Okemah, OK

Okemah, OK, is the birthplace of one of my favorite folk musicians, the legendary Woody Guthrie. Each year, the town has a folk festival in his name. Guthrie is most famous for "This Land is Your Land," but has also written "Hobo's Lullaby," "The Grand Coulee Dam," and "Mail Myself to You."


Highland Cemetery, in Okemah, OK, was where I had hoped to find the grave of Woody Guthrie ... or at least a relative of his. No luck on that front. But I did catch the sunset.


I didn't think Oklahoma had trees. But it does.

Rocky Mountain highs

Vail Pass, elevation 10666 feet, had fresh snow in late September. I was so excited I had to leave a handprint.


Besides seeing the first snow of the season, Colorado also showed me the first change of the trees. This path is in Boulder.


Clear Creek wound alongside the highway as I made my way from Grand Junction, Colo., to Boulder, Colo. It was a clear, sunny day, so I alighted from the car to dip my feet in ... and snap a shot of the sun glinting off the water.

Arches: an unexpected surprise

I was tickled to see all the orange rock at Aches National Park near Moab, UT. I had no idea this place existed. Our country is so diverse! (See my post on Badlands to see another example of this diversity.) BTW, that is fresh snow on the Rockies in the distance.


Delicate Arch is a natural-forming rock formation in Arches National Park. I accidentally took the 90-minute hike to see it (I had planned for the 15-minute trek from the parking lot. I had only one bottle of water. Oops.)


The trail drew scores of guests to see the arch in the late afternoon sun. Europeans were especially numerous on the trail.