National (Park) Treasures

Boston National Historic Park: The Freedom Trail

Above: Late winter leaves shroud tombs
at Boston's Old Granary Burying Ground
Below: A winged skull and hourglass adorn the tomb
of K.C. Payne, 1701, King's Chapel churchyard

Above: The State Capitol building
rises above Boston Common
Below: "Old Ironsides" out for her Independence Day sail

Winter Spectacles: Arches National Park, Utah

Above: Double Arch in December

Below: Turret Arch from northwest angle

Above: Spectacles at Sunrise

These photos of Arches National Park
were an unexpected Christmas gift.
I was traveling south through Utah on my way
to visit family for the holiday,
and as I drove through Moab I saw snow on the ground.
I was not as far along as I wanted to be,
but I stopped for the night.
Snow in Moab is unusual,
and I knew it was the Perfect Opportunity for a photo,
and I knew just where I wanted to be, come sunrise:
out waiting for the sun to hit the Spectacles Arches at Arches NP.
So I got up early, gratefully ate a hot breakfast at the hotel,
and then drove to the trailhead,
and trudged out, all bundled up to avoid the freezing winds.
It was a cold wait,
but oh, how worth it, when the sun rose.
The dusting of snow just adds to the beauty
of the sun-limned red rock.

Death Valley Winter Morning

Above: December sunrise in Death Valley, clouds moving over the valley floor
Below: first light moving over the hills at Zabriskie Point, toward the Sierra Mts

Full- on sunlight on these dunes is dazzling.
Death Valley is barren, desolate, and wholly beautiful.

Remote Corners of Texas: Alibates Flint Quarry

The flint quarry at Alibates is very old,
and was mined for high quality trading flint for hundreds of years.
You can see it only on a tour with a National Park employee
(the tours are free).
It's remote,
but a journey in spring means blooming yuccas
across the craggy landscape.