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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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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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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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These photos are from our stroll along the Thames back in February of 2016 (we were in London for my sister-in-law’s wedding). It was a cold, but nice night–I was happy to finally have my wife with me on a trip abroad. Sadly, it would turn out to be our last bit of fun before I became deathly ill for the rest of the trip, followed by my wife a couple of days later. We had been planning to take a train to Bath the following day but instead I spent it in the hotel room, with my poor wife wandering the city looking for medicine. Then at the end of the trip, she had it worse than me to the point where we had to stay an extra night just so she would be well enough to fly home. Good times. Anyway, I got some cool photos out of the experience…
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After canceling our trip to Cape May last June because of the pandemic, we decided to rent a house in Cape May Point for a week in late September. Cape May Point is a quiet, less-populated area away from the usual tourist spots, so we thought it would be a good location to have a socially distanced vacation.
Here are a few photos from that trip. I got some nice shots of Monarch butterflies hanging out in the tree outside our house. Cape May is a popular stop for the Monarchs along their southern migration, and there were tons of them flying around during the week we were there.
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The photos below are from my hike through Watkins Glen State Park, a hidden gem located right on the main street running through the town of Watkins Glen. It’s hard to imagine that such a serene and gorgeous oasis of nature could be located so close to a bustling town (it was really bustling when I was there thanks to a car parade), but this park is such a place. It does not take long as you venture into the park for civilization to completely fall away to the point where you feel like you’re hiking through sublime wilderness.
The park has frequently been likened to Rivendell (of Lord of the Rings fame)—and with its myriad waterfalls, cascades, and stone bridges, it’s easy to see why. It is well worth the visit, and if you pair it with a visit to Letchworth (as we did), you will see two of the most beautiful state parks this country has to offer.
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My drive back to San Francisco from Yosemite was quite an adventure. I took a scenic drive along Route 49, also known as the Gold Rush Trail, which winds up and down mountains, featuring beautiful scenery and numerous hairpin turns without any railings. The more treacherous turns are not pictured here because I was too busy trying to stay on the road to think about stopping to photograph them. 🙂
Most of the time I had the entire road to myself. When I stepped outside to take photos it was so quiet that I could hear a pin drop. Overall, it was definitely a detour worth taking. The road continues north well past where I exited; it would be cool to do the whole thing someday.
Click on any photo to open a gallery. The first photo is from the road out of Yosemite, the rest are from Route 49.
These photos are from my walks around uptown Seattle, mostly in the area of the Seattle Center, which was near my hotel.
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These photos were shot around Two Medicine Lake, located in the Two Medicine region of Glacier National Park, a lesser-seen area of the park that takes a bit of driving to get to, but is worth the trip if you have the time.
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These photos are from my descent down the Wall Street portion of the Navajo Loop trail. The Wall Street name apparently comes from the high walls and narrow passageways (known as a slot canyon) characteristic of this part of the trail. A lot of these shots have that “alien planet” feel. Some of the more interesting pics depict tall trees rising up through the canyon walls to find the sun.
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Michael Rappa 