Natural Beauty Beyond Compare

Discussion in 'Travel & Vacation' started by Frank Sanoica, Oct 18, 2021.

  1. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    9,297
    Likes Received:
    10,626
    [​IMG]

    This is Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. Note the desolation, free of cars, trucks, buildings, cities, pollution, etc. My wife and I spent many hours hiking and gawking here some years back. I would be happy if my last steps upon this Earth were taken in those mountains!

    Frank
     
    #1
  2. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2018
    Messages:
    21,516
    Likes Received:
    45,463
    What??? Where's my photo?? :p

    (Sorry @Frank Sanoica ; I couldn't resist. :D) Many of our state and national parks are breathtakingly beautiful.
     
    #2
  3. Ed Wilson

    Ed Wilson Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2019
    Messages:
    2,118
    Likes Received:
    3,827
    It is beautiful and a totally different landscape from the east.
     
    #3
    Marie Mallery and Frank Sanoica like this.
  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    May 29, 2020
    Messages:
    24,645
    Likes Received:
    35,721
    I've lived in Virginia since I was 9 years old, and Indiana before then. We vacationed on Lake Michigan and near Ocean City Maryland. We never ventured west.

    I finally took a week in New Mexico (with a couple I met on another forum) in 2008. I landed in Albuquerque and drove 200 miles up to the Colorado border. Before that trip I had a business meeting on the Arizona/Mexico border, so flew in to Phoenix and and opted to drive the rest of the way (again about 200 miles) so I could see at least a little bit of that part of the nation. It certainly is different from the eastern part of the country. While I would not want to lose the seasons and the greenery I'm accustomed to, the west has its own stark beauty.

    I've always said I would not want to live in a city with all those buildings in my face because I'm used to a horizon. Then I think someone here posted a pic stating how much she liked the vast openness of where she lived out west, and it reminded me of those trips and made my tree-lined horizon feel smaller.
     
    #4
    Marie Mallery and Frank Sanoica like this.
  5. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    9,297
    Likes Received:
    10,626
    @John Brunner

    You may not be aware of just how extensive the climatic "span" is in Arizona. Where we are located it never snows, winter low temperatures are rarely below the freeze mark, rainfall is sparse, which limits growth of larger plant life, only desert trees found naturally are Mesquite and a variety of different Palo Verde.

    Only 170 miles east of us, around Flagstaff, snow can occur 12 months of a year (but usually subsides after June), summertime highs may be around 80 degrees, lows in the 40s normally. 150+ inches of snow a year. Trees?

    Humphrey Peak, highest point in Arizona:

    [​IMG]

    Flagstaff trainstation:
    [​IMG]


    Typical Flagstaff area highway scene:
    [​IMG]


    Town of Flagstaff nestled below Humphrey Peak:
    [​IMG]
     
    #5
  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
    Staff Member Senior Staff Greeter Task Force Registered

    Joined:
    May 29, 2020
    Messages:
    24,645
    Likes Received:
    35,721
    That's insane. We have swings here (probably not so extreme) from the Atlantic coast to the mountains.

    The one thing I recall when driving through Arizona at night was "What a great place to bring my telescope." I guess you'd still have to be pretty far from a city.
     
    #6
    Frank Sanoica likes this.
  7. Marie Mallery

    Marie Mallery Veteran Member
    Registered

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2021
    Messages:
    10,926
    Likes Received:
    10,111
    It is beautiful many of our parks and nature preserves are.
     
    #7
    Frank Sanoica likes this.

Share This Page