Utah Day 3 (LOTS OF VR's)
Day 3 three started with an early morning car drive through Zion in route to Bryce Canyon. I was eager to get to see Zion in the light as I came in the night before. You just can't help but just stare as the light washed the rocks and brings out the color. I think this was the first turnout I could get to here. The differnce here in southern Utah form say the Grand Canyon is everything is looking up at color. You almost feel like walking anywhere and everywhere (not me...62 and a bum knee) cause its all accessible from the well paved roads. The GC is walking around a whole in the ground and looking down inward. In the next paragraph I will explain the hole in the ground called Bryce Canyon. This VR is exiting Zion in route to Bryce Canyon. This is a two hour drive which I turned into a 3 hour drive stopping many times to take photos along the way. Exit Zion here.
I pulled over within a half hour as a colorful canyon caught caught my eye back to the east. Here is the quick stop VR. It was fools gold compared to Bryce Canyon but I was a kid in a candy shop by this time. The next was Orderville. Small town but on my way out I noticed a small sign pointing up the dirt road that the the local Little League Field. I passed it and the little voice in my head said "Go Back". While it was a little rough to look at I quickly ran to home plate and took the next VR. The view from home plate looking out to those massive mountains would distract me. It would have been a great backdrop for Uncle Rico to brag about throwing a (in this case) baseball over those mountains. Here is the view.
Bryce Canyon is incredible. Since I dilly-dallied to get here it put me in a bind for sun as I had decided to spend sunset at Cedar Breaks National Monument. I only got a third of the way into Bryce. I am so impressed with the national parks in Utah!! Bryce is so easy to drive and walk. It is like walking around the GC but not as deep and different colors. The first two stop were Sunrise Point and Sunset Point. Each one has its strengths for viewing. View #1 for Sunrise point is here. View #2 is here. View for Sunset Point is here. Bryce Point is a heart thumping walk up. I did not make it to the very top cause my heart was pounding and little kids passed me effortlessly so I took the quickest view point to save my pride. Here is where I chose to make this VR. I was feeling kinda rushed and almost went right by the last turn off call Paria Point. Glad I stopped here cause the view did not disappoint. The VR is here. Off to the next park.
Cedar Breaks National Monument is a small park but is has a summit point that sits at 10,333 feet elevation and it is breathtaking view for a sunset. I had done some studying and reading of photographing the area and Cedar Breaks was mentioned several times. I had the point to myself except for a view drive by tourists. The image at he top is the sunset result. Oh did I mentioned it was 38 degrees!! No gloves, no coat, but I had the will power to stick it out. When I got back in the car to leave there was a herd of mule deer that I could have petted they were so close. VR is here. This was an 18 day for me and I was exhausted hence being late on posting. Day 4 next.
Utah Day 2 - Downtown Salt Lake City
This Sunday morning started with an early breakfast at Park Cafe directly across from the Liberty Public Park. I did not create any VR's today as I had a tight morning and then a five hour drive south to Springdale in Zion National Park. We focused our efforts documenting some incredible homes/public buildings/churches along C Street East. I always notice the architecture in cities I visit as it is a marvel in local resources. In this case, the granite work is incredible. This city is so clean. The houses along this street are just a sample of the whole city. The two non-LDS churches in this general area are the First Presbyterian the Catholic Cathedral of Madeleine. We ended this morning with a stop at the state capitol.
Don't have a plan for tomorrow just yet but will be doing some research here shortly. In the mean time, check the gallery of the buildings along C Street East here.
Day One in Salt Lake City with attached VR's
What a great day today. Luke did not disappoint in his selection of places around Salt Lake City. We started out driving to Park City UT and on the way we came upon Little Dell Reservoir. The first VR is here. The elevation is about 7000'.
We then took out walking down to the lake. There was a really cool big rock non-pedestrian dam on the southern end. The VR at the lake level is here.
We then drove into Park City then on to the Brighton Ski area. This next VR is taken at the Big Cottonwood area. Luke had told me he had parked his Burnt Orange FJ Crusier (Texas Boy loves UT but went to University of Utah to be a Park Ranger) at this spot and took off down this hill on his skies. He proclaimed "Big Mistake" as he had to hike back up. The VR is here.
We left and drove to Big Silver Lake which is in the middle of a bog. They built a raised pathway around the small lake that you walk around. We stopped on the pier and took this next VR here.
Before sundown Luke took me up to the the mountains behind University of Utah. This day was the NCAA Gameday location vs. Washington. The town was alive and in the next VR you can see the neon lights on at the stadium. This VR is overlooking the city of Salt Lake City. To the right of the sunset you can see Great Salt Lake. The sunset VR is here.
Be sure and let me know if you are successfully seeing the VR's
On to Springdale tomorrow. I am going to use the area as a base for a couple of days before the workshop starts on Wednesday.
Testing VR with Google Cardboard before my trip
This is an example of VR (Virtual Reality) on an inexpensive cardboard device. I am going to help you experience visual/sound on my trip. First, you will need Google Cardboard Glasses which I showed you in my LIVE FB video. Go to Amazon and search "Google Cardboard Glasses" and you will find an array of glasses to choose from. Order a pair. They are cheap ($7 range) and if you are a Prime Member you can get them in a day. You will next need to download the Google Cardboard app and Google Camera from the Google Play Store or the IPhone App store. At this point you may want to go to Google and search "How to use Google Cardboard" or click here. Watch how-to and setup/use to make your own VR files. Once you have installed the apps you "click" on the files I post throughout my trip.
You can view the file on your device that the app is installed on after you insert into Google Cardboard Googles. Now you and see and hear the experience. You can only "see/hear" what you have created with your phone or pad using a Google Cardboard device.
For future reference I will post the links to this blog on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and refer back to this blog post on how to get started. If you like this blog format you may want to join the RSS feed to be notified when new material appears. Once you get the hang of the app and the Google Glasses you can create your own for family and friends. Use your Android Phone/IPhone/IPad to access my start up demo file here which I captured at Petit Jean Falls in Arkansas. The finished photo above was created from this trip. As you can see from the VR it was a hectic day with lots of people and noise.