Telescope Peak Summit, Death Valley, Zion

Hi Y'all,

A few more pics from the hiking in California, Nevada, and Utah in August.

Rocky on Telescope Peak (elev 11,048'), with Badwater Basin (elev -282') in Death Valley in the background.

Rocky at Badwater Basin.

The intersection of Zion Canyon and Pine Creek Canyon, Zion National Park.

Also, be sure to surf over to the City of Knoxville 100 Block Construction Blog for a few photos I dug out of the KUB archives of downtown Knoxville in 1961.

Later...
G

Mt. Whitney Summit

Hi Y'all,

Hopefully, I'll find the time to post a few more pics from the August adventure out west. I'll start with the money shot, looking west from the summit of Mt. Whitney, 14,495' above sea level.

The entire hike was one day, covering 21 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 6,132'. The trail offers a tantalizing peek into Sequoia National Park, but that will be another trip someday.

Of course, this year's travels are far from over. I'm very excited about returning to Belgium and visiting France for the first time, all in a few short weeks. Until then, I'll be adding a photo or two from the last trip, which involved Death Valley, Mt. Whitney, Zion NP, Hoover Dam, and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Not a bad week.

Later...
G

The Ruins of Dungeness

Hi Y'all,

The photo below is of the ruins of Dungeness, taken in March, 2009.


Cumberland Island is a place to which I'll return for a longer visit someday. But the scouting trip during the FL vacation provided an incredible glimpse of the island's ecosystems and man-made influences, including feral horses. Most majestically is Dungeness, former home to Thomas Carnegie's wife, Lucy, at the beginning of the 20th century. The care (both past and future) of the island brings to mind many questions regarding the handling of natural resources, and at what point should man's past contributions be deemed worth preserving.

More information here.

Later...
G

TVA Coal Fly Ash Disaster

Hi Y'all,

Ventured to Roane County on January 17, 2009, to witness for myself the coal fly ash containment breach that occurred just before Christmas. Needless to say, the area is far more impressive in person than what one can see in the media coverage.

First, finding one's way around with respect to the TVA Kingston plant is a series of dead ends due to road closures and detours (mostly on Swan Pond Road and Swan Pond Circle Road). Second, the number of dump trucks coming and going from various cleanup sites on the narrow roads is amazing. When the surrounding area of the breach is found, the truck traffic indicates something of notable size is happening. Travelling along Swan Pond Road, north of the containment location and in the direction of where the waste from the breach settled, a few glimpses of the ash in the areas it settled are evident. However, it isn't until the discovery of Swan Pond Methodist Church that a good vantage is gained overlooking the area of the spill.

The video below is taken from the cemetery at Swan Pond Methodist Church. The location is roughly 1500' north of where the containment area was, and the distribution of ash continues north (camera panning to your left) out of the camera's range for another 1500'. The ash is the gray matter that is clumped throughout the low lying areas on the other side of the road. The people and amphibious earth moving equipment help to give a scale to the size of the ash mounds. The ash had been covered with seed and straw to help prevent erosion from wind and rain.

For an idea of the area before December 22, see Google Maps here and explore the area using Street View. I believe the footage above is very dramatic when compared with the images provided by Google.

For satellite photos of the area, both before and after, see NASA's Earth Observatory site by clicking here.

Later...
G

Autumn Hiking in Colorado

Hi Y'all,

Fantastic trip to Colorado in October, 2008, that included Denver, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Boulder, Idaho Springs, Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak, Blackhawk, Leadville....OK, you get the idea. Saw Great Big Sea at the Paramount in Denver, the Colorado Rapids vs. Houston Dynamo in MLS soccer action, and even toured the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder. One stop that could have been easily overlooked is in the photo below, taken in Alma. One destination for all your shopping needs.



Stay tuned for more highlights from 2008's travels.

Later...
G

Thanksgiving on Max Patch

Hi Y'all,

Here's a pic of the Appalachian Trail atop Max Patch, NC, taken on the Friday after Thanksgiving, 2008, with a view of the Smokies in the background.
Max Patch was surrounded by areas of snowfall, but the top was bare and windswept, with a typical late fall sky further complimenting the distant mountains. Afterwards, the evening was spent relaxing in Hot Springs, NC. A nice end to a great holiday spent with family and friends.

Later...
G