Washington D.C.

There is so much to see in DC! You could spend an entire week 12 hours a day pretty easy and still not see it all. Here are some photos from various places.


Flags and Capitol


Marine One did a fly by headed to the white house to pick up someone!


Lunar Module in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum


Lincoln Memorial and WWII Memorial from a top the Washington Monument




The Lincoln Memorial is HUGE!

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is a very reverent place. It truly is hallowed ground. It is the largest of the National Cemeteries and contains American casualties from every single war since the revolution. It was beautiful to see in late fall as the leaves were still brilliant in color. Being there really brings to home how many poeple have died in the American effort and this cemetery only contains a portion of them. A must see if you are ever in the DC area. More information on Arlington National Cemetery can be found here.









The Changing of the Guard

Among the things to see in the cemetery is the Changing of the Guard. The tomb of the unknown soldiers is guarded by the U.S. Army continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has been since July 1, 1937. The tomb holds the remains of unknown soldiers who died on the battle field but were never identified. This is a very reverent place, complete silence is demanded and you will get yelled at by the Guard on post and asked to leave if you are not quiet...screaming kids included! Click here for more information on the Tomb of the Uknowns. Photography is permitted and here are the photos.


VP Dick Cheney dropped off the wreath in this photo in honor of Veteran's Day and gave a little speech. I was there about 5 hours after that.


It is one of the highest honors in the US Army to be selected as a Sentinel to guard the tomb. It takes the guard hours to prepare his uniform. The Honor Guard is the least rewarded badge after the Astronaut Badge in the US Army. Click here for more information on how they are selected and what their tour of duty is like when they are stationed at the tomb. -- I like the way the sunlight reflects off his bayonet in this photo...completely coincidental! I got lucky!

Wahington Monument

The Washington Monument is the tallest structure in the district at 555 feet tall. An elevator takes you up to 500 feet. If you visit DC in the summer months you need to plan months ahead to reserve tickets to go up to the top. In mid-November I walked right up to the ticket booth and had a ticket for the next ascent.


Notice the flags at half mass. This was Veteran's Day.




View east from the Lincoln Memorial.




View from Arlington Memorial Bridge across the Potomac.

The White House

I walked around the entire White House grounds. I was the only one out that morning at about 7 am. It was cold but, a great time to visit as no one was there. The whole day was great I was able to see everything I had time for. I logged about 20 miles walking in about 8 hours, so, I was moving.


Front Lawn of the White House




Back of the White House.


From a top of the Washington Monument


Welcome Obama!

San Miguel Church

This is the oldest church in the United States. It is located in Old Town Santa Fe, NM. I was recently in Santa Fe working on a project and snapped this photo. It turned out pretty good, nice clouds. The old adobe structure is pretty cool although it has certainly been restored. Santa Fe is definitely worth the visit if your in the area. I'll be posting more of the area shortly.

thirsty

This is the lake bed out in Skull Valley. The material is a salty, silty, sandy mixture of soils. In the heat of the summer it contracts and makes a very cool and interesting pattern and cracks. Its abstract and always fun to photograph.

Sunrise at Balanced Rock

I got up early at the family arches trip of 2005. Everything came together perfectly for a great shot of Balanced Rock. I also like that Turret Arch can be seen at the bottom left as well as some hoo-doos from the windows section. Getting up early always pays off!

Mt. Nebo Scenic Loop

These two photos were taken last year on the Mt. Nebo Scenic Loop. It was raining when i took the picture, so there wasn't any direct sunlight. I loke the saturated look of the colors. I especially like the white tree trunks on the Quaking Aspens. They stand out and help contrast the colors in the photo. This was a fun drive. We stopped and had a picnic. The Fall Scenic drive is a fun tradition that Teri and I have..

Big Cottonwood

James Harman stands overlooking the Wasatch. This was a fun hike up Big Cottonwood canyon. The trail is called Mill B North Fork. James and I were taking a break and I saw the cliff his is standing on. I told him to pose for the photo and it ended up being a great silhouette shot of him. I think it would be a good poster for Man vs Wild.

Zion Tree and Cable Mountain

Zion National Park is one of the wonders of the world. This is taken from the trail to Observation Point. This gigantic Ponderosa Pine shot out of the side of the mountain with Cable Mountain painted in the background. The canyon was fantastic that night.

Norris Geyser Basin

There isn't a more therapeutic place for me than Yellowstone National Park. I could go there every year on a road trip and be perfectly content. Teri and I took a little trip in the Fall of 2006. Perfect time to go. The shadows, geysers, and the storm moving in from the left makes this photo a favorite. There is something eery about how the geysers add to the feature of the Yellowstone landscape. It never gets boring.

Devil's Garden

I love this photo. One of my all time favorites. This is taken from the group campsite down in Arches National Park. Its about as perfect as a picture as you get. In particular, the clouds, the La Sals, the fins and the shadows. This was Just a great day to be at the arches.

Rocket Valley

Rocket Valley, Utah, AKA, Skul Valley. This was taken one evening after flying model rockets out in Skull Valley. Its a dried up lake bed looking west at the Cedar Mountain Range. It was awesome, there were clouds everywhere and just as the sun was setting it peaked out and put on a show for us all to enjoy. I love being out there flying rockets.

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch - this photo was pure luck. Everything came together perfectly. It had been raining the entire hike. About 10 minutes after we arrived at the lookout, the sun peeped through the clouds in the western horizon and painted the arch perfectly for about 1 minute. It caused the saturated air to turn to a vibrant blue, almost purple, the La Sals looked perfect in the background, the few remaining clouds and the dark evening shadows add just enough to compliment the arch and keep you interested. Great moment!!