PhotoArizona360

2012-02-17T18:11:00.001-08:00

Plaza of the Americas, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida USA in USA

The Plaza of the Americas is a center of student activity on the University of Florida, the second largest in Florida by student population and is nationally ranked for academics. The University excels in many areas including sports, agriculture, medicine and astronomy. This panorama is taken in the heart of the University. It is one of only 17 public, land-grant universities that belongs to the Association of American Universities. In 1853, the state-funded East Florida Seminary acquired the Kingsbury Academy in Ocala. The East Florida Seminary moved to Gainesville, Florida in the 1860s and was some time later combined with Florida Agricultural College, a land grant college, then in Lake City, Florida. In 1905, the Florida Agricultural College became the University of Florida and moved to Gainesville. The first classes in the new University were held on Sept. 26, 1906. The University of Florida has more than 50,000 students and is one of the largest universities in the United States.

Along the National Trail, South Mountain Park, Phoenix, Arizona

2011-11-29T17:41:00.001-08:00

Along the National Trail, South Mountain Park, Phoenix, Arizona USA in Arizona

The National Trail is a popular hiking trail in South Mountain Park, just south of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The 15 mile long National Trail follows the ridge line of the South Mountains, a granite ridge running east and west on the edge of the Salt River Valley. The 17,000 acres park is one of the largest city parks in the world and enjoys a huge number of visitors each year. There are over 58 miles of trails for hikers, mountain bike riders and horse riders. The trails vary from easy walks to rugged hikes through rough and steep terrain. The highest point in the Park accessible by trail is Dobbins Lookout at 2,330 feet. You are as likely to see seasoned outdoor types hiking or running the trail as you will young people with babies. All the trails are rocky and steep. You might encounter desert animals, including rattlesnakes. Just give them plenty of room and keep going. Always carry plenty of water with you, wear sturdy shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Some of the Parks attractions are accessible by car and there are several spectacular overlooks that give panoramic views of the valley.

Fat Man's Pass, South Mountain Park, Phoenix, Arizona

2011-11-29T17:38:00.001-08:00

Fat Man's Pass, South Mountain Park, Phoenix, Arizona USA in Arizona

Fat Man’s Pass is a popular day hike in South Mountain Park, just south of downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The Pass is a narrow slit between two huge boulders leading to Hidden Valley. Both attractions, Fat Man’s Pass and Hidden Valley are along the 15 mile long National Trail. The National, as it is known, follows the ridge line of the South Mountain, a granite ridge running east and west on the edge of the Salt River Valley. This 17,000 acres park is one of the largest city parks in the world and enjoys a huge number of visitors each year. There are over 58 miles of trails for hikers, mountain bike riders and horse riders. The trails vary from easy walks to rugged hikes through rough and steep terrain. The highest point in the Park accessible by trail is Dobbins Lookout at 2,330 feet. You are as likely to see seasoned outdoor types hiking or running the trail as you will young people with babies. All the trails are rocky and steep. You might encounter desert animals, including rattlesnakes. Just give them plenty of room and keep going. Always carry plenty of water with you, wear sturdy shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Some of the Parks attractions are accessible by car and there are several spectacular overlooks that give panoramic views of the valley.

2011-11-25T15:59:00.001-08:00

Arizona Sonora Desert near Tucson, Arizona, USA in Tucson

The Arizona Sonora Desert stretches from central Arizona south into the state of Sonora, Mexico and west into portions of Southern California. It is the hottest and driest desert in North America with an area of over 120,000 square miles. Its most prominent landmark is the saguaro cactus, but the biodiversity of the desert is truly amazing. The Desert is generally divided into seven regions according to characteristic vegetation: Lower Colorado Valley, Arizona Upland, Plains of Sonora, Foothills of Sonora, Central Gulf Coast, and Magdalena Region. Other major types of cactus, some of which are shown in the panorama, include Cholla, beavertail, hedgehog, fishhook, prickly pear, night blooming cereus, and organ pipe. The picture above show the variety of plant species found in the Desert, such as Creosote bush and bursage, Indigo bush, Mormon tea, and mesquite. Prominent in the panorama is a spindly ocotillo cactus, which sprouts leaves only in the wet season.

2011-11-17T06:58:00.001-08:00

Mesa Arizona Temple Christmas Lights Display North side in Arizona

The iconic Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints becomes a major attraction during the Christmas season. Each year the event is host to almost one million visitors who come to enjoy the beautiful lights as well as nightly musical concerts. The display has hundreds of thousands of colorful lights, a large nativity display, and holiday dioramas that blanket the garden area. Hundreds of volunteers will donate thousands of hours of labor throughout the holiday season to create and maintain the displays. The Mesa Arizona Temple completed in 1927 is located in Mesa’s historic district near to the old downtown area. The building was designed by the same architects that designed the Utah State Capital building. The grounds surrounding the Temple feature a cactus garden and large reflection pools. The Temple is also the site of the largest outdoor Easter pageant in the world.

2011-11-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Moro Rock, Sequoia National Park, California in California

Moro Rock is a prominent glaciated granite dome in the Sequoia National Park. It is famous because of its accessibility. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built a concrete trail to the top of the rock so that the average hiker could make it to the top. The west face of Moro Rock is over a thousand vertical feet. These domes are caused by the erosional process of exfoliation, the spalling off of rock layers. As the overburden of the rock is removed, the granite expands from the relief of the pressure. Moro Rock is located in Sequoia National Park, in the central Sierra of California. Sequoia is famous for its giant trees including the largest tree in the world by volume, the General Sherman tree.

2011-10-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Giant Sequoias near the General Grant Tree, Sequoia National Park, California USA in California

One of the most remarkable things about the Giant Sequoias is their ability to regrow after a forest fire. The large tree in the photo is still growing even though most of the inside of the tree was burned out in a fire. The tree just continues to grow around the fire burn. Most of the trees, since they have lived so long, some over 3000 years, show multiple fire burns. Every so often we would see a tree that died as a result of a fire, but most seem to survive. The main reason is likely that they lose their lower branches and so the first branches are almost 100 feet from the ground. When you walk through the Sequoia National Park, you get a better idea of what a forest would look like if it were allowed to tend itself rather than being "managed." There is, of course, forest management, but mostly the management involves allowing the forest to manage itself. Fires are not suppressed unless they threaten structures. While we were there, there was a rather large fire burning at a distance from the highway and it was being allowed to burn.

2011-10-24T20:27:00.001-07:00

Trail to Muir Grove, Sequoia National Park, California USA in California

The forest in Sequoia National Park looks similar to other forests of the world, until you get the perspective on the size of the trees. Even the trees that are not Sequoias are larger than normal. The giant Sequoias are the worlds largest trees by volume of wood. Almost the equal of the giant Sequoias is the Sugar Pine. The Sequoia has small round shaped cones, but the Sugar Pine cones are huge and can weigh up to 4 pounds. Once you leave the crowds around the most popular sites in the National Park, hiking through the forest is an adventure in solitude. The trees dampen any sounds and the extreme height of the trees makes for a dark shade at the forest floor. The variety of plant life is stunning, with flowers and a variety of vines and smaller trees. Other tree species include Douglas fir, Incense Cedar, Jeffrey Pine and Lodgepole pine.

View of the West Side of Manti, Utah Temple

2011-10-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

West side of the Manti Temple, Manti, Utah USA in Utah

The west side of the Manti Temple, on Temple Hill in Manti, Utah, overlooks the town of Manti, a small agricultural community in Central Utah. Founded my pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Manti Temple stands as a landmark of the dedication of the early settlers. When the pioneers arrived in the Sanpete Valley, they had nothing more than what they could carry in their wagons. They could not go to the local Walmart and stock up on food, anything they needed they either had to grow or trade for at a long distance by slow wagon train. Many of the settlers lived in dugouts, holes dug in the side of the hills, for the first year or two. When I was young I still knew people who lived in those same dugout houses. The Manti Temple is a sacred building to the members of the Church and is one of many such Temples now scattered throughout the world.

2011-09-28T21:02:00.001-07:00

View of Sanpete Valley near Ephraim, Utah USA in Utah

The Sanpete Valley, at the geographic center of Utah, was first settled by Europeans in 1849. The valley and county were named after a Ute Indian Chief named Sanpitch, which later became Sanpete. The pioneers settled the area because of the nearby warm springs and extensive limestone quaries. The county seat is Manti but the largest city is Ephraim. The area is largely agricultural and there are several smaller farming towns. The major industry is turkey ranching and Sanpete ranks in the top ten turkey producing counties in the United States. Snow College is located in Ephraim and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a prominent historic temple in Manti. Technically on the northwest corner of the Colorado Plateau, the area receives much more rainfall than the arid desert regions to the south, usually associated with the Plateau country. The panorama shows the rural agricultural nature of the valley.

The top of the Tram at 11,000 feet, Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utaha

2011-09-24T21:26:00.001-07:00

The top of the Tram at 11,000 feet, Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah USA in Utah

The top of the Snowbird Tram in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah is on Hidden Mountain at 11,000 feet. The bottom of the lowest lift is at 7,760 feet. Snowbird is located on 2,500 acres, one mile down the Canyon from Alta, Utah, one of the most famous ski resorts in the world. The mountains around Snowbird average approximately 500 inches of low-density, "dry" Utah powder annually, caused in part by the ideal geography and a phenomenon called Lake Effect from the Great Salt Lake to west, Little Cottonwood Canyon powder is known worldwide. Little Cottonwood Canyon is U shaped from ancient glacier action. The heights of the Canyon are such that there are snow banks and small ice fields year round. Silver was found in the mountains back in 1869 causing a mining boom that produced more than $3.8 million in silver. During the mining phase, 8,000 people lived and worked in Little Cottonwood Canyon, which had two smelters, 138 homes, hotels, boarding houses, stores and even a railroad. The entire town was later destroyed by a series of avalanches.

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Temple Hill, Manti Utah Temple, Manti, Utah USA

2011-09-19T06:56:00.001-07:00

Temple Hill, Manti Utah Temple, Manti, Utah USA in Utah

Manti is a small farming town in Sanpete County, Utah. It is named after a location in the Book of Mormon. Manti was one of the first settlements by the early Utah pioneers outside of the Salt Lake Valley. The first group of settlers was sent by Brigham Young in 1849 under the direction of Isaac Morley. The settlers arrived in the early winter and survived by living in dugouts along the base of the hill where the Manti, Utah Temple now stands. The City was incorporated in 1851 and now serves as the commercial hub for other communities in the Sanpete Valley. Construction on the Manti Utah Temple was completed in 1888 and was the fifth Temple constructed in the latter days by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1985, after four years of renovation, the Temple was rededicated by Gordon B. Hinkley, who became the President of the Church ten years later.

2011-09-16T20:44:00.001-07:00

Southside of Manti, Utah, Temple, Manti, Utah USA in Utah

Construction on the Manti, Utah, Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints commenced in 1877 and the Temple was dedicated a year later on 21 to 23 May 1888 by the then Church President and Prophet, Lorenzo Snow. The Temple is constructed of cream-colored oolite sandstone quarried from the hill where the Temple stands. The hill was infested with rattlesnakes and was originally known as the Manti Stone Quarry. The Temple was renovated in 1985 and rededicated and rededicated by the then President and Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. The Temple is located on a prominent hill just north and east of the downtown area of Manti, a small town in central Utah on U.S. Highway 89. It is reported that when the site for the Temple was dedicated the Prophet Brigham Young said that the site of the Temple was previously dedicated by the ancient Book of Mormon Prophet Moroni for a temple site.

Above Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, Utah USA

2011-09-09T06:37:00.001-07:00

Above Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, Utah USA in Salt Lake City

Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City, Utah is the stage for a dramatic view of the Salt Lake Valley surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains on the East and the Oquirrh Mountains on the West. In the distance is the downtown area of Salt Lake City. The Capitol Building has several large office complexes directly to the north, constructed so that the view of the Capitol from the city does not show the buildings. In this panorama you can see the huge parking lots and the other buildings associated with the State Capitol Building. To the East, the ground slopes quickly into City Creek Canyon. This is a typical summer day in Salt Lake, with clear skies and brilliant sunshine because of the high altitude. Much of the City is more than 5000 feet above sea level. The south-facing portion of Capitol Hill is called Heber’s Bench after Mormon pioneer and Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Heber C. Kimball.

2011-09-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Trail to Ensign Peak, Salt Lake City, Utah USA in Salt Lake City

Ensign Peak is a prominent hill just north of downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. At an elevation of 5,414 feet, it is a popular day hike for residents of the valley. Compared to the higher peaks to the east and north, it does not stand out, but the Peak has significance in the religious history of the City and the State of Utah. Before coming to the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young, the second prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, saw the Peak in a vision. Quoting from an account by President George A. Smith, a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church in an address given on June 20, 1869, "President Young had a vision of Joseph Smith, who showed him the mountain that we now call Ensign Peak, immediately north of Salt Lake City, and there was an ensign that fell upon that peak, and Joseph said, `Build under that point where the colors fall and you will prosper and have peace.' "

Utah State Capitol Building, Salt Lake City, Utah USA

2011-09-06T14:40:00.001-07:00

Utah State Capitol Building, Salt Lake City, Utah USA in Salt Lake City

High above the city on in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, the neoclassical revival, Corinthian style design of the Utah State Capitol is reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The Utah Capitol was built between 1912 and 1916 overlooking the downtown area of the City and can be seen from miles away. The building was featured in the movie Legally Blonde 2, as a stand-in for the U.S. Capitol. The prominent monument in the picture is the Mormon Battalion Sculpture, commemorating the march of the Mormon Battalion across the U.S. in 1846 and 1847 from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California. Soldiers from the Battalion were present at Sutter;s Mill when gold was discovered in California. Renovation of the building was completed in 2008 to bring the building up to code and for seismic protection and to preserve the exterior. Since its construction, several large office buildings have been added to the complex.

High in the Wasatch Mountains, Near Timber Lakes, Utah

2011-09-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

High in the Wasatch Mountains, Near Timber Lakes, Utah in Utah

High in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah you can get a panorama of the peaks and valleys near Timber Lakes, just east of Heber, Utah. Despite the high altitude the mountains are almost desert-like in appearance with an abundance of sagebrush. The Wasatch Mountains rise in one continuous chain on the west and appearing from the valley floor like a wall to the east. However, from the west, the mountains extend for many miles. The western escarpment of the mountains captures most of the moisture and so the interior mountains are semi-desert at lower altitudes.

U.S. Highway 60, near Springerville, Arizona USA

2011-09-04T14:45:00.001-07:00

U.S. Highway 60, near Springerville, Arizona USA in Arizona On the Colorado Plateau, just north of the White Mountains, lies the Springerville Volcanic Field one of the most desolate locations in Arizona. The small rounded volcanic cones are overpowered by the huge expanse of the flat Plateau country. The lack of vegetation is due to the rocky volcanic lava rock underlying the whole area. This picture was taken about 10 miles west of Springerville, Arizona.

2011-09-02T12:17:00.001-07:00

Heber Valley Camp, Heber, Utah USA in Utah

The Heber Valley Camp is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve the needs of Young Women, families, and Church groups in central and northern Utah. This beautiful camp is located on a spectacular tract of land covering more than 8,000 acres in the mountains southeast of Heber, Utah. Elevation of the camp ranges from 7,500-10,000 feet.

View of Heber Valley, Wasatch Mountains, Utah

2011-09-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

View of Heber Valley, Wasatch Mountains, Utah in Utah

High in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah lies the beautiful Heber Valley. To the west rise the peaks of the Wasatch over 12,000 feet above sea level. On the horizon you can see Mount Timpanogos, a landmark visible from Utah Valley to the west.

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Upper Provo Canyon, Utah USA in Utah

The Wasatch Mountains of Utah run north and south along the east edge of both the Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley. Both valleys are the location of many of Utah's communities, including Salt Lake City and Provo. There are huge canyons all along the Wasatch Front including this canyon, called Provo Canyon.

Jacob Hamblin Park, Kanab, Utah USA

2011-08-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Jacob Hamblin Park, Kanab, Utah USA in Utah

Jacob Hamblin Park, named after the pioneer explorer, is located in northern Kanab, Utah. The park has Playground equipment, a Water park, Restrooms, Picnic tables, a Pavilion, a Fire pit, Tennis courts, Water, Electricity and Waste recepticles. It is a really nice place to stop off for a rest on a trip through southern Utah.

Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah USA

2011-08-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, Utah U in Utah

Bridal Veil Falls is a 607-foot double cataract waterfall in Provo Canyon, Utah. Located up Provo Canyon and visible from U.S. Highway 189. It is very accessible with a large parking lot immediately in front of the falls. When we were at the falls, there were people hiking up the face of the falls, some of whom were carrying small children on their shoulders. If you look carefully at the picture you can see some of them starting to hike up through the water and slippery rocks. We were fortunate to not see someone fall.

Visitors Center and Dam at Glen Canyon, Page, Arizona USA

2011-08-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Visitors Center and Dam at Glen Canyon, Page, Arizona USA in Arizona

Glen Canyon Dam is a huge concrete arch dam on the Colorado River, just north of Page, Arizona. Construction of Glen Canyon Dam started in 1956 and was not finished until 1966. The dam provides hydroelectric power to the Southwestern United States and created Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the United States.

The General Sherman Tree, Sequoia National Park, California

2011-08-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

The General Sherman Tree, Sequoia National Park, California USA in California

The General Sherman Tree is the largest known tree in the world by volume. It is 275 feet tall, has a 103 foot circumference and a 36 foot diameter at its base. It is as tall as a 28 story building and is estimated to be from 1600 to 2200 years old. It is one of the most visited sites in the beautiful Sequoia National Park in central California.