Bryce Point
Bryce Point
Bryce Point
Bryce Point

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Virginia Cascades and Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone

Michael Rappa

These photos are from two drives I took off the beaten path in Yellowstone National Park, both narrow, one-way roads along the sides of canyons. The first was the Virginia Cascades Drive, which does not appear to get much traffic, but still enough cars to make it difficult to pull over for good views of the falls, so the highlight of this drive ended up being my stop at the pretty, quiet meadow above the falls. The second drive was Firehole Canyon, which is a bit more popular but still relatively quiet compared to the main attractions of the park, with more places to pull over for beautiful views of the canyon rapids and falls. There is also a swimming area here, though I did not partake.

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Virginia Cascades Falls
Firehole Falls
Firehole Falls
Firehole Falls
Firehole Falls

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