road trips – Page 5 – Michael Rappa

Glacier National Park, 2019: Sun Point and Nature Trail

February 15, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike along the Sun Point Nature Trail in Glacier National Park, as well as from Sun Point itself, overlooking Saint Mary Lake, where, for the third year in a row, I encountered engagements and/or wedding photo shoots at a national park, one of which is featured in this collection.

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Sun Point

Sun Point: I stumbled onto a wedding photo shoot.

Sun Point

Sun Point Nature Trail

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Virginia Trip, 2018: Luray Caverns

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos are from Luray Caverns in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The stalagmites and stalactites of the caverns create remarkable landscapes that look like scenes from an Alien film. Another attraction to look out for is the Great Stalacpipe Organ, which uses the stalactites of the cavern as pipes. When played it sounds similar to a xylophone.

I only wish I’d had my new wide-angle fast lens with me at the time (these were shot with a 50mm prime lens, which was great for the low-light conditions but limited in how much of the landscape it could capture in one photo).

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Luray Caverns

Luray Caverns: Great Stalacpipe Organ

Luray Caverns

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Bryce Canyon Floor

February 9, 2020October 4, 2020 Michael Rappa

After spending a couple of days in Angel Canyon at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the next leg of my southern Utah tour sent me north to stunning Bryce Canyon National Park. These are the photos I shot upon reaching the floor of Bryce Canyon after descending the Wall Street arm of the Navajo Loop and before ascending back up to the rim via the Queen’s Garden trail. The entire loop is nearly three miles, with the floor portion of the trail taking you through a pine forest. It rained a bit when I reached the bottom with some thunder in the distance, but most of the hike was pleasantly sunny and took about three hours, counting photo/lunch stops.

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Canyon floor along the Navajo/Queen’s Garden loop.

Faces in the rocks.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Around Yellowstone

February 5, 2020 Michael Rappa

This is a collection of miscellaneous photos from my visit to Yellowstone that didn’t fit into the themes of any of my previous posts, including various wildlife encounters, landmarks, scenic pullouts, and some buildings. The shots featured here run the gamut from the Montana to the Wyoming ends of the park.

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The famous Roosevelt Arch at the North Entrance.

Roadside bison encounter.

Just outside Lamar Valley.

Cars look like ants next to this rock.

Tatonka.

Squirrel!

Large bird in tree near Norris Geyser Basin.

Lake Yellowstone Hotel

My home for the final three nights in Yellowstone.

One photo to commemorate the half-dozen times I crossed the Continental Divide at various locations on this trip.

Old Faithful Inn

Kepler Cascades

This beautiful specimen was standing right in front of the lobby door of my hotel and then dashed off as soon as I opened the door. I should have taken a picture of him through the door when he was still just a couple of feet from me.

One good thing about it raining upon my arrival: I was able to get iconic shots at the entrance without other people around. One bad thing about the rain: I was only able to take one quick shot of the entrance sign that didn’t come out very sharp.

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Canada Trip, 2016: Cape Breton Cabin and Beach

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020 Michael Rappa1 Comment

During the Nova Scotia leg of our Canada road trip, we spent three nights at a cute little cabin in northern Cape Breton. The cabin was owned by people from Holland, and at their Dancing Moose Cafe they make this delicious Dutch dish called pannekoeken, which is basically like a thin pancake or crepe made however you want it. The first two mornings I got mine with bacon (in my pre-vegetarian days) and onions baked in, and a fried egg on top. The third morning I got one with apple and cinnamon. If you find yourself in northern Cape Breton, look up the Dancing Moose Cafe–you won’t regret it.

The cabin is a nice place to stay as well, right on the beach, where we saw dozens of seals floating off the shore, one of which is featured in the photos below.

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View from our cabin property.

The beach in front of our cabin: long exposure shot.

The beach in front of our cabin.

Seal viewed from the beach in front of our cabin.

The beach in front of our cabin.

Rainbow in the clouds viewed from the beach in front of our cabin.

The beach in front of our cabin.

Looking toward the Dancing Moose cafe (where our landlord made delicious breakfast).

Chickens owned by our landlord–fresh eggs for breakfast!

Our cabin.

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Upstate New York Trip, 2015: Letchworth Middle/Upper Falls Hike

January 21, 2020 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my hike along the Middle and Upper Falls of Letchworth State Park in Upstate New York. As I’ve mentioned before, Letchworth is one of my favorite parks, rivaling some of the national parks in splendor.

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Glacier National Park, 2019: Avalanche Lake Trail

January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 Michael Rappa

Greetings, readers, it’s been a while, but this post is hopefully the start of my renewed dedication to this blog.

Back in September I took another trip out west, this time to Glacier National Park and then Seattle. The photos below are from my final hike on my last day in Glacier. I had almost quit the Avalanche Lake Trail before the end because it was late in the day, the woods were getting dark, and I was hiking through grizzly country with very few other hikers on the trail, but I’m glad I stuck it out because the reward at the end was more than worth it: a pristine hidden lake casting a perfect mirror image of the earth and sky above, including a pair of waterfalls in the distance.

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Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake Trail

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake Trail

Avalanche Lake

Avalanche Lake Trail

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: The Movie

May 3, 2019 Michael Rappa

This compilation of the videos I shot on my trip last summer features footage of Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion national parks, as well as Cedar Breaks National Monument and driving footage through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, including Route 66.

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

March 5, 2019 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my downtime at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, where I volunteered in Dogtown (you can also volunteer with cats, horses, pigs, bunnies, etc.). It was a rewarding experience; I would love to return one day.

When I wasn’t volunteering, I explored the Angel Canyon area, where Best Friends is located. Unfortunately it was a mostly rainy couple of days and I wasn’t able to explore the majority of the canyon as the roads were closed for flooding, but I still managed to get a few decent shots.

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The Best Friends welcome center (right).

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Virginia Trip, 2018: The Farmhouse

February 27, 2019 Michael Rappa

This past October we took a road trip down to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to try and catch the fall foliage. Unfortunately, extended warm weather and a very heavy season of rain meant that everything was still green when we got down there (not that there’s anything wrong with green, just not what we were hoping for). Despite that, it was still a nice getaway.

These photos are from the charming farmhouse we rented in the town of Luray in the Shenandoah Valley. The grounds and interior were beautiful; I could totally get used to living like that, though the location was a little too remote for my wife’s taste. I, on the other hand, loved the privacy, and we both dug the feeling of staying in a historic place while still enjoying modern amenities. I would definitely recommend the farmhouse if you’re planning a trip to the area. Just do a google search for “luray modern farmhouse.”

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