Tennessee: Perhaps one of the most beautiful states to distance yourself from society during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The photos were captured in Barfield Park, which is a city operated park located in Murfreesboro, TN.
The park is only 430 acres in size, but the massive rock formations are breathtaking.
Simply look and you too will be amazed at life.
“Look deeper and you can find some stuff which will amaze you!” ― Deyth Banger
The Grand Canyon 2018
Sometimes the real looks more unreal.
I shot this photo in Arizona where this is a similar site along the roadways and trails. The rocks look more like walls and the mountain peeks look more like statues.
“Life without any wonder left in it is flat and stale.” ― David Eddings
At the Valley of Fire in Nevada the rocks are amazing shades of brilliant red, some almost pink in color.
Some of the mountains of red sandstone can easily crumble to the touch while others have lasted for thousands of years.
Scientist suggest the Aztec Sandstone formed 150 million years ago from shifting sand dunes.
The park was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968.
The park in its brilliant red has reached record temperatures in the summer of 117 degrees.
Record lows have bottomed at 12 degrees during the winters.
The average temperature in the summer is between 100 and 105 degrees (June, July and August). The average winter low is 38 degrees in both December and January.
“Man needs colour to live; it’s just as necessary an element as fire and water.”
A tree of twisting and turning with roots that grow deep into the desert inching along for water that other plants cannot reach.
The tree has leaves that stab like little daggers.
The Joshua Tree is named after the Prophet Joshua from the Bible. Like the tree, Joshua was known to be a man of strength. He was the leader of the Israelite tribes up until Moses died.
The trees only grow in one place... The Mojave Desert. That massive land area consists of 47,877 square miles and is the driest desert in North America.
Amazingly, the Joshua Tree can survive for up to 1,000 years.
The English name of Joshua means “Yehoshua” in Greek. The word Yehoshua means Yahweh in Hebrew and “Yahweh is Salvation.”
“Desert sky, dream beneath the desert sky. The rivers run but soon run dry. We need new dreams tonight. Desert rose, dreamed I saw a desert rose. Dress torn in ribbons and bows. Like a siren she calls (to me)”
In the song that was written by lead vocalist Bono, the desert is used metaphor for "spiritual drought".
Nugget Falls sits to the right of Mendenhall Glacier and actually flows from another nearby glacier known as Nugget Glacier in Alaska.
Read MoreAlaska... “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” ― John Muir, Our National Parks
The mountains in Alaska jut from the earth sharply and are kissed by the crisp cold air as the warmer air below makes its way up. Snow from the top then mixes with the warmer air on its trickle down and creates even more fog, preventing you from seeing the peeks.
Naturalist and father of our National Parks once stated, John Muir stated, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” No truer words were spoken as he was considered a “Wilderness Prophet,” which was his nickname. Muir was one of the true explorers of Alaska in search of beauty, which he became engulfed in.
Some mornings you wake up barely breathing. The next morning you wake up to see what takes your breath away.
"The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see." - Albert Einstein
Photo: I took this in Alaska - Twin mountain tops high above the frigid ocean #alaska, #sonyalpha
Photo of “The Eagle” on sacred Indian Land in the Grand Canyon. By the way, I did not take this photo from the glass Skywalk as you will notice towards the end of this piece.
On my visit to the Grand Canyon Glass Skywalk, I noticed multiple Native Americans working at the ticket booth, the parking lot, in the gift shop and taking photographs for families on the actual skywalk. I wondered why, other than the logical explanation that I was surrounded by tribal land. But, I figured there was more to the story.
As recent as 2012, Native Americans have had issues with the Grand Canyon being used for different purposes. But this issue may have been placed in a negative light due to one tribe in the area.
The Skywalk is built on the lip of the Grand Canyon and juts out over the Colorado River. The land where it was built is on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Arizona. The walk was built under a contract that the Hualapai Council agreed upon with a Las Vegas developer who funded the costly venture.
In 2012 the Hualapai Nation overtook the development company responsible for overseeing the skywalk. The company had a contract in place that did not expire until year 2037, according to an article in Reuters newspaper on March 19, 2012.
Evidently, the Hualapai Nation saw that the Skywalk had potential to keep their families alive and healthy as there is a hefty charge for tourist to walk onto the glass walkway. But, they did not agree with the management or development company and claimed a breach of contract.
5 Years ago, the Native Americans took over or seized the skywalk with the idea of putting their tribe members to work. Of course the original agreement showed that the tribe commissioned the project with an agreement to let the developer run it. After all, the Skywalk is built on land belonging to an Indian tribe while a developer is the one who came in and built the $30-million structure… under contract.
In 2013 a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Hualapai Tribe owed the developer from Las Vegas $28.6 million, according to the USA Today. The judgement came as a result of a contract that was signed with the tribe in 2003. The tribe contended that the developer did not abide by that 2003 contract, which is why they took over the management. The Judge did not see it that way.
The Hualapai tribe consists of 2,000 residents and a 50% jobless rate. Other problems that plague the tribe are reported to be widespread problems with alcohol. Plus, some members view the Skywalk as disturbing because it is built on sacred grounds.
Today, the Hualapai tribe operates the Skywalk. However, they must pay the developer of the project instead of the original contract which had the developer paying them.
As for making that walk onto the Skywalk, you have to pay to ride a bus about 2 miles down a paved road to the site. Then, you have to buy a ticket to make the walk. If you want a photo while on the walkway you have to pay for that as well because cameras are not allowed. The price to walk the walk… About $85 per person.
A Camera is a No-No: If you think you can sneak a camera or cellphone onto the walkway, you are wrong. I tried. You go through a metal detector first, which you can get through with a GoPro, but then you are frisked.
Now you know the rest of the story. Or at least a few more details.
The new graffiti appears to be rock stacking or cairns. While this has been done for centuries to mark burials, ceremonial grounds, trails, directions and more, the National Parks System wants it to be halted.
This photo was taken in a National Park in the area of the Grand Canyon.
Does it really matter in the larger scheme of things? No. Will it matter in 100 years? Not likely. However, some suggest it offsets what nature is meant to be while others suggest it offers balance. Regardless, it is not natural which is what the National Parks want… nature in its natural state.
“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”
Horseshoe Bend... Silence.
“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.”
The area surrounding the Grand Canyon in Arizona is interesting on multiple levels. Nature supplies the region with thick firm plants, multicolored rocks filled with reds, browns, grays and even shades of green. The rock formations are massive, jagged, and far reaching. When you see them in person it is almost too hard to comprehend they are real.
Below the shadows of the rock mountains you will find vast fields and small homes or even huts every 10 to 20 miles. You may spot boats left to decay in a field, old cars or trailers. Farm animals are something you don’t see as much. Gardens and landscaping are equally rare.
The high school graduation rate in Arizona is not on par with the rest of the country. Arizona ranks number 44 on the list for having one of the lower graduation rates. On the flip side, Arizona residents seem to enjoy better health with a ranking of 28 on the list. They also rank at number 17 on the list for having the fewest hospital re-admissions.
Depending on where you live in the mountainous / desert environment you may receive notices from the National Parks Service to conserve water. One of those notices is in effect now.
Bottom line: A trip to Arizona is like a trip to a far away planet. It looks too unreal to be real. It is amazing in every way. It is beautiful yet strangely scarce.
I took this photo this past Saturday in the "Valley of Fire" park just outside of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert.
The formations of red rocks are artistic in the way they bend, drop and overlap one another.
On a side note: The Valley of Fire was used as the secret headquarters for the fictional black militant helicopter known as Airwolf. The TV show aired on CBS from 1984 to 1987.
Glen Canyon, which is part of the massive canyons in Arizona and Utah, is where Horseshoe Bend is located. Edward Abbey, American author and environmentalist wrote that Glen Canyon was “a portion of earth’s original paradise.”
Many fail to realize, the water in this particular area was once much deeper.
In 1963, a dam was created to form Lake Powell as a reservoir. One of the goals at that time was to create hydroelectricity.
Since that time, numerous groups have asked for the dam to be removed allowing for the waterway to return to its natural stated.
Prior to construction of the dam, archaeologist conducted extensive surveys of the canyon in that area finding Native American tools, knives, ceremonial sites, graves, and more.
“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.” – Ansel Adams
Everything looks a little more faded in the winter. The sun appears a little whiter as opposed to yellow or orange. Leaves from trees are almost a shade of gray painted with touches of brown.
Some think only third world countries live in total filth on mounds of trash… but. that would be a mistake to believe such. In fact, most third world countries are far cleaner than this homeless camp located in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Clean up your camp or leave,” the government authorities say without understanding. Who would not give such orders after seeing such a mess? Living in such scattered throw-outs does not make sense. Of course it fails to meet any logical explanation – only because there is not one.
Those with non-imaginable mental illnesses find themselves unable to muster the energy, the know how to search for a place to dump trash, so some live among the debris, the clutter and even the human waste.
"That is what madness is, isn’t it? All the wheels fly off the bus and things don’t make sense any more. Or rather, they do, but it’s not a kind of sense anyone else can understand."
—Audrey Niffenegger, Columbia College, writer
From the outside looking in: It is probably a $350,000 slice of land they live on. Too small for a high rise, but perfect for a small home a townhouse. It is walking distance to the finer dining experiences, baseball and football games.
They live in downtown Nashville, but lack running water, electricity and plumbing. It is a neat and tidy place with a third world setting.
The men who call this their home are kind, gracious towards guest and outgoing.
"The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it." -Chris Pine, Hollywood Actor
“Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.”
―Robert Frost, Nothing Gold Can Stay
It looked like a painting both in life and in picture. The swamps of the Mississippi Delta.
"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in." -George Washington Carver
