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Things started to get cool as soon as we got on SR-9 on the east side of Zion.![IMG 3005](_data/i/galleries/menalto_albums/travel/20030630/20030703/IMG_3005-me.jpg "IMG 3005 (1598 visits) The "Great Arch of Zion." It's probably about 500 feet tall and 1500 across. Really amazin...")
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The "Great Arch of Zion." It's probably about 500 feet tall and 1500 across. Really amazing. This is the first thing you see after leaving a tunnel that takes you into the canyon proper, on the west side. I'd have to say that hands-down, Zion was the most amazing place we saw during the trip.
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Pictures just can't do this place justice. Think thousands and thousands of feet. Hugeness.
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Time for some hiking!
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On the bank of a stream, in the shadow of more huge, shear cliffs. Note the size of the trees on top to get an idea of the height.
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The adventurer finally finds a hat.
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On a hike to the Emerald Pools.
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Within 15 minutes of arriving in Vegas, we are disgusted and return to the interstate to put the horrid city behind us.
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LA at last! Isn't it to soon to be in the last city?
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A year later, the two travelers see the other ocean together. We've now traveled the entire length of Our Great Nation together :)
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Again, I defer.
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Ahem.
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Really. I got a picture of the red cliffs. No, I did. It's fine.
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A visit to the La Brea tar pits and attendant naturaly history museum. We also stopped by LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art).
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Leslie stands under a wonderful bone arch. It may seem like a waste of fossil-type bones, but apparently they found many millions of bones, more than they need, so they just had someone spend some quailty time with the extras and some expoxy.
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The tar pits themselves. Stinky yet not at all scenic.
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This was the Japanese art building. Inside and out the place was beautiful, but inside no pictures were allowed.
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There, in the distance, is the lovable pile of granite we like to call Hueco Tanks.
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Bryan carefully considers his oldest, greatest foe: Mushroom Roof. Five visits to Hueco Tanks, and he has never been able to top it out from the starting hold. From the start, he has made it to the lip, and from the second hold, he has topped it out, but never linked it in its entirety.
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Now, moving to Seattle, he knows he might not get the chance to challenge it again for a long while. So, despite the fact that he hasn't climbed much for two months, he carefully reviews the beta (specify hand/foot locations used) through the years. Here, he places his hands as they would be right after the crux. The large slab of flake at the bottom is the start, followed by the two chips above it and to the left. Next the left hand is thrown to where you see it here, and the right raised to prepare for the second throw.
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Here is the moment just after the second throw, right hand on a decent flake while the left is in a nice slot. All I had to do was pull the lip, but I fell. Oh well, it's nice to have something to come back for.
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Another attempt, just after the crux, moving into position for the second throw. Above the left hand you can see the slot used to anchor the body while the right reaches for the flake.
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Here, I attempt the throw from a lower hand. The flake is just out of frame at the top right.
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The theme for the day: falling at the lip throw. Here in the upper right you can clearly see my goal. It's tricky to hit it just at deadpoint and control it. Next time I will come better prepared, and Mushroom roof will fall.
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My civic becomes a surrogate tent.
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Here we are at Saguaro NP. In the distance you can see stick-like things that are the actual big-ass cactus from which the park gets its name.
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yet another shot of the side of bryan's head, which seem to show up in a lot of the album. here, though, the background contains saguaro cacti.
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Now, some actual cactus pictures. Boring, but compulsory.
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