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Posts tagged hiking

Chapel Trail

10-photo photomerge from Chapel Trail

On Sunday morning, January 1, 2017 we decided to go to church. We dropped Ellie off at the “Church of the Rowing Machine” for her daily, 2-hour ergathon. We headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, Arizona. The chapel itself is way overrated, although the views from there are as spectacular as dozens of other locations in Sedona. On our way away from the crowds, back down the hill, we noticed a sign for “Chapel Trail” on the other side of a small fence/gate. We had another hour to kill before picking up Ellie so we went through the gate even though it had an odd sign on it that seemed to indicate that this was not the trailhead. The gate was unlocked and the sign said something about being closed 5 p.m. – 8 a.m. so we figured the trail was closed at night.

Wow! What a trail! The conditions were perfect as it had rained the night before and sun occasionally broke through. The rain really brought out the colors in the rock. No one was on this most beautiful trail. That seemed odd given the hundreds of people bumping into each other at the nearby chapel.

Today’s photo is of “The Nuns”. The scene was stunning, but I didn’t have my wide-angle lens with me. So this photo is actually a composite of 10 photos. I took five vertical photos across the top, five vertical photos across the bottom, and then photomerged them into this final product. I had never done a photomerge of two rows of photos before. It will be my new go-to method when I need to capture more of a scene than my lens can handle. The only downside is the rock formation looks farther away from the viewer than reality. In real life The Nuns were right in my face.

End of Trail

cathedral rock sedona

Cathedral Rock Trail (Sedona, Arizona)

Today we depart Sedona and head back to Las Vegas.

高幡不動尊の山内八十八ヶ所めぐり

hino statue Takahata Fudoson Kongo-ji Temple the heart sutra

Portion of the Heart Sutra on a bib at Takahata Fudoson Kongo-ji Temple

Nearly seven years ago I promised to discuss “adventures around the City of Hino”. Those memories have since faded, and the details are all but gone.

This photo is my random, desktop image of the day, though, and it’s from that day. Doing a bit of internet research reveled that it is one of the 88 spots along the trail in Hino (山内八十八ヶ所めぐり). The 88 spots are supposed to mirror those on the Shikoku pilgrimage (四国遍路).

If you are living in Tokyo for an extended period of time, this place may be a good excursion if you want a bit of a walk. I don’t recall it being at all strenuous. Here is a map of the mountain walk next to the temple:

山内八十八ヶ所クイズめぐり — 高幡不動尊金剛寺 — map

Family Portrait

Family portrait in the Kilauea Iki Crater

昇仙峡園地

shosenkyo sign

Should you ever stumble upon the above sign, be sure to look around as you will find yourself in one of the most spectacular natural scenes in the world.

昇仙峡 shosenkyo kofu yamanashi japan

昇仙峡

Strangely, I was the only person there. Given the heat (humid and over 100 degrees), I wasn’t too surprised. I’m guessing this location is rather crowded on a weekend in spring or fall.

There is a picnic table next to the Arakawa River at this spot. Bring a bento, and enjoy the view.

Walla Walla walk

Walla Walla Walkin

I had hours to kill in Walla Walla last Friday. I was thinking about going to Palouse Falls, but it rained all morning, and I didn’t want to drive over 3 hours round trip with a chance of not seeing the falls due to rain. When things cleared up I opted for a shorter drive and walk (from Rooks Park to Bennington Lake where this photo was taken). The sky was really pretty the entire time. In some ways I was regretting not seeing Palouse Falls with such a spectacular sky, but it was too late at that point to make the trip. Next time…