Dogwalking Sunrise

I've been offline for a while - first we were out of town for a few days, and when we got back we had internet problems. To celebrate my being back online, here's a recent cellphone shot of sunrise, taken while I was walking the dogs. It's for Skywatch Friday.

Driving to Los Angeles

We had to drive to Los Angeles last weekend to drop off a car. On the first day we drove the 800 miles (1,300 km) to Las Vegas; it takes almost exactly 12 hours. It's all on excellent highways with two lanes in each direction, so it's easy to do. Parts are beautiful - here's a photo taken on the highway in Colorado. (All photos are taken with my phone, with a little help from my wife.)

There's a spot in Utah where you climb over an ancient upthrust - the highway snakes between these rocks. It's in the middle of a 110-mile (177 km) stretch with no services or towns.

At the top there's a place where you can stop and admire the view.

I feel like everybody should do this drive at least once if they get the chance.

The road cuts through a corner of Arizona, and it's spectacular.

Our World Tuesday

Cambridge 1979 (5)

Lake Dillon

For Skywatch Friday, here's a very low Dillon Reservoir, taken a few weeks ago.

Fushimi Inari Taisha (2)

Last week I showed you the main area of Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社). This shrine is most famous for it's 10,000 tori gates, presenting a truly unique beauty.

As you walk through the gates up the mountain you encounter many smaller shrines.

And the tori gates continue, an incredible number of them. Looking back you can see Japanese characters on them.

The whole area is stunningly beautiful.

This is one of the world's must-see sights.

Our World Tuesday

Fushimi Inari Taisha (1)

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is one of the most famous sights in Kyoto, and indeed all of Japan.

It is the main shrine of the god Inari.

It is incredibly beautiful and no visit to Japan is complete without seeing it.

Next week I'll further explore this shrine, venturing beyond this gate to show you one of the world's most amazing sights.

Our World Tuesday

Cambridge 1979 (4)