Chimney Rock: Chimney Rock Park, April 2007 Rachelle and I took a day trip to Chimney Rock Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We wanted to take a short trip to get used to traveling with Emily. She did just fine; sleeping in the car most of the way to the park and in her pack on my chest while her mother and I hiked along the trails. Having her on my chest made hiking up and down the trails interesting, since I couldn’t see my feet! That will take a bit of getting used to. The weather wasn’t very cooperative. It was cold and blustery, and cloudy, but the views were incredible, nonetheless. This is a view of Chimney Rock with Lake Lure in the background taken from the Opera Box. (via Robby Edwards’ Photos)

Hoodoos: Bryce Canyon National Park, September 2001 We got our first view of the hoodoos for which Bryce Canyon is famous at Yovimpa Point. “Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a ‘totem pole-shaped body.’” —from Wikipedia Wikipedia also has some information detailing how the hoodoos at Bryce were formed. (via Robby Edwards’ Photos)