Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’re not going back!

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

So many bastards, so little time.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Not all heroes wear capes.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

T R E 4 5 O N

You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On the Road and In Your Backyard

On the Road and In Your Backyard

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

Good Morning All,

This weekday feature is for Juicers who are are on the road, traveling, or just want to share a little bit of their world via stories and pictures. So many of us rise each morning, eager for something beautiful, inspiring, amazing, subtle, of note, and our community delivers – a view into their world, whether they’re far away or close to home – pictures with a story, with context, with meaning, sometimes just beauty. By concentrating travel updates and tips here, it’s easier for all of us to keep up or find them later.

So please, speak up and share some of your adventures and travel news here, and submit your pictures using our speedy, secure form. You can submit up to 7 pictures at a time, with an overall description and one for each picture.

You can, of course, send an email with pictures if the form gives you trouble, or if you are trying to submit something special, like a zipped archive or a movie. If your pictures are already hosted online, then please email the links with your descriptions.

For each picture, it’s best to provide your commenter screenname, description, where it was taken, and date. It’s tough to keep everyone’s email address and screenname straight, so don’t assume that I remember it “from last time”. More and more, the first photo before the fold will be from a commenter, so making it easy to locate the screenname when I’ve found a compelling photo is crucial.

Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the pictures!

 

Just a head’s up folks – there are a number of issues I’ll be fixing the next few days. I’ll be posting pics tomorrow and Friday from email and hopefully we’ll get back to a more normal flow next week.

Enjoy these pics – there will be one more related set from JR next week.

Today, pictures from valued commenter J R in WV.

This is the last set of pictures from our 2008 trip through New Mexico, Arizona, and (barely) Utah, which is where Monument Valley is, mostly. Somewhat, anyway. We try to avoid Utah, at least spending money there.

Monument Valley

Taken on 2008-05-31

Monument Valley. Duh!

All I know is what you’re seeing. My first time working with TIFFs which are complicated, and I lost the date/exposure/etc.

This is as real as it gets. You can see how white the clouds are, and for me that means I haven’t done any color tinkering at all. It was clear and that is exactly how red the Monuments are. Also notice how not flat the valley floor is – covered with gullies and arroyos, many of them with top edges that protrude out over the walls, making it impossible to get up out of the gully.

Crossing this on horseback would be impossible in a hurry.

Monument Valley # 2

Taken on 2008-05-31

Monument Valley…

Pretty sweet. We didn’t go for a guide, we just drove around the dirt road, which is all you’re allowed to do without a guide. I would like to do a pack trip and camp out in the spring, or stay in one of the hogans to see the night sky.

There is a new hotel on the edge of the valley which was being built when we were there. It looks pretty nice, and all the rooms over look this view.

Monument Valley #3

Taken on 2008-05-31

The place is staggering.

No photo, no film, no video can replicate being there, not IMAX, nothing.

These huge towers of rock seem to go on forever. Here you can also see how rough the layers of rock are and what that does to the valley floor. I wish I had the shooting data, because I think it really adds to these to know the focal length in particular. It was a sunny day with a light skiff of pretty clouds.

The date is estimated.

Monument Valley # 4

Taken on 2008-05-30

Here’s a misleading shot with greenery leading you to think THIS valley floor isn’t impassable. HAHAHA!

I like how the towers seem to line up and recede from left to right into the distance. It’s a trick, they’re everywhere.

Monument Valley # 5

Taken on 2008-05-30

What can you say…? I haven’t been there yet, but to compare this with Stonehenge… nah. I mean, they built that, and that’s amazing for 4000 years ago. But this is the real deal, assembled by the Gods, by hand.

Monument Valley # 6

Taken on 2008-05-30

Maybe I could arrange these in order so it would make a flow, have more of a visual meaning? nah. It’s just awesome, all of them.

There were 200 pictures of them, and all of them weren’t picked. That’s the main talent here, knowing which ones are best.

Framed.

Because at any given spot you do have 360 degrees of these towers, and you have to pick one to shoot, and then in post you pick the best of those. So here they are, the best I could do with it. What can you say?

 

Thank you so much J R in WV, do send us more when you can.

 

Travel safely everybody, and do share some stories in the comments, even if you’re joining the conversation late. Many folks confide that they go back and read old threads, one reason these are available on the Quick Links menu.

 

One again, to submit pictures: Use the Form or Send an Email

Reader Interactions

45Comments

  3. 3.

    Quinerly

    Beautiful pictures! Brings back memories of being in Bluff, UT for a week last year. Also love Valley of the Gods and that wild Moki Dugway drive. Gotta get moving….I have a long drive through OK to look forward to today. Poco has had his beauty sleep. Me? I need to work on that tonight.? Have a great day everyone! Thanks JR in WV.

  4. 4.

    Elizabelle

    @Quinerly: Safe travels. I am going to ask Ms. Duinne to share your FB address with me, if possible. Have delusions of maybe showing up out west for a meetup. Albeit, still on other side of the pond without a date certain to return. That said, have been watching your planning for PocoRoadtrip 2018 with great interest.

    Keep us posted, and I hope a govt shutdown does not interfere. I would love to know enough German to hear what people are saying here.

    One thing: even the Republicans I know over here are blaming the worsening exchange rate on Trump. LOL. It’s a start. Rate is markedly worse than the summer, and rising. Don’t like costs rising, but if that’s what it takes for some previously oblivious types to take notice, so it goes.

  5. 5.

    Quinerly

    @Elizabelle: Poco has asked about you.? I’m pretty easy to find on the Book of Faces. Another “satby” exception for you. Gotta get a move on. You know how BilinGlendale worries.?

  8. 8.

    J R in WV

    I encourage folks to clck on the photos to get a full sized look at them.

    Thanks for the encouraging comments, also. The feedback is so helpful !

  9. 9.

    JPL

    The pictures are magnificent, and thanks to JR for sending them in.
    It’s 16 degrees and snowing. Although there is only an inch so far, the roads are a mess. The city sent out a message to stay home. I have pet safe ice melt, which I’ll put down for the mutt. Oh the joys of living in the south.

  11. 11.

    J R in WV

    @JPL:

    Yes, and I really believe they are as seen. Click on each photo to get the full sized can be blown up version. Thanks!

    It’s 10 here this morning. Yesterday by 6 or so we had 6 or 7 inches of fluffy snow, and when I went to take short stuff dog home to the neighbors, in vehicle (AWD with shoe tires) I got turned around into their driveway, but 50 yards in I found that their 4×4 PU truck was stick in their driveway at the switchback turn. So I dumped short stuff off closer to home, with tracks to follow on home.

    We will probably plow out the roads today, and try to get the truck up to the house after that.

    Quinerly, take care, keep in touch!! Post photos with Alain, please!

  12. 12.

    jacy

    Freezing snow in Baton Rouge this morning! Which means absolutely everything is closed. (Yes, an eighth of an inch of snow DOES bring the city to a halt.) Reason to stay toasty inside, but the critters are not going to be happy…

  13. 13.

    ThresherK

    These are prettier than the proverbial postcards.

    Makes a duffer like me want to learn what all those buttons on my camera do. And watch something by John Ford.

  14. 14.

    hamletta

    Hey, since you’re the site fixer: I’ve noticed the Twitter posts generated for each BJ post are truncated before they can get to the link.

  16. 16.

    Sab

    @jacy: My brother- in- law lives in Baton Rouge because his amazing Cajun wife won’t leave her family and her heritage. He always calls us to chortle when we have snow and he is warm. We call and chortle in the summer when he is being steam-baked and we don’t need the air-conditioner. This last year was weird weather. His household needed to be rescued by boat from storm flooding in a neighborhood that had never had that. Yikes.

    We still intend to call and chortle this morning.

    That’s just us v him. Best wishes for you in the unseasonable weather. It’s always unpleasant when the weather outstrips the local municipality’s capabilities, and that happens to everyone in every climate.

  17. 17.

    jacy

    @Sab:

    It’s funny, because because I’m from Colorado (even though I’ve been trapped here for 20 years, I’m STILL from Colorado) and I’ve found I’ve forgotten how to maneuver in the cold weather. We went to the movies the other night and I wore a skirt and mocassins. And then bitterly complained for several hours because my knees were cold……. The kids are just happy because they keep getting snow days even when there’s just a smidgen of snow.

  19. 19.

    Sab

    Everyone who goes to Monument Valley takes photos and they mostly turn out ok because it looks like Monument Valley.

    These, on the other hand, are gorgeous. Thanks.

  20. 20.

    Quinerly

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: @J R in WV: @JPL: @Elizabelle: And we have lift off. I’ve been lounging around watching MJ waiting for Ozark to tell me I “suck.” I think that was his battle cry last year this time of year. Time flies! Can’t wait any longer. Well wishes to all and especially to raven when he shows up. Love this AM feature.

  22. 22.

    Sab

    @jacy: I have been telling my 93 year old dad for a month that no we can’t go for a ride in the car because it’s 8 degrees outside with snow and ice, and if the car can’t get up the steep driveway he’ll never make it with his walker.

    So he goes and sits in his chair and bitches to his cat about how unreasonable I am. The cat agrees, since I refuse to fix the outside weather. I can’t wait ’til spring, when those two pipe down. That cat will have car rides this summer whether he likes them or not

  23. 23.

    satby

    @Elizabelle: hey, while you’re doing that, friend me too! Both Quinerly and I are FB buddies with Ms. Dunne. Quinerly is obvious, and since I think you know my real name so am I.

  24. 24.

    Amir Khalid

    As I remember, makers of movie and TV Westerns have “relocated” Monument Valley many a time for their purposes. The Lone Ranger movie a few years ago, the one with Armand Hammer and Johnny Depp, put it in Texas.

  25. 25.

    Amir Khalid

    Why is the page taking forever to refresh? Did someone miss a feeding for the server hamsters again?

  29. 29.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @J R in WV:

    I’ll add my voice to the choir: those photos are simply stunning! I gather from Alain’s introductory notes that there are more to come next week. Wonderful!

  32. 32.

    Waratah

    We stopped at Monument Valley on our way to to Yellowstone. As beautiful as JR’S photos are it is like the Grand Canyon you really have to go see it.

  34. 34.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Quinerly: Ozark’s youngest was in a bad accident – he’s on his way to NOLA to see him. (per this morning’s open thread – comment 60)

    Safe travels to you (and Poco)

  36. 36.

    Alain the site fixer

    @Amir Khalid: I’ll be working on that a bit later today, so hopefully when you check the site tomorrow (for you), it’ll be ship-shape!

  37. 37.

    opiejeanne

    Beautiful photos, J R.
    35 years ago we travelled through the area and took pictures and on the same roll of film there were photos of Bryce and Red Canyon, UT. The guy who developed the film must not have believed the colors he was seeing because he adjusted them until the less red places were really washed out and the brilliant reds were kind of brownish. very disappointing. I should have sent them back for a new batch of prints with an explanation, at their expense but I was young and not good at confrontation.
    So glad for digital cameras.

  38. 38.

    laura

    @Quinerly: One of his boy’s had a bad accident and he’s heading to NOLA now.
    Safe travels for you and the Poco. Write when you can. Lots of details in describing prickly pear drinks and desserts please.

    JR in WV, these photos are just so lovely.
    Our nation is beautiful and enduring, come what may.

  44. 44.

    J R in WV

    I just want to thank everyone for the compliments.

    I took them as I saw them, this was the cream of a whole lot of photos, so maybe the talent in this case was in selection of the best from a whole lot. The Navajo park folks have little wooden signs at several overlooks that tell which scenes in which John Huston movie were shot there, which was pretty funny. The place is a long way from no where, but worth the trip.

    As nice as the photos are, they cannot duplicate being there and looking all around at the scene, like the Grand Canyon. Thanks again!

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