I few years back, a couple friends and I took a long trip out west. While in a Arizona, we made quick detour to that big old ditch made by the Colorado River. You may have heard it referred to as the Grand Canyon. It is quite a site to behold. The canyon is so large that it creates its own weather and has an entire city on the canyon floor that you cannot see from above. (See [Havasupai Reservation](https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/havasupai.htm))

![IMG_2434.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmP4P1Zj5KibkGt1LZVYx3ze5kuGkPjEFMQLMefURhYMMy/IMG_2434.JPG)

We played real close to the edge. Too close, maybe.  

![IMG_2436.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRgL3CjGFHoiRdkdNZp75L7YoSDNvnxVQP4CEWFmz8C3L/IMG_2436.JPG)

Itty bitty fellas..

![IMG_2442.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWwoD3NuxYQuEdqZkfk4SF19qYmYQyXZVSCM2fo64VCgQ/IMG_2442.JPG)


After we left the Grand Canyon, we headed to Yosemite in Northern California. Along  the way, we made some friends. 

![IMG_2430.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmP3EGwXmJ5wHD89TPufrtq5PD38BQkrwCML6Nzgdq4DAd/IMG_2430.JPG)

We stopped at a Mono Lake which one of the most interesting lakes I've ever visited. Mono lake is the oldest lake in North America. 

![IMG_2417.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPurdysxt15TUeFVSwvE99xTvUgFJgQ9PxuQBLbbip7zN/IMG_2417.JPG)

 Mono Lake is naturally hypersaline and alkaline. It is a terminal lake, meaning it has no outlet. Mono Lake, two and half times as salty and 80 times as alkaline as the ocean, remains an "extreme environment" with a thriving community of all kinds of weird microscopophiles and insects. 

![IMG_2426.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZg6pB2FjGKgYR1ctSQY1NWfUq4FWLQ4EWNcpTiVaqXTM/IMG_2426.JPG)

The geology of Mono Lake is studied by scientists searching for clues about life on other planets, such as Mars. Mono Lake has become known for its unusual limestone towers. The rapid precipitation of minerals entombs microorganisms within the towers. Real talk: It felt like we were exploring another planet.

Here I'm feeding Reverend Jon these deadly creatures that live in the foam on the lake's banks. 

![IMG_2444.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXLwJTMtouzerQgGsMVuYUe6rGHqFy6B7vXT7y1E1DrbX/IMG_2444.JPG)

**Whats the most beautiful place you've ever been?**

TRIP OUT, 
LeeJ

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