Month: November 2015

UTAH: Day Two, 11/6/15 – Arches, Canyons and Dinasours

On By mvschulzeIn Adventure, Explore, Exploring, Geology, Hiking, National;Parks, Photo, Photography, Science, Travel, Uncategorized, Utah7 Comments

With my son Steve, daughter Holly, and seven year old grandson Tyler we spent the night in Moab, and were beginning our first full day. Now we were in the heart of the Colorado Plateau (Utah,) one of the most impressive scupltured and gorged terrains in the world.

This post contains 21 images.

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK – MORNING:

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NEXT: COLORADO RIVER SCENIC BYWAY, RT. 297 – MID DAY

The series below

These 500 foot (150m.) cliffs, right along the river, offer climbers world class rock faces.

A little further, my grandson leads the way to a fallen strata slab exposing nearly 200 million year old dinosaur tracks…AWESOME! Talk about being in his climbing glory!

Further above the tracks, Tyler “discovers” petroglyphs on the cliff faces, and uncle Steve confirms the sighting.

NOTE: PLEASE SCROLL DOWN AFTER THE BLANK AREAS ABOVE AND BELOW THE SECOND IMAGE BELOW> THE WORDPRESS EDITOR IS BEING PERSNICKETY, AND I WANT TO PUBLISH THIS BEFORE I DIE!

Along trhe Colorado River, Utah
Along the Colorado River, Potash Road, Rt. 297

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Utah
Rock Climbing

 

 

 

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NEXT: CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK – LATE AFTERNOON to SUNSET:

The Series Below

Incomparable switchbacks of the Shafer Trail dropping 1400 feet (426 m.) from the Caynyonlands “Island in the Sky” Mesa

The mesas to the south-east, and snow topped La Sal Mountains beyond

Holly and Tyler

the forth image below, there is a car visible just below and right of center, way down on the 100 mile long White Rim Trail, ringing the “Island” Mesa.

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NEXT:  BULLFROG MARINA, GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA:

Under a million stars, it took five hours on virtually isolated roads to to reach our stay for the night. It was around 11:00 PM in Bullfrog, an outpost at this time of the year where the sky is virtully void of “light pollution.” This slightly wide angle picture was taken at an exposure to approximate the actual experience. It shows the winter Milky Way. Also the Andromeda Galaxy (M 31,) is visible just right and below center, some two million LY distant.  Here, in this dark, moonless sky, naked eye oservers might be able to see another galaxy, elusive M33, which is also in this image, although very faint, just right of center, 1/10 up from bottom. A star cluster known as the “Double Cluster,” is to the left.

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The last two days of our four day adventuere will be posted around 12/6/15

As ususal, thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcomed.  M:-)

UTAH: Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mts – Day One

On By mvschulzeIn Adventure, Explore, Exploring, Fishing, Geology, Hiking, National;Parks, Photo, Photography, Planes, Pondering, Road trip, sunset, Travel, Trees, Vacation, Weather5 Comments

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My previous post was a prelude to this short series highlighting our recent four day adventure to Utah. Along with my son, daughter and seven year old grandson, we would experience a memorable, whirlwind adventure.

Please click on any of the images for a closer look.…

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My daughter, and grandson on the edge of the Great Salt Lake. She tasted and confirmed the water was indeed… SALTY. The 1700 sq. mile (4400 sq. km) lake is relatively shallow and fish-less. This lookout is from the marina just west of the city. (1:50 PM)
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Passing through Salt Lake City, the pretty Wasatch Mountains dominate the cloud laden South East. We were  heading to Park City. (2:15 PM)
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Park City is a major winter skiing resort and summertime hiking hub.  (3:10 PM)

 

 

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The entire network of ski trails are now accessible right from downtown. This being the “shoulder” season between summer and winter, it’s open for hikers. The first snow of the season is visible on the grass.    (3:17 PM)
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The Wastach Mountains, near Sundance, Utah (4:37 PM)
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A  short distance up a winding alpine road, (Rt. 92,) is the trail head for 11,752 ft. (3580 m.) Mt Timpanogos, a spectacular but difficult 14 mile (22 km) RT climb which I had partially explored and nearly froze on, some years earlier. (5:09 PM)
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The Little Provo River winds through Robert Redford’s charming and impressive lodge in Sundance. It was a little after local sunset. (5:28 PM)
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Warming by the open fire-pit, we would shortly relax with dinner in the lodge and continue another 2 1/2 hours to Moab for the night. 

 

Day two will follow shortly.

Thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂

Exploring Eastern Utah – “Adventures Club” (Prelude)

On By mvschulzeIn Adventure, Exploring, National;Parks, Travel5 Comments

Last week, in just four days between Thursday and Sunday,  our son, daughter, and her 7 year old son, and I, absorbed a bucketlist worth of memories in remarkably phenomenal Utah, USA.  

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Landscape Arch, in Arches National Park, is the second longest natural arch in the world, with a span of 290 ft. (88m.) (Image taken 11/6/15)
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Meandering through the twists and turns of isolated Moqui Canyon (Lake Powell) in a small rental boat was amazing at this time of year. (11/8/15)
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We beached the boat and explored for a while at the end of some of the bends, with  cliffs towering several hundred feet above. (11/8/15)

Arches and Canyonland  National Parks; Natural Bridges National Monument; Glen Canyon/Lake Powell National Recreation Areas; Great Salt Lake; Salt Lake City; Park City; Green River; Sundance; Moab; Bullfrog.

Milege Statistics:

Air, 4000; Car, 1100; Boat, 20; Hiking, 21

As soon an I get my breath, and organize the image bounty, I’ll be posting some additional highlights.

Click on the pictures for the benifit of higher resolution, and as usual, thanks for viewing. M 🙂

Glen Campbell, a Horn Antenna, a 100 ft. Balloon and The BIG Bang…All Here, All There

On By mvschulzeIn 1960's, Astronomy, Daytrip, Explore8 Comments

In Homdel, New  Jersey, less than a mile (~one km) from the often ear splitting outdoor concerts of the Garden State (PNC) Arts Center, sits this odd looking contraption designed and built by Bell Labs, the historic and  prestigious research arm of AT&T. Jeanne and I visited this recently.

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…Known as a “horn” antenna, here facing down for storage, this large (for its day) 15 meter (50 ft.) sheet metal radio telescope was specifically built to bounce and receive radio signals off early satellite experiments using  the 100 ft. diameter Echo I Satellite Balloon, launched August 12, 1960.

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(On March 14, 1963, I took this 25 minute guided photo showing the Echo I satellite, as a wavering-bright “star trail” due to it’s slight deflation, passing overhead from the then dark skies of Bayville New Jersey.)

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But what really ensured the telescope’s place in history was the work of Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who in 1964 could not explain a mysterious background “noise” being picked up by the ultra sensitive cryogenic microwave receiver.

They systematically tried to eliminate any terrrestrial sources. No difference was detected when pointed generally toward New York City for example. Bird droppings, thought to be creating some sort of electrostatic interference, were cleaned from the horn, to no avail. Perhaps if the Arts Center were already there, with its 10,000 patrons and concerts, it too would have been suspected. (Although Jeanne and I would see Glen Cambell perform there four years later, Engene Ormandy (music of “Star Wars”)  was also one of the early classical performers!)

…11.100 7-4-69 Holmdel, Garden State Arts Center, Glenn Cambell_edited-1

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But, after conferring with Robert Dicke, a particle physicist  at nearby Princeton University – and familiar with the theoretical, but never before detected “background radiation” components of the Big Bang Theory of cosmological evolution, the source of the mysterious  “static” was eventually verified and now the keystone for the theory’s acceptance.

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The telescope is located in a semi-wooded area on Telegraph Hill in Homdel, NJ, on  the private property of Alcatel-Lucent Technologys, and not readily accessible without special permission.

As usual, thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M:-)

(Thanks to Wikipedia for their indispensable resources. Please consider contributing via their site.)

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