The other day I got an email from a total stranger that truly was like a direct line of encouragement from God. But before I get to that…

For the past 12+ years, I have greatly enjoyed sharing my nature and travel photography through my social media posts. By now, many of you know my passion for photography runs deeper than just getting a lot of “likes” on Facebook or hopefully landing a shout out from a magazine or outdoor company (although that would be amazing!) However, most of you probably don’t know how or why my photography journey started. I generally do not like to write and have a hard time coming up with the right words, which is why I like letting my pictures speak for themselves — and probably why this is my first blog post since August 2018 — whoops.

Beauty from Ashe(s)ville

2008 — when God refined a new passion within me from a season of ashes.

I was in my 4th year as a Clemson student and I still had a lot of unknowns about my future and career after college. Up to this point of my life, I was never really someone who knew exactly “what I wanted to be when I grew up”. At this time in my life, my passions were mainly preoccupied in experiencing my childhood dream of attending Clemson University and absorbed in a long dating relationship at that time. So my focus in life was very cloudy, to put it vaguely, and I wasn’t ready to grow up.

In the spring semester of 2008, I accepted a graphic design internship to Asheville, NC, mainly because of the strong draw I had for experiencing living in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, and I was interested in a career in graphic design.

The mountains were calling, and I had to go.

Early on during my internship, each weekend I would take the hour long drive back to Clemson because I missed my girlfriend and friends. So during the week that was all I could think about — counting down the days and hours at work until I went back to Clemson. Then one weekend there was the break-up that sent me into one of the most challenging seasons of my early life. Here I was now, living alone away from my friends in Clemson, even further away from my family in Lexington, and trying to adapt to “the real world” in a season of loneliness and depression.

But God was calling me to the mountains, and I had to go.

It was during this time that God started refining this ash pit of depression, uncertainty, and passionless part of my life into something special and meaningful. During this time, with a heavy heart, I started taking longer drives home from work through the mountains calling out to God with my worship music, and using my weekends to explore every part of the amazing scenery I was surrounded by in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Then, I specifically remember on my intern computer at work, there was a bookmarked website of a photographer’s work (to this day, I still can’t remember who or what the website was) with some of the most amazing scenery I had ever seen captured. When I realized that these scenes were local, I immediately had the strong God-giving desire to want to capture these scenes myself. So one day I used pretty much all of my paycheck to buy my first ever digital SLR Canon camera (I remember my dad said “you spent how much on a camera?!”) From that point on, I was determined to teach myself how to capture these scenes in the mountains I was witnessing.

Fast forward 12+ years, I can see how God used photography to draw me closer to Him. During that time of brokenness, I was seeking answers from Him that I felt like he wasn’t giving me. But at that time, I didn’t realize — only Jesus knew — He was actually using this time and my new passion for photography to comfort me Himself through the peace that I was receiving with every sunrise/sunset, tranquil setting in the forest, and majestic mountain top view in the Blue Ridge Mountains. So, that is how I got into photography and where it has led me today in being able to use it as a profession. (Side note: a lot of people ask if I do photography full-time. My full-time profession is graphic design, but photography plays a huge role in it. Photography is my side profession, but most importantly my passion) I remember struggling when trying to come up with a name for my photography profession, but finally just decided to go with Seth Berry Photography — with the understanding and decision to not make it all about me, but to glorify Him. Hence, the essence of my tagline: Explore. Capture. Inspire.

So, with all that said, I wanted to write this blog post to not only share what God has done for me, but to be of an encouragement to you! God certainly encouraged me this week when I got this email from a total stranger:
 

“With Thanksgiving coming up, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on this past year and thinking of things / people that I have been grateful for and I wanted to let you know that you are one of them!

This coming March will be my second year living in Lexington. I picked my life up in New Jersey and moved it because the company I work for opened its 15th location in downtown Columbia and I offered to move so I can establish our latest branch. My closest friends/family is 13 hours away! I’ve been knee deep in work getting our latest location up and running. I’m averaging 70 hrs a week so come the weekend, I found myself doing nothing but mentally preparing for the week ahead. I was planning our grand opening that we had back in March and one thing we wanted to do was hire a photographer. I was searching to find a local photographer and I had come across your website. Long story short, we ended up having to cancel everything for the public thanks to COVID. I did buy one of your photos of downtown Columbia! This is my home away from home and what better than to have a photo of the city that brought me here.

Back in June, I had come across all my notes for the grand opening and I saw your website again. I was looking at your photos in all, dreaming about being able to see the most spectacular views, then I realized how a lot were taken here in SC. Fast forward to today, Needless to say, you have changed my life and you have inspired me to do things that I’ve never done before. I started off going to state parks and as I walked into the woods, solitude, is the first word that comes to mind.

I grew up going to a Methodist church and when I moved here, I tried a few out and I just wasn’t happy. It wasn’t the same! One Sunday, I decided, I’m going to go to Pretty Place, (thanks to your photo). When I walked in, I started to cry. I finally found my place, I sat still for 3 hours just listening / watching and taking in all that was in front of me. Multiple things were running through my mind and in the end I realized that these trips I take to state parks, national parks, blue ridge parkway, etc. they have been my solitude trips, they’ve become my church! I am at such peace when I walk into the woods or sit at an overlook. That is where I am able to connect with God. To see all that he has created and for me to have the ability to go and see these breathtaking views, has changed my life in ways I don’t think I can express in words.

Thinking of all that I have seen these past few months and how much I have changed, it all comes back to you and your website. I just want to say, THANK YOU! I am grateful for all that you are able to capture and I wanted you to know how you have inspired me. Your photography has been such an inspiration for me to start hiking, It’s literally become my outlet. It’s a time for me to reflect, regroup and recharge. Growing up in New Jersey, people don’t hike. If someone from NJ says they went hiking over the weekend, they mean they walked an outside mall or walked on the sidewalk in a housing development, lol.

I’ve been thinking about writing this to you and I’ve thought, this is crazy or you will think I’m crazy. Maybe you hear this all the time, but then I thought, maybe nobody says anything. So I wanted to let you know that I am most grateful for you this year because you have introduced hiking to me, expanded my exploring horizons and all of that has allowed me to connect with God, who I’m ashamed to admit, he’s been missing in my life since my move down here. But not anymore! 

Keep on doing what you're doing!”

Previous blog posts: Oregon Coast  |  Columbia River Gorge  |  Mt. Rainier National Park  |  North Cascades National Park  |  Orca Tour

The last three days of my Pacific Northwest Adventure were spent in the vast Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. With nearly one million acres, this National Park is known for its three main unique features: the glacier capped Olympic mountains, the lush rain forests, and the Pacific shoreline of rocks, cliffs, waves, and wildlife.

Olympic National Park is unique too in that it doesn't have a single road that goes straight through the park like most National Parks do. Instead, to see the different sections of the park you have to drive the scenic HWY 101 around the Olympic Peninsula and take side roads up into the park.

Our journey through Olympic started as we left Burlington, Washington early on Day 7 and drove through Fidalgo and Whidbey Island to catch a ferry that connected us to the Olympic Peninsula.

Port Townsend Ferry Port Townsend Ferry Port Townsend Ferry Port Townsend Ferry

Once we made it to the peninsula, we made our way along HWY 101 as our plan was to see Crescent Lake, Sol Duc Falls, and Hurricane Ridge during our first day in Olympic National Park.
 

Crescent Lake

Located entirely in the Olympic National Park, Crescent Lake is a beautiful blue lake surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery. Highway 101 beautifully winds its way around the edge of the lake offering several places to pull off and enjoy the scenes. But perhaps the best place to take in the amazing views is at the Historic Lake Crescent Lodge. Built in 1915, this beautiful National Park lodge sits along the shores of the lake nestled among giant fir and hemlock trees. It was a wonderful location and I would love to stay in this lodge sometime.

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Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent Lake Crescent

Sol Duc Falls

Located near Crescent Lake up into the Olympic Mountains, the Sol Duc area is known for its hot springs resort and the beautiful Sol Duc falls. A short hike through beautiful lush forest brings you to a bridge that overlooks this gorgeous waterfall as it plunges in-between rocks.

Sol Duc Falls Sol Duc Falls Sol Duc Falls Sol Duc Falls Sol Duc Falls Sol Duc Falls Sol Duc Sol Duc

Hurricane Ridge

After visiting Lake Crescent and Sol Duc, we planned to make our way up to Hurricane Ridge to spend the rest of the evening and watch sunset. One of the most iconic locations of the National Park, Hurricane Ridge sits along a mountain ridge at an elevation of 5,242 feet offering incredible views of the snow capped Olympic Mountain range. This is also a popular ski destination during the colder seasons.

Enjoy the beautiful view as we witnessed a remarkable sunset on Hurricane Ridge!

Hurricane Ridge Sunset

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Cape Flattery (Northwestern most tip of US)

Located in the Makah Indian Reservation, the most northwesterly tip of the continental United States is at Cape Flattery. Its about an hour and a half drive on HWY 112 from HWY 101 be it is very scenic as it follows long the shoreline. Then once you get to the parking area of the forested area, its a short hike down to the dramatic cliff views of the coastline. It was an amazing experience being able to say that I was on that tip of the United States. When looking at the map of the US, I was about as far away from home as possible!

The beautiful shoreline offered great sounds as you hear the waves crashing against the rock. Also, off in the distance you can see Tatoosh Island which is technically the most northwestern tip, but its only accessible by boat. On the island sit the gorgeous Cape Flattery Lighthouse. This area is another prime area to spot orcas and sea lions.

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Hoh Rain Forest

One of the United States largest temperate rainforest is actually located along the Pacific coast in Olympic National Park. The Hoh Rain Forest is a beautiful lush green forest full of many plants and species. Due to the current dry season and unfortunate wildfires in Washington, our trip to the rainforest wasn't as lush. Sadly, you could tell how dry it was and how it was effecting that environment. However, I was still able to get some photos of some lush areas that were worth saving!

Hoh Rainforest Hoh Rainforest Hoh Rainforest Hoh Rainforest

Sunset on Ruby Beach

Our last sunset of our amazing Pacific Northwest Adventure was experience on Ruby Beach in Olympic National Park. The gorgeous rock formations out in the ocean presented excellent silhouette opportunities during the evening sunlight. This was a perfect way to end our awesome adventure!

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It has been my absolute pleasure to take you along my adventure through the Pacific Northwest. I appreciate you following along with my blog, stories, and photos! This is truly an amazing part of the United States and I highly recommend ALL of the locations I had the privilege to see! I hope to someday return!

God bless,

Previous blog posts: Oregon Coast  |  Columbia River Gorge  |  Mt. Rainier National Park  |  North Cascades National Park

As if our Pacific Northwest Adventure couldn't get anymore amazing, on Day 8 we got to experience one of the coolest things I've ever done! So I've been to SeaWorld and seen Shamu and I've seen the movie Free Willy, but never before have I ever thought of seeing orcas (whales) in the wild. On the second to last day of our awesome trip, we got to do just that!

After staying in Sequim, Washington the night before, we made the short drive west to Port Angeles where we would embark on our Orca Tour early in the morning. If you ever get the chance to do something like this, I highly recommend it. Our whale watching tour was through Port Angeles Whale Watch Company on The Island Explorer 4 vessel. The company guarantees that you'll see some sort of whale, either orca, humpback, or gray whale, or you can ride again for free until you see one! The vessel is manned by highly trained and passionate workers who enjoy talking marine biology and explaining the different sea life and birds that you encounter. So along with an excellent sightseeing opportunity of the Washington coast and Canadian waters, it is also very educational. Did I mention its cold?
 

But hey, you're in the Pacific waters! What did you expect? A little cold winds and spray of Pacific Ocean is good for your soul! :)

So our large vessel full of about 60 passengers charted out of Port Angeles north towards Canada in search of whales. The tour was scheduled to be 5 hours long and in hopes of us getting our money worth by seeing at least one orca. Well we, including the ship crew, were in for a treat that day.

After about an hour and half drive through the brisk Pacific waters and cold winds, we hadn't see any wildlife except for several typical marine birds. But the ride was still entertaining as we got to listen to the captain tell stories and jokes over the intercom and I had a great discussion with a fellow photographer (also with a big lens) and her experience with working with this Whale Watching Company. Then as we were getting in closer distance to Canadian land we were approaching multiple boats which ended up being Canadian whale tours. They were all in the same location because we were about to witness at least 20 orcas! 

Robbie and I had ended up being at the right place at the right time on the ship, as we were on the very bow of the ship where I had more than an 180 degree view. There were whales to the left, right, front, and behind us! We even had one go under our ship! Not just one whale traveling alone, but their group of families (or pods as they call them). And we even got to see 3 baby calves! The orcas were very active that day as we got to see several of them breach out of the water multiple times and do other wild tricks. It was such a surreal and peaceful experience as the only noises were the Pacific waters, the slow rhythms of the whales blow holes releasing a puff of air as they swam, and the audience cheering as the whales were basically performing for us. This was no SeaWorld show though as they were completely wild. Such an awesome experience!

Enjoy the photos below as I capture multiple shots of this amazing experience! Be sure to notice the baby whales!

Orcas Orcas Orca Tour Performing Orca Orca teaching its Calf Orca Family Orca Tricks Orca Tricks Orca Tail Slap Baby Orca Tricks Baby Orca Tricks Breaching Orca Orca Jumping Orca Breach Orca Blow Hole Orca Tricks Orca Tricks Orca Tricks Wild Orcas Orca Tail Orca Pod Family of Orcas Orca Pod Orca Pod Orcas in Canada Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Wild Orcas Underwater Orca Orca Tour Wild Orcas Orca Tour Orca Fin

This is a map the crew track showing how close we got to Canada and where we saw the orcas! The "start" at the bottom of the map is Port Angeles, Washington, and the upper part of the picture is Canada along Vancouver Island.

 

After about 2 hours of watching that amazing experience with the whales, it was time for our ship to start heading back. But first the crew took us by a Canadian lighthouse called Race Rocks Light. This beautiful lighthouse sits on an island of rocks near Victoria, Canada and was built around 1860 financed by the British Government. The island is also an ecological reserve for many sea lions and other wildlife. But we could definitely see, hear, and smell the sea lions!

This whole experience on the Pacific waters was an amazing experience. It was such a beautiful area and we couldn't have asked for better weather. And to blessed to be able to see that many orcas was beyond amazing! Again, I highly recommend doing an Orca Tour through this company if you ever get the chance. You will not be disappointed! After about 5 hours, we safely returned to Port Angeles. And needless to say, my camera memory card was almost full with all the great picture opportunities!

Sailing into the Wide Open Olympic Mountains Olympic Mountains Olympic Mountains Race Rocks Light Race Rocks Light Swimming Sea Lion Swimming Sea Lion Swimming Sea Lion Race Rocks Light Race Rocks Light Race Rocks Light Race Rocks Sea Lions Race Rocks Sea Lions Race Rocks Sea Lions Race Rocks Sea Lions Race Rocks Sea Lions Race Rocks Sea Lions Race Rocks Light Race Rocks Light Port Angeles, WA

Stay tuned as we finish up our Pacific Northwest Adventure in Olympic National Park!

God bless,

Previous blog posts: Oregon Coast  |  Columbia River Gorge  |  Mt. Rainier National Park

After two amazing days spent in Mt. Rainier National Park, our Pacific Northwest Adventure continued further north. Day 6 was planned to be our longest driving day of the trip. And it served to be true.

Our plan was to drive 4 and a half hours from Mt. Rainier north to the North Cascades National Park along the US/Canada border in Washington...while going through Seattle along the way and not to mention any sightseeing stops we came across. We planned to make it to the North Cascades in time to make the scenic drive along Highway 20 through the heart of the National Park to see some of it's major destinations, before backtracking back to Burlington, WA to stay for the night.

The North Cascades, often over shadowed by the many popular National Parks, is a hidden gem known for its immense beauty of "Swiss-Alp-like" mountains, glaciers, meadows, and wildlife. We were mostly looking forward to seeing the gorgeous turquoise Diablo Lake. Well to our disappointment, our plans got changed. As we getting closer and closer to the National Park, we kept noticing a large plume clouds before us of smoke. Sadly, the state of Washington had been struggling with numerous wildfires while we were out there. And sure enough as we were about 5 miles from the North Cascades visitor center and entrance, we came to a stop as the road had just been closed. (see video below)

North Cascades Wildfire North Cascades National Park

So after driving 5 hours (most of our day), we were disappointed that we would not be able to go into this gorgeous National Park. But God knew what He was doing all along on our trip, even then. Later that evening we found out that they had just closed HWY 20 right before we had got there as a rock slide had just happened due to the fire. Also sadly, it was during that day that the 3 firefighters lost their lives in the National Park trying to fight the fires. God had his hand on us and kept us from any disaster. Which is a good lesson: Sometimes your life plans may result in a season of disappointment, but God has a different plan and is not done with us. Then we can look back and see that His plan was much better than ours!

So Robbie and I quickly tried to come up with a back up plan for the rest of our Day 6. After stopping at another North Cascades Information Center, we had some park rangers suggest that we drive further northwest to the Mt. Baker National Forest and northwestern part of the North Cascades. So to our great surprise, we were rewarded with one of the best views we had witnessed during our entire trip...and it wasn't even planned on our itinerary.

We made the drive further toward the Canadian border and got on the very scenic HWY 542 which goes through Mt. Baker's National Forest and ends at the Heather Meadows area. The area is on the very border of the North Cascades National Park which offers excellent views of 10,781ft Mt. Baker and the gorgeous picturesque Mt. Shuksan sitting in the North Cascades. You'll see in the photos below as we drive along the road we got to see some scenic farmland then Nooksack Falls. But finally I got to witness a picture opportunity I've only dreamed of. The wonderful picturesque lake with a snowcapped Mt. Shuksan reflecting in the distance seemed like a photo I've only seen in National Geographic photography. The breathtaking scene is still very visual in my mind today as I'm back home. I was in complete awe and amazement with the gorgeous scene I had the opportunity to photograph. And its because of God's grace and His plan that we were able to fit this in to our trip to the Pacific Northwest.

After spending sometime in this area of the park, we actually ventured across the border and drove into Canada. Neither of us had ever been to Canada, so we decided since we were that close we might as well. After driving through Vancouver, we made our way back down into the United States again and finally to Burlington, Washington to stay for the night. After by far our most time spent in the car on our vacation, we were worn out but we satisfied that we were able to see some amazing things after our plans were changed. I hope you enjoy my pictures below.
 

North CascadesThe drive to Heather Meadows Nooksack Falls Nooksack River Nooksack Falls Mt. ShuksanMt. Shuksan sits in the North Cascades National Park Picture Lake and Mt. ShuksanMt. Shuksan sits in the North Cascades National Park. Mt. ShuksanMt. Shuksan sits in the North Cascades National Park Mt. ShuksanMt. Shuksan sits in the North Cascades National Park Mt. ShuksanMt. Shuksan sits in the North Cascades National Park Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan Mt. Baker10,781 feet Mt. Shuksan Mt. Shuksan

Stay tuned as our las leg of our trip in the Pacific Northwest takes us to various places in Olympic National Park. Including our incredible Orca Tour!

God bless,

Previous blog posts: Oregon Coast  |  Columbia River Gorge

Paradise. Can you imagine what it will be like? I'm sure our limited thoughts can only slightly compare to what true Paradise will be like as believers get to spend eternity with our Savior in Paradise. But graciously God has given us here on earth small glimpses of what Paradise will look like. I love to see the glory of God shown throughout nature and His creation. To me, there's just something very humbling and astonishing about a huge majestic mountain scene that testifies the power of God. I can say Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington has that impact.

Standing at 14,410 feet, Mt. Rainier is the 5th largest mountain in the contiguous United States. On the south side of this mostly glaciated volcanic peak, sitting nestled on a slope of wildflower meadows is the area called "Paradise". And it is rightfully named so. During wildflower season (July and August), Mt. Rainier National Park, particularly the Paradise section of the park, has said to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. This is also one of the most snowiest places on earth as they receive 643 inches of snow average per each year.

We had the privilege to spend 2 days in Paradise as we lodged in the historic Paradise Inn Lodge. I really love how the National Parks systems do their historic lodges. I highly recommend the Paradise Inn Lodge if you ever get the chance at staying there. Built in 1916, this historic wooden lodge is in a hub spot for plenty of hiking trails and wildflower meadows. However, don't think you'll need air condition if you plan to stay there, as each room comes without air condition. With it being one of the most snowy places on earth, who needs air condition? But during the warmer seasons you're perfectly fine "roughing it" with the windows open as you get to sleep with the fresh crisp air coming off the snow capped peak of Rainier.

PNW DAY 4  |  The Drive to Paradise and the Skyline Trail

After our night in Hood River, Oregon, we made our second longest drive of the trip as we drove north into Washington on the scenic HWY 141 through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The drive was about 3 and a half hours long to get to Paradise, but we stopped by a few scenic locations around Mt. Adams along the way. Unfortunately though, there was a wildfire going on near Mt. Adams so our scenic visibility wasn't the greatest. I was still able to get a beautiful morning shot of a waterfall and a gorgeous shot of Mt. Adams reflecting on a lake in the morning haze.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mt. Adams

As we got closer to the last leg of our 3 and half hour drive, you began to see the majestic white peak of Mt. Rainier in the distance of our road. This was a marvelous scene to see as I have always wanted to see a snow capped mountain. My adrenaline was racing as we drove closer and closer to photo distance from Mt. Rainier as I was anxious to capture it's beauty. Finally we entered the National Park gates and made our very scenic ascent to Paradise. Our first destination along the way to the Lodge was the impossible-to-pass Reflection Lakes. It would be hard for someone to want to continue driving on without wanting to stop at this gorgeous location with Mt. Rainier reflecting in the pristine mountain lake. 

Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Reflection Lakes, Mt. Rainier Mt. Rainier Mt. Rainier The Road to Paradise

After already some breathtaking views, we made our way to Paradise where we checked into the lodge. The rest of the afternoon we spend hiking on the 5.5 mile long Skyline Trail. This amazing trail takes you through multiple wildflower meadows with excellent views of Mt. Rainier that are hard to beat. Unfortunately, the wildflower season had unexpectedly peaked early this year so we were not fortunate to witness the abundance of color that would normally be present during this time. However, it was still a gorgeous place! Our hike took us all the way up to the 6,800 feet Panorama Point with excellent upclose views of glaciers on Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams and Mt. St Helens to the south off in the distance. With the warmer temperatures, it created multiple ice melt waterfalls all over Mt. Rainier, which reminded me of the fantasy like views of Yosemite National Park's valley. Enjoy the scenes as we hike the spectacular Skyline Trail on Mt. Rainier.

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After hiking the amazing Skyline Trail, here are some of the views at sunset from the Paradise Inn Lodge.

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PNW DAY 5  |  Sunrise area of Mt. Rainier National Park

On our second day in Mt. Rainier National Park, we planned to go to the section of the National Park that is said to have the most scenic drive and views of Mt. Rainier. The area is called "Sunrise" as it is a perfect location for the sunrise, however we did not plan to get up there that early as it was about a 1 and half hour drive from Paradise. But we did plan to watch the sunset at Sunrise!

Our day 2 in Mt. Rainier didn't provide as beautiful skies as our first day. Due to the numerous wildfires throughout the state of Washington, we experienced a hazy day in the park. Again, this did not affect the pure beauty that this place has no matter what.

On the way to Sunrise, we did the Grove of the Patriarchs trail which took us through an old growth forest of some of the oldest and largest trees in the park. Below is the suspension bridge over a beautiful turquoise river we had to cross. Then we also made another stop for a morning view of the Reflection Lakes. Following that up, we stopped at the beautiful Tipsoo Lake for an outstanding view of an alpine lake and the dramatic mountain scene.

Then finally once we reached Sunrise, we spent the rest of the day enjoying the beautiful scenery and trails this side of the National Park had to offer. We did the roughly 4 mile trail from the parking lot to Dege Peak which stood at 7,006 feet offering breathtaking panoramic views. Then we witnessed the sunset along Emmons Vista to wrap up our time at Mt. Rainier National Park.

For it's pure beauty and majestic views, this National Park will always be one of my favorites. I hope to return again someday.

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Stay tuned as Day 6 of our Pacific Northwest adventure takes an unplanned visit to Mt. Baker National Forest where I captured some of my favorite photos of the entire trip!

God bless,

Previous blog posts: Oregon Coast

If you love waterfalls, you're in for a treat with this blog post. If you love visiting waterfalls, I highly recommend the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon!

Forming most of the border between Oregon and Washington, "the big river", Columbia River, snakes its way to the Pacific Ocean west towards Astoria. The famous Columbia River is the passage that allowed the well known explorers, Lewis and Clark, to finally reach the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Just a short drive from Portland, Oregon you quickly see how the river winds its way in-between mountains on both sides of the river forming the Columbia River Gorge. A great place to see this is from the dramatic Crown Point Vista House which overlooks high up on the Oregon mountains (this is where we watched the sunset on Day 2).

It's an absolutely scenic drive traveling along the Historic Columbia River Highway as there are literally dozens of waterfalls to see either off the side of the road or a small walking distance...and even more once you hit the hiking trails through the damp forest. Growing up in the Carolinas, I'm a regular visitor to the "Land of Waterfalls" of Transylvania County in North Carolina. But after spending a whole day exploring the Columbia River Gorge, I was left wondering if I've ever seen so many waterfalls that close together in the same day.

In this blog post, I'm going to let the pictures (and videos!) take you in, as you will literally get to see all of the waterfalls in the order that we saw them on Day 3. Starting off the morning in awe, we beat the crowds to one of the most photographed and beautiful waterfalls in the United States -- Multnomah Falls. Then we trekked our way through one of the most unique and technical waterfall hikes I've ever done -- through Oneonta Gorge to see Oneonta Falls. Then following those seemingly unbeatable opening acts, we saw Wiesendanger Falls, Fairy Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Latourell Falls, and the beautiful Wahclella Falls. 

Multnomah FallsThe beautiful 620 feet waterfall of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon Multnomah FallsThe beautiful 620 feet waterfall of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon Multnomah FallsThe beautiful 620 feet waterfall of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon Multnomah FallsThe beautiful 620 feet waterfall of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon Multnomah FallsThe beautiful 620 feet waterfall of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon Multnomah FallsRobbie and I in awe of Multnomah Fall with no one else around! Great way to start the morning! Multnomah FallsThe view from Multnomah Falls from the walking bridge

The Adventure to Oneonta Falls

Oh, did I mention Oneonta Gorge was one of my favorite hikes to a waterfall I've ever been on? Disclaimer: It's only for the adventurous at heart and those willing to get wet in the ice cold waters of the Columbia River Gorge. But this was "the shot" I was looking for as a photographer my whole trip. So I was anxiously awaiting the opportunity to hike this amazing "trail" into the gorge. But first, to get inside the photographic green canyon walls and see the dreamlike Oneonta Falls pouring out of the rock wall, you must climb over "The Log Jam". It deserves its own name because I've never seen such a mountain of ancient logs piled up blocking a path. And we had to climb over it before starting the short walk through the crack in the mountain and river bed to the epic reward! To begin, I want you to watch my GoPro video (below) to get a virtual view of how we got into this amazing gorge. Then scroll through my photos as we approach the waterfall.

Oneonta GorgeThe beautiful Oneonta Gorge is a crack in the mountain with green rock walls and a small river bed. Picture perfect. Oneonta GorgeThe beautiful Oneonta Gorge is a crack in the mountain with green rock walls and a small river bed. Picture perfect. Oneonta GorgeThe beautiful Oneonta Gorge is a crack in the mountain with green rock walls and a small river bed. Picture perfect. Oneonta GorgeThe beautiful Oneonta Gorge is a crack in the mountain with green rock walls and a small river bed. Picture perfect. Oneonta GorgeThe beautiful Oneonta Gorge is a crack in the mountain with green rock walls and a small river bed. Picture perfect. Oneonta GorgeApproaching the gorgeous Oneonta Falls Oneonta GorgeApproaching the gorgeous Oneonta Falls Oneonta FallsApproaching the gorgeous Oneonta Falls Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta Falls Oneonta Falls Oneonta Falls Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta FallsInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta GorgeInside the Oneonta Gorge in the Columbia River Gorge Oneonta GorgeApproaching Oneonta Falls Oneonta GorgeApproaching Oneonta Falls Oneonta GorgeApproaching Oneonta Falls Oneonta Gorge Oneonta Gorge Robbie in the Oneonta Gorge Robbie at Oneonta Falls Robbie in the Oneonta Gorge Amazed by the Oneonta Gorge Oneonta Falls Oneonta Falls Oneonta Falls Oneonta Falls Oneonta Falls Epic trip to the Oneonta Gorge

More Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls

Enjoy the rest of my photos from the waterfalls and scenes in the Columbia River Gorge!

Columbia River Gorge Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger FallsThis waterfall is on a trail that goes up above Multnomah Falls Wiesendanger Falls Hiking in the Columbia River Gorge Hiking in the Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Fairy Falls Fairy Falls Fairy Falls Fairy Falls Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Columbia River Gorge Wahkeena Falls Wahkeena Falls Wahkeena Falls Wahkeena Falls Latourell Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Wahclella Falls Hood River, OR Hood River, OR

Hood River, OR

The last shots were from the sunset at Hood River, Oregon which was our sleeping destination that night. We watched the sunset from the Panorama Point Park which overlooks Mt. Hood in the distance. Unfortunately we had hazy skies due to the wildfires and couldn't see Mt. Hood off in the distance. But it was still a gorgeous sunset.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul." ~Psalm 23:2-3

There's nothing more refreshing than a day filled with beautiful waterfalls and a refreshing sunset. With that, I'll leave you with a music video I made from this day in the Columbia River Gorge. Be blessed!

This summer I was blessed to be able to go on yet another grand adventure out west with my great travel buddy, Robbie. The past three summers have been absolutely incredible as I have had the opportunities to travel and photograph some of the most amazing scenes of the American west - a photographer's dream. I have always been inspired by photography of America's great natural wonders and our magnificent National Parks! But only until I've been able to experience and stand in awe among them, have I really been able to be astonished and moved by witnessing these scenes. My God is an awesome God. How can someone stand in awe of so much beauty and not be captivated and drawn toward its Creator? It's my joy to be able to take you on another one of my adventures -- through the lens of my camera and the stories from The Pacific Northwest!

Like my last trip blogs, I will be breaking the posts down in sections. This summer we logged more miles than our previous trips as we drove 2,150 miles! You might think, "wow that's a lot of driving and not a lot of seeing!" Nope. Don't worry, I was up at sunrise and taking photos at every sunset! We had a very detailed itinerary. Plus, the driving is the fun part to me, getting to drive across beautiful places I've never seen while praising Him with songs. It's rewarding once we reach our destination! And we made sure to fit in as much places to see as possible. To give you an idea of our trip, I've created a rough map of our basic route on Google Maps.

Our flight to Portland, Oregon took us over some familiar sites from above as we flew over the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Lake Mono, and Yosemite...all places I can say I've seen from the ground too.

Desert Mountains from Above

Mono Lake from AboveI visited this lake two summers ago!

Yosemite from AboveThis is the upper parts of Yosemite National Park around Tioga Pass

Golden Hills from Above Oakland from Above

PNW DAY 1 | Astoria, Oregon

Our trip started as we landed in Portland, Oregon on Friday around 1:00 PM PST. We had the rest of that afternoon and our Day 2 to explore as much of the Northern Oregon Coast as we could! So we hit the road due west like hamsters in our rental "Hamster Car", the small box-like Kia Soul.

Now being an 80's kid, I grew up a huge fan of the movie Goonies. I've probably seen the movie over 50 times and can quote many scenes. I can remember all of the adventure scenes on the coast the Goonies got into as they were looking for One-Eyed Willy's treasure. Sure enough, our first destination was the Home of the Goonies -- the foggy Victorian fishing town of Astoria, Oregon. My goal was to see 1) Mickey and the Goonies House, 2) the Flavel House where his dad worked, 3) and the Jail House that the Fratelli's broke out of. Then during Day 2 we would see the classic Goonies Pacific Coast scenes.

We were able to see each of these things on my list, fortunately. However, days before we got there the new owner of the Goonies House recently put up "No Trespassing" signs which has outraged the community and Goonie tourist. We were fortunate to still be able to see the house, as days after we saw it the owner then put up tarps around the house! Its sad to say the Goonedocks have officially been sold to the Country Club. (here's the story) 

​But Astoria was an interesting little maritime town. I would have loved to been able to visit more of it. So here we go! HEY YOU GUYS!

Home of the GooniesAstoria, Oregon

The Goonies HouseThis is as close as we could get to it now. And this is before the owner put up tarps to block visitors views.

The Goonies - Flavel HouseWhere Mickey's Dad worked in the movie Goonies. The Jail HouseThis is the Jail that the Fratelli's broke out of at the beginning of the Goonies. Notice their black Jeep out front! Fratelli's JeepYep, Chunk. Even has the bullet holes in it!

Astoria Column ViewThis is the view of Astoria from Astoria Column Park, which is a park that recognizes the Journey of Lewis & Clark and their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River.

PNW DAY 1 | Sunset at Cape Disappointment, Washington

After a long day of flying across the country and then checking out the Goonies sites, we took in the amazing sunset right across the Columbia River in Washington at Cape Disappointment. This was an absolutely gorgeous drive and State Park with a beautiful forest of large coastal evergreens and ferns. Then of course the breathtaking rugged coast and lighthouse made for an amazing first sunset of our trip.

North Head LighthouseCape Disappointment, Washington Coast North Head Lighthouse SunsetCape Disappointment, Washington Coast North Head Lighthouse SunsetCape Disappointment, Washington Coast North Head Lighthouse SunsetCape Disappointment, Washington Coast Cape DisappointmentThe waves at sunset of the Washington Coast Cape DisappointmentPacific Coast Waves Cape DisappointmentPacific Coast Waves

PNW DAY 2 | Oregon Coast: Haystack Rock & Ecola State Park

After sleeping in a small beach town of Seaside, Oregon, we work up and drove south along the Oregon Coast on HWY 101. We were about to be in for a morning treat as our first destination was the classic Oregon Coast view of Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach. This is a scene that you see in magazines, postcards, and even on Microsoft Windows desktop backgrounds! That morning was also the first time in the trip I felt the chill of God's presence as I stood in amazement of this awesome scene.

It was such a peaceful morning as we walked the long stretch of Pacific beach sand leading up to the behemoth of a rock sitting out in the waves of the ocean. With the quiet rushing sounds of the morning waves, you could also hear thousands of birds as they circle the top of the huge rock. The 235 feet monolith rock serves as a bird sanctuary to many species of birds including the cute little birds called puffins. The blue morning sky and the pastel sunlight on the clouds made for a beautiful scene as I was able to capture the moment.

​Also, one of the great natural attractions of the Northwest Pacific Coast is the opportunity to go tide pooling. This is when the low tide creates a new shoreline of rock caves and pools of sea urchins, colorful starfish, and more! Check out my photos from this amazing morning at Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach!

Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack Rock ReflectionHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Cannon Beach Morning Cannon Beach Morning Cannon Beach Morning Cannon Beach Morning Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack Rock Cannon Beach Tide Pooling Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Cannon Beach Robbie in awe of Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon Me in front of Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon In awe of Haystack RockHaystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon In front of Haystack Rock Robbie tide pooling on Cannon Beach Tide Pooling on Cannon Beach Haystack Rock Reflection Haystack Rock Cannon Beach Cannon Beach Cannon Beach Standing in the Pacific Ocean Tide Pooling along Haystack Rock Tide Pooling along Haystack Rock Tide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock Star FishTide Pooling along Haystack Rock

PNW DAY 2 | Oregon Coast: Ecola State Park

After an amazing morning sunrise at Cannon Beach, we went several miles over to the nearby Ecola State Park. This park offers excellent views of the rocky Oregon Coast with the classic views of Haystack Rock in the distance. This is also the scene of the Goonies Lighthouse Lounge where their adventure all started. If you're a Goonies movie fan, you'll recognize my first photo below.

The rocky coastline is surrounded by a lush spruce forest and huge green ferns. It offered beautiful hiking trails along the coastline and a chance to go out on Indian Beach. Also, in the northern section of the park you get a spectacular view of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse which sits by itself on a lone rock out in the Pacific Ocean.

Hey You Guys!This is the scene from the Goonies when Mickey and the Goonies are searching for One-Eyed Willy's lost treasure along the Oregon Coast. Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkCheck out all of the surfers! Tillamook Rock LighthouseEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Tillamook Rock LighthouseEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Ecola State ParkOregon Coast Giant SlugThese things were every where out there! Ecola State Park Forest 1 Ecola State Park Forest 2 Ecola State Park Forest 3 Ecola State Park Forest 4 Ecola State Park Forest 5 Ecola State Park Forest 6 Ecola State Park Forest 7 Ecola State ParkTillamook Rock Lighthouse is out in the distance Indian BeachEcola State Park Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Indian BeachEcola State Park, Oregon Coast Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Oregon Coast Hwy 101 Indian Beach Huge trees in Ecola State Park What a view of the Oregon Coast What a view of the Oregon Coast

PNW DAY 2 | Sunset at Crown Point and Lodging in Camas Hotel, Washington

After a short day an a half spent on the spectacular Oregon Coast, we had to make our way back toward Portland as we were staying across the Columbia River in Camas, Washington for the night. During our week we got to stay in some unique places and the beautiful and historic Camas Hotel was one of them. Before the day was over though, we made our way to the entrance of the Columbia River Gorge (our Day 3 adventure destination) to take in the sunset at Crown Point. This is an amazing observation point along the Oregon side mountains that carve out the Columbia River Gorge. The view offers excellent scenes of the Columbia River, which Lewis & Clark pioneered and views toward the Portland area.

Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Gorge Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Crown Point SunsetColumbia River Camas HotelThis was our stay that night in Camas, Washington

I hope that you enjoy the last scenes of our Day 2 sunset. Stay tuned as Day 3 will be packed full of exploring the lush waterfalls of the famous Columbia River Gorge! Thanks for reading about my Pacific Northwest Adventure! CLICK HERE to view my Oregon Coast photo gallery and order prints

 

 

 

 

Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina

A Hidden Beauty in South Carolina

Lee Falls (Oconee County)

Lee Falls Gallery  |  SC Waterfalls Gallery

There’s a lot that I love about my home state of South Carolina. This small state boast some of the prettiest scenes to offer from the Lowcountry sights of Charleston to the iconic Upstate views from Table Rock. But one thing that I really love is the fact that there are still hidden gems that if you want to see them you must get off the well beaten path to experience them for yourself. One of these places is named Lee Falls.

Not many people realize how many beautiful waterfalls the Upstate of South Carolina has to offer, but instead visit the popular western North Carolina. But if you live in South Carolina you may hear or see pictures of the gorgeous and dramatic Raven Cliff Falls and Lower Whitewater Falls from time to time. Surprisingly, there’s much more…you just might have to put on some hiking shoes to find them.

In several books and websites, Lee Falls is considered one of the most scenic waterfalls in Oconee County and the whole Upstate—but not many people know about it. This spectacular 90 ft. waterfall is located deep in the hardwood forest several miles from Oconee State Park. Best to see after rainy days, the Tamassee Creek deep in a cove gracefully spills and trickles over a behemoth granite cliff covered with green moss and rain forest-like surroundings.

But there’s a catch. Detailed driving directions, no official trail subject to frequent changes, and crossing over ankle deep streams multiple times makes it rather difficult to find. The hike is 1.5 miles to the falls and considered strenuous. I know by experience because I can finally say I saw this beautiful waterfall for myself without getting turned around after my third visit.

The first time I ventured out to find this waterfall was in October 2014 with my friend, Robbie. We had already visited several places around the area and decided to give this trail a shot before heading home. Needless to say, we should have planned it as our first stop, not last. Following detailed hiking instructions in a book I own, we successfully crossed the four large grassy fields and crossed the creek two times. The water was pretty chilly but we did it. Then after hiking through the woods for half a mile we came along the Tamassee Creek again but failed to heed the directions to cross the creek again, and instead followed what looked to be a trail beside the creek. We scurried up the mountainous ravine along the river a lot longer than we should. But we thought we were following the directions as it said that part of the trail would get rocky and overgrown. However it was getting late and we were getting tired of climbing on loose leaves, so unfortunately we decided this couldn’t be the trail and turned around to head back to the car. As we got to the part where the trail branches off from the creek, I happened to look across the creek and saw a orange ribbon tied in a tree signaling that crossing the river led to the trail. But we decided we would come back later. Strike one.

The second time, I was determined to find this waterfall but with more witnesses—Robbie, my brother & sister-n-law, and their dog Paisley. Our first mistake was that we went during the heat of the summer. After sweating our way through the open fields and crossing the streams we came across our first snake. It was just a long black snake that startled us, but we continued on. We made it to the point where we reached the Tamassee Creek before and successfully crossed the creek this time to find the right path. However, it didn’t take us long to decide to turn around. As we were trekking up the strenuous overgrown path of boulders and fallen trees, we came across not one, but 3 copperhead snakes. Fearful of one of us or the dog getting bit, we turned around and headed back to the car, to my disappointment. Strike two.

Like they say, third time’s the charm. I am now writing this blog post after successfully discovering this gorgeous waterfall this weekend. After learning from our past two experiences, we decided to give it a shot during the late spring (April) when the water isn’t too cold to trek through and there’s just enough vegetation growth to make for a beautiful picture. We couldn’t have picked a better weekend as my friend and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip up to the Upstate to find this thing once and for all. After much rain the past week, we knew the waterfall would be full of water and we were right. It was an absolutely beautiful hike as the grassy fields were bright green, the creek water was cool and soothing, and the strenuous trail felt like we were hiking through a rain forest with all of the new growth and wildflowers. But most importantly, we came across ZERO snakes! After carefully following the trail and having to cross the stream several times on the path we hadn’t been on before, we finally reached our much anticipated destination!

Now I can say, Lee Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in South Carolina. Enjoy my photos below.

Grassy Fields

Creek Crossing Lee Falls Trail Cascade Ferns White Trillium White Trillium Field Wildflowers White Butterfly

Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina    Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina    Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina    Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina    Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina   Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina Lee Falls, SCOconee County, South Carolina

Previous blog posts: Zion National Park  |  Horseshoe Bend  |  Antelope Canyon  |  Monument Valley  |  Grand Canyon  |  Sedona

CLICK HERE to view my Route 66 photo gallery and order prints

After 7 most amazing days exploring the great American western desert with two of the greatest friends and road adventurers, our epic journey was coming to a finale as we were to take the 276 mile drive back to Las Vegas from Sedona. Of course, we weren't about to just make it a boring long drive...instead we ended our trip in a good ol' fashion way! What better way to spend the last day of our Road Trip than on the historic Route 66 just like the old days!

This was the best conclusion for our trip as Arizona's Route 66 took us through some of the most pretty country roads we had been on. And of course along the way there were plenty of roadside attractions to stop and look at - with the last of them all being the best (make sure to read all the way to the end of this blog)! As I mentioned in my earlier blog post, after leaving the Grand Canyon we took a detour before we headed into Sedona by driving east to visit Winslow, AZ, one of the most famous towns along Route 66 in Arizona. I'll start off sharing pictures of it.
 

Winslow, AZ - Route 66

Winslow, AZ claimed its fame in 1972 when the popular Eagles' song "Take it Easy" mentioned "standin' on the corner of Winslow, Arizona". And what do ya know, now there is an actual corner in Winslow that you can stand on while a pretty girl in a flatbed Ford takes a look at you! Also in the town's gift shops you can buy anything you want with the saying "standin' on the corner" on it or Route 66 Winslow Arizona! Such a neat little town!

Winslow, AZ Winslow, AZ Standin' on the Corner Winslow, AZ Winslow, AZ Red Pickup Winslow, AZ Red Pickup Winslow, AZ Winslow, AZ Red Pickup

Seligman to Kingman, AZ - Route 66

On our last day of our Road Trip, we left out of Sedona and followed I:40 until we got off on the Route 66 exit near Seligman. This small town is claimed as the birthplace of Route 66 in which it connected Seligman to Kingman, AZ! While the town is very close to many of the natural attractions like the Grand Canyon, the town also has many great roadside attractions including the Roadkill Cafe, the historic Route 66 Motel, the historic Route 66 General Store, and more. We followed the scenic Route 66 for 87 miles to Kingman, AZ while stopping at many of the old historic places along the way. You'll also see that we even ran into the Pixar's Cars characters from Route 66!

Route 66 Grill DeSoto's Salon Route 66, AZ Route 66, AZ Arizona Desert Sky Arizona Desert Sky Stagecoach Motel Route 66 Stagecoach Angel & Vilma's Gift Shop Texaco Route 66 Route 66 Barber Shop Route 66 Barber Shop Angel & Vilma's Gift Shop

Notice in the center, I left my own Seth Berry Photography business card for the wall collection!

Route 66 Business Cards Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In Delgadillo's Drive-In The Mother Road Route 66 Outhouse Cars Cars Cars Cars Cars Cars Cars Americana Route 66 Americana Route 66 Route 66, AZ Route 66, AZ Arizona Desert Sky Dust Devils Dust Devils Dust Devil Dust Devil City Jail

Oatman, AZ - Route 66

Perhaps the most unique and out of the ordinary place we went to the entire trip was our last stop along Route 66! Instead of exiting Route 66 in Kingman to travel US 93 toward Las Vegas, we decided to continue on about 30 more miles to a little ol' place called Oatman, AZ. This would also turn into one of our more mountainous drives of the trip.

The reason why I wanted to continue on to Oatman, was after reading a brochure about Route 66 I noticed something bizarre about this old gold mine town. Not only was it basically a saloon scene out of an old western movie, but they also have wild burros just roaming the street! We just knew we needed an epic ending to our trip, and seeing some wild burros would do just that. The drive from Kingman to Oatman is gorgeous as it takes you further out "in the middle of nowhere" and up a steady incline of elevation. We kept saying it was amazing that the old cars back then could travel up this windy road. Well, as we were coming around a mountain bend in the road, we came across our first burro...standing right in the middle of the road! The ass wouldn't move! ;) Until I whistled at it and he made a bee-line directly to our car and stuck his face in my window! Check out our hilarious burro encounter then see as we continue to encounter more in the interesting town of Oatman! Needless to say, we made a lot of friends...

Arizona Burro Curious Burro Curious Burro Head Scratcher

Baby Burro Baby Burro Gold Country Gold Country Gold Country Gold Country

Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Oatman, AZ Cool Springs, AZ Cool Springs, AZ Cool Springs, AZ Cool Springs, AZ Route 66

CLICK HERE to view my Route 66 photo gallery and order prints
 

The Finish

Well Oatman, AZ was definitely the icing on the cake for one of the most awesome weeks of my life! Many great stories, pictures, and memories to share for a lifetime. I am so grateful and thankful for being blessed with the opportunity to travel out to see some of God's wonders and its my hope that if you do not get to experience some of these places for yourself, at least my photos somewhat took you there! If you ever need any advice or suggestions on where to go while planning a trip out west, please don't hesitate to ask! I am always happy to share with you my adventures whether its to the Grand Canyon or right here in my beloved Blue Ridge Mountains!

Until my next blog post (most likely somewhere in my neck of the woods), I leave you with our last group picture! This is us in front of Lake Mead right after we passed by the famous Hoover Dam. Right afterwards we ate dinner in Las Vegas then hopped on a plane to fly home! Man, what a trip!

Lake Mead Lake Mead

Thanks again for reading my blogs!

God Bless!

Previous blog posts: Zion National Park  |  Horseshoe Bend  |  Antelope Canyon  |  Monument Valley  |  Grand Canyon

CLICK HERE to view my Sedona photo gallery and order prints

Our epic western road trip was rounding it's way to it's conclusion, but first we would spend two amazing days bringing in the 4th of July in the most beautiful place called Sedona, AZ! After spending a night and half day at the Grand Canyon we would make our way down through Flagstaff 115 miles to Sedona. However, we took a detour first and tried to go visit Meteor Crater, which is a meteorite impact crater in the earth that is about 3,900 feet wide and 570 feet deep -- huge (check it out here). We decided not to pay the entrance fee though to go visit the incredible sight because a bunch of rain was in the area, but we did drive the long road approaching it. We could see the rim of the crater rising up from the distance. But also on the long desert road we were given some excellent landscape scenes of rain all around the horizon. Here are a few pictures of the peaceful scene:

Scenic Rain on Meteor Crater Road Scenic Rain on Meteor Crater Road


After turning around on Meteor Crater Road, we continued our detour away from Sedona to visit Winslow, AZ, which is a famous town on the historic Route 66! However, I'm saving an entire blog post on our ride on Route 66 so you'll hear about it later.

We decided it was time for us to make our way into Sedona so we could witness another sunset! Boy were we in for a treat. Sedona, often called "Red Rock Country", is an absolute beautiful playground of giant red rock formations, beautiful green trees, and an interesting vibe. It sort of reminded me of the feel of Asheville, North Carolina. The drive into Sedona along the Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive, as it winds it's way through the rugged mountains, is known as one of America's top 5 scenic drives. And the interesting small mountain town of Sedona offers plenty of things to do, arts and shopping, eating, and fun. It's also heard many times that "yes, God created the Grand Canyon, but He lives in Sedona". However people interpret the "spiritual" experiences of visiting Sedona, I do know for sure that my God put on his best sunset show of our trip that evening as we were in Sedona for the first time. 

Sedona Sunset

The first few pictures are from our hotel room when we first arrived at Sedona. Then we made our way to the Airport Scenic View for the most amazing sunset show of our trip. As you could see, the sky and clouds were adding up for a perfect light show. Enjoy as you watch the sunset develop!

As if that already wasn't good enough, all around us the show continued.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. ~Psalm 19:1

Is God amazing, or what? What an amazing way to end our day after we weren't expecting much to happen on this particular day of our trip. By then we were pretty tired and running on the little adrenaline we had left...but this amazing sunset completely rejuvenated us! It was great timing, because we had an action packed 4th of July ahead of us the next morning!!
 

4-Wheel Driving in Sedona - Jeep Rubicon Style

Hands down my most adventurous Independence Day, what better way to celebrate America than 4-wheel driving on some of the most rugged roads in Sedona, AZ! Early Friday morning we picked up our new set of wheels we would have for the entire day - our jacked up olive green Jeep Rubicon. As soon as I sat in it with it's top down, I fell in love ;). But later I found out just what all this amazing vehicle could do!

Sedona is unique in that it offers numerous off road backcountry roads that are accessible only for 4WD or ATV. The famous "Pink Jeeps Tours" are seen everywhere in town giving people tours off the beaten path. But if you want to truly experience Sedona 4WD for yourself, I recommend renting your own off road vehicle, preferably a Jeep from Barlows. This experience was one of the most rugged and fun things I've ever done. We felt like kings of the road as we were able to tear and climb our way through Sedona backwood trails to see some amazing places in Sedona that most visitors aren't able to see unless they were to hike a long ways or rent a 4WD. I quickly got my taste of experience driving 4-wheel drive as we did six 4WD trails during the day including the most famous and strenuous in Sedona - The Broken Arrow Trail. I look forward to sharing with you videos that I got from my GoPro when I create my trip movie. Until then, I hope you enjoy the scenes as we drive through the Sedona backcountry!

Meet Rubicon...

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Our planned last off road trail was to drive to the Devil's Bridge trail head, where we would get out of the Jeep to hike about 1 mile to this awesome natural bridge shown below. We were successful in doing so, however our 4th of July ended early as you'll see in the video down below. We were hoping to be able to see one last epic sunset, but mother nature had other plans in mind! (see video below)

 

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A little rain storm and flash flooding didn't bother the Rubicon nor us, but just ended our evening a little early...but just so we could go and enjoy a nice Mexican dinner in Sedona! All in all, what an awesome 4th of July 2014 it was! This will be one I can share for many years to come. God sure has blessed America and I truly love this land!

Stay tuned as I wrap up our Desert Road Trip blog posts with our final journey along the historic Historic Route 66! We sure were cruisin'  and "takin' it easy"! 
 

God Bless!

Previous blog posts: Zion National Park  |  Horseshoe Bend  |  Antelope Canyon  |  Monument Valley

CLICK HERE to view my Grand Canyon photo gallery and order prints

Day 4 of our trip and we have already experienced the unique Narrows hike of Zion National Park, the unbelievable sunset view of Horseshoe Bend, the adventurous kayaking trip on Lake Powell, the mesmerizing scenes of Antelope Canyon, and the majestic monuments of Monument Valley and yet we still haven't seen what many people consider one of the seven wonders of the world! It just goes to show how many amazing places this part of America has to offer.

After our adventurous tour of Monument Valley, we packed up our car again to make our 155 mile journey to the Grand Canyon. Our desired route had us go to the south rim entrance of Grand Canyon National Park to view all of the famous overlooks such as Desert View, Lipan Point, Moran Point, Grandview, and more. We would later make our way to our lodge in Grand Canyon Village for the night, but first we of course had to watch yet another epic sunset!

Approaching the Grand Canyon National Park wasn't exactly what I had always envisioned. I have always thought of the area around the canyon being extremely desert-like, however I was proved wrong as we drove up the beautiful mountains on US 64 towards the park entrance. I was surprised at how the drive reminded me a lot of back home in the Blue Ridge Mountains with the pine forests and mountains. The unexpected dreary rain in the area that day probably helped in giving me that sense of the Smoky Mountains as well. The drive had us travel up to 7500 feet elevation to the first major overlook - Desert View. After driving out of the forest and approaching the rim, I was delighted with my first ever view of the Grand Canyon! The looming clouds and rain showers in the area certainly gave us a unique first view of the amazing place!



 

The Grand Canyon Sunset - Grandview Point

After leaving Desert View, we hit all of the other overlooks before eventually making it to our desired location to watch the sunset - Grandview Point. After hiking down the trail several yards, I quickly found my spot on top of a ledge where I would set up for sunset. As I was setting up my tripod I was greeted by another photographer who was coming out to the same location (my first picture below). After telling him this was my first visit to the Grand Canyon and first sunset, I was soon made aware that he was a published photographer well known in this amazing land and has the privilege of photographing it many times. It was a pleasant experience getting to meet him and hear his tips he provided for my first time shooting in the Grand Canyon. I encourage you to check out Adam's award-winning work! www.adamschallau.com

It was amazing being able to photograph my first sunset in this such special place in the world. As I quickly got caught up in the moment of firing off pictures of all of the beautiful scenes that the light display was making, I made sure just to pause for a moment also just to take the view in for myself. I hope these photographs uplift you as well!

   

Grand Canyon Ooh Aah Point - South Kaibab Trail

After getting an excellent nights rest in our lodge in Grand Canyon Village, we headed out early the next morning to being our short hike along the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point. On this trail we got a small taste of what hiking down into the canyon is like. If we had more time to spend there, I would have loved to continue to hike further down into the canyon but I can save that for another trip. :) The hike to Ooh Aah Point, however, did make us do just that. It was such a beautiful way to experience the Grand Canyon during the morning light and with the gorgeous white clouds.

Last two were shot with my GoPro!

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CLICK HERE to view my Grand Canyon photo gallery and order prints

Stay tuned as our we continue our last stretch of our amazing Desert Road Trip! We will continue our route south to Sedona, Arizona where there's plenty more for us to see!

God Bless!

Previous blog posts: Zion National Park  |  Horseshoe Bend  |  Antelope Canyon

Saddle up! Our Desert Road Trip has taken a turn to the good ol' classic west! After leaving Antelope Canyon around noon, we headed out 117 miles towards one of the most famous "western" locations in the world - Monument Valley. Featured in many great classic movies such as John Wayne's cowboy films, Chevy Chase's National Lampoons Vacation, Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump, and Johnny Depp's The Lone Ranger, this majestic place is actually reserved for the Navajo Nation as well. Hi ho Silver, away!



 

Monument Valley - Navajo Reservation

CLICK HERE to order prints of my Monument Valley photos

Our trip to Monument Valley was filled with many great stories and memories. This land is undoubtedly real, non commercialized/developed and held dearly by the Navajo people. Not only do you sense that from just being there, but I learned it while on our tour of the valley with our excellent Navajo guide...which I will get to later. Therefore, this blog post will be longer but I'll break it up into sections. (1) The first thing we wanted to see when we approached Monument Valley was the classic scene in many photographs and movies...but we had to drive past the actual park entrance north on US 163 into Utah to mile marker 13. (2) The next section I'll share with you my dramatic sunset and sunrise shots. (3) Then finally I'll share with you my photos I got while on our Navajo Tour of the valley the next day.

Mile Marker 13
I did a little research before our trip and I found out one of the famous scenes of Monument Valley is actually taken from Utah on US 163 coming into the park in Arizona. If you've ever seen Forrest Gump, you'll remember seeing Tom Hanks running down the road with Monument Valley behind him. The drive along this road is absolutely beautiful as it takes you through the vast valley while you observe all of the stone monuments surrounding you. Once we got to mile marker 13, we pulled off on the sandy pull off to begin taking pictures in the road. Also on this pull off were two young Navajo guys with 3 horses tied up and a cardboard sign next to them saying "Picture on the horse for $5". Needless to say, it was too hard to pass that offer down at this epic location.

Sunset & Sunrise from The View Hotel
Hands down the best place to stay in Monument Valley is actually right in the park. The closest town is Kayenta, AZ which is 30 miles away. But it's certainly worth to spend the money to stay at The View Hotel. This hotel is Navajo run and operated and is beautifully built on the mountain ridge above Monument Valley to blend into the land. The hotel is gorgeous inside with a bunch of Native American themes and touches to the decor. But the best part about the place is each room has a balcony view of the valley down below. Also all along the outside of the hotel is plenty of places to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet stillness of the massive scene.

Being a photographer, I had already done my research and knew of a location where I wanted to get my sunset and sunrise shots. So, we did not stay on our balcony during them but rather went out in front of the hotel along with many other people. As a matter of fact, there are signs along the patio of the hotel showing where Ansel Adams' favorite photo location was and where John Wayne's favorite place to watch the sunset! After we watched the sunset that night, we went back to our room to sit on the balcony and observe the billions of stars. As we did, we noticed that The View Hotel shows an old John Wayne outdoor film almost every night against the side of the hotel. How cool is that? Night was short for us though, as we woke up at 5:30 AM the next morning to go out and watch the sunrise! Let the show begin...

These are all views directly in front of The View Hotel. Notice the dirt road down below. It is highly recommended only by Navajo guided tours and not by your own vehicle. The road is extremely rough and causes many flat tires. You'll see once I get to our tour during the next day...


Sunrise the next morning!



Navajo Guided Tour of the Valley
If you have the opportunity to visit this beautiful place, you absolutely must take a guided tour of the valley before you leave. You haven't truly experienced Monument Valley without doing so. Most people think the 3 stone monuments (aka Mittens) are what's all of Monument Valley because those are the iconic views. But actually the valley has many more monuments to explore and a see! Without having a Navajo guided tour down the horrendous dirt road, we would have never experienced it.

Our guide was a gentle older man named Harry with his safari-like chevy pick-up that about 8 of us sat behind. He grew up in the valley among many other natives around there. As a matter of fact, he told us actually only about 17 families still live primitively in the valley. He was such a great tour guide and shared with us many special stories about the land and him growing up. It was very interesting learning about the Navajo culture and the history of the majestic place. But by far the best part of the tour was when he had our group lay against the rock wall beneath a humongous natural arch while he played his Native American flute and drum. He even sang Amazing Grace in Navajo. All of it gave me chills. I was able to take many GoPro videos of the ride while hanging on to my seat on the back of the bumpy ride and I look forward to sharing them in the trip movie I plan to make.

The first 3 shots were with my GoPro from the back of the truck...

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Best come prepared for some hot, dusty, dry roads!
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Does this ledge look familiar? It's because it's the same place Johnny Depp stood on his horse during The Lone Ranger! Just google "Johnny Depp Monument Valley" and see for yourself!

"Eye of the Sun" First of 4 natural arch formations we got to see! Just amazing!

"Ear of the Wind" Second of 4 natural arch formations we got to see! This one too was huge!

3rd of 4 natural arches we got to see. This is the one that we got to listen to the Native American flute while laying against the cave wall! See the video below.

Well thanks for reading this far on my Monument Valley post! As I've said in my previous posts about our Desert Road Trip, each day continued to get more and more adventurous as you can see. There are so many interesting places to visit out in this country and Monument Valley is certainly a place I will never forget.

CLICK HERE to view my Monument Valley photo gallery and order prints

Stay tuned as our next stop is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world! The Grand Canyon!

God Bless!

Previous blog posts: Zion National Park  |  Horseshoe Bend

Only two days into our Desert Road Trip and we already were thinking there's no way we could top the amazing sunset at Horseshoe Bend, kayaking on Lake Powell and the uniqueness of the Narrows in Zion National Park. Then there was Antelope Canyon.

 

Antelope Canyon - Navajo Reservation

CLICK HERE to order prints of my Antelope Canyon photos

Amazing, captivating, mesmerizing, astonishing, photogenic...these are a few words that I can think of after experiencing Antelope Canyon. But words hardly describe what you see in this incredibly unique slot canyon on the Navajo Indian Reservation.

On the morning of our 3rd day of our epic trip, we drove only 5 miles from Page, AZ to one of the most amazing places I've ever seen! (Once again Page, AZ has it all!) The next two days of our trip would be spent on the Native American Navajo Reservation, which is the largest land area assigned to Native Americans in the United States. These were some of my most reverential days of the trip as I visited these Navajo landmarks and had a great sense of understanding for their appreciation of their natural surroundings - and for me, just observing how creative God is! It's hard for someone to experience these marvelous places and not fathom there is a Creator!

To the older Navajo generations, entering a place like Antelope Canyon was like entering a cathedral, in which they would show great respect and come away with a spiritual experience. Antelope Canyon is separated into two separate photogenic sections - Upper Antelope Canyon (The Crack) and Lower Antelope Canyon (The Corkscrew). However, to get into the canyons, you must have a Navajo tour guide take you through them. The Navajo Nation is pretty strict about preserving their natural wonders (thankfully), so some of the rules and prices maybe a little steep but definitely worth it. For photographers wanting to photograph the canyon, in order to bring a tripod and have an extended amount of time down there, you have to purchase a photography tour, which is twice as expensive as the regular tour. For our trip I sacrificed my tripod and just took the normal tour and fortunately it was a great success! During our tour, our young Navajo guide gave me plenty of tips of how to set my camera to get excellent shots inside the canyon. And without a tripod to hold my camera sturdy, I think I was able to get some pretty awesome shots!

Our Navajo guide said that every tour that she gives, almost every person runs out of memory card space before then end of the tour! And she was exactly right as every single turn in the slot canyon presented remarkable photo subjects. Fortunately I have a pretty hefty memory card, but I did take up a ton of space during this trip.

Well, without further to do, I know that you will enjoy these incredible shots of Lower Antelope Canyon. Keep in mind, what you see is actually what I saw (not much editing involved)! This place truly is a remarkable wonder with many abstract designs and textures that allows your photo imagination to run wild. If you can't see it someday for yourself, its my hope that my pictures will take you there now! Enjoy.


Entering Antelope Canyon from above, hard to believe what's below:

Do you see the lion's head and mane?

Your imagination runs wild down there. Looks like something's hungry for a bite...

The maze of the slot canyon continues...up and down the ladders!

Painting lavender...

It's like walking through the maze of mirrors at a fair. You just keep walking through the pathways with so much to see!

Can't get enough of it!

I see another lion face! Do you?

And now my favorite! Do you see the Lady in the Wind?

Standing in awe

The light beam. There's many chances to see instances like this down there, if you catch it at the right time!

After hiking alittle over a mile in the slot canyon, we emerge from beneath to the surface!

Now if that's not incredible, I don't know what is! A lot of these images would look awesome on canvas and I plan to do some for myself! Click here you're interested in purchasing one of my Antelope Canyon photos!

Stay tuned as we continue our journey through the Navajo Nation to one of the most classic locations for a lot of Western movies, including all of the old John Wayne classics! Can't wait to take you there.

Until then, God Bless!

Previous blog posts: Zion National Park

After a spectacular but short stay in Zion National Park, we continued out of the park the second morning of our trip but did the Canyon Overlook Trail hike like I mentioned in my previous blog post. We then traveled 117 miles east toward Page, Arizona - which was our next destination to stay for a night. We had a kayak rental reserved to kayak on Lake Powell in Page at noon. This was easily our next highlight of our already epic trip! Lake Powell is a beautiful reservoir off the Colorado River and the closest source that begins to carve out the Grand Canyon several miles away. This beautiful oasis of water out in the middle of dry desert land is easily a major playground for people in the surrounding Page area. As I said, the 5 hour long kayak trip became a highlight of our trip as we were able to paddle to several unbelievable locations such as Lone Rock, a slot canyon, and a jumping-off rock. I wasn't crazy enough to bring my SLR camera with me on that trip, so I didn't get any pictures. But I have plenty of GoPro footage that I plan to use for a trip video. Or you can check out the pictures the kayak guide got of us on their Flickr site (scroll to the bottom of the link to see our trip): https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiddencanyonkayak/sets/72157645041533337/  

I will post pictures of Lake Powell on my Seth Berry Photography Facebook page if you're interested in seeing them. But, the main photography highlight from our day in Page, AZ was definitely sunset. Only two days into our adventurous packed trip, sunset #2 easily won my #1 on my trip favorites! Welcome to Horseshoe Bend, AZ!
 

Horseshoe Bend - Sunset

CLICK HERE to order prints of my Horseshoe Bend photos

Little do you know that only 5 miles outside of Page, Arizona on US Route 89 lies one of the most amazing scenes foreshadowing the Grand Canyon! This site which is accessible by pulling off the side of the road and hiking about a mile on sand dunes is surprisingly not an official park, so it is often passed by travelers with great regret. After the Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell, the Colorado River continues to wind it's way toward the Grand Canyon. In doing so, it has created a magnificent gorge with canyon walls high above the river down below. The Colorado dramatically turns in a horseshoe fashion creating what we know as Horseshoe Bend. Viewing Horseshoe Bend will leave you in complete awe and shock as you see the unusual beauty and the terrifying depth of the shear drop off from the edge above. But the view is completely worth it and even more worth it during a sunset.

On our particular trip, we started out of the car hiking toward Horseshoe Bend around 6:30. The so called "monsoon season" that the area was beginning to experience thankfully brought us some amazing clouds in the sky! It also brought us forceful brisk winds. So hiking on the sand dunes toward Horseshoe Bend was actually painful as we were constantly getting stung on our arms and face by blowing sand. As you see in my first series of shots, as you're walking its hard to believe there is a 1000 foot drop off around the horizon. You can also see the sand storms off in the distance.

Unbelievably as you approach Horseshoe Bend you notice the shear drop off, but only as you get closer to the edge will you see the beautiful green Colorado River way down below. Its a remarkable site to see. It didn't take me long to claim my spot on the edge and set up my tripod to prepare for the sunset. I say this because evening brings multiple dozens of photographers and even more viewers trying to get the perfect shot at the perfect location. It was nice to be able to find my spot and sit there for the next several hours as I just took in the amazing view I had before me. Its funny, actually back in February my roommates and I built a puzzle when we were snowed in our apartment and the puzzle was an unrealistic view of Horseshoe Bend. Little did I know that I would be sitting in the exact location see just how real it really is!

It's my pleasure to share with you some of my favorite pictures of my trip - Horseshoe Bend! But remember, God designed this...I just had the opportunity to capture it!


Approaching Horseshoe Bend

Trail to Horseshoe Bend

Trail to Horseshoe Bend

Trail to Horseshoe Bend

Trail to Horseshoe Bend

Trail to Horseshoe Bend

Trail to Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend Sunset 15

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend Sunset 1