BackRoadsWest

18/07/2025

Just in case you're not sure of the differences of what you see while driving around the American Southwest. This video utilizes a lot of pictures we've been taking over the past 10-15 years.

Do you know the difference between a butte, mesa or plateau? When traveling around the American Southwest, one can’t help admiring the landscape and wonderin...

06/02/2025

Looking to continue that journey down Route 66 through Arizona that we posted a few months go? Here’s part 2 of that tour that starts in Williams and ends in Topock on the California border. There’s so much cool stuff to discover along this part of good ‘ol Route 66.

This virtual journey will take you down historic Route 66 through the state of Arizona. All the towns and places Route 66 passes through in Arizona boast abu...

05/01/2025

Yellow Top is a colorful section of the larger Candy Cliffs scenic area next to Yant Falt north of St. George, Utah. This roughly 5-acre area of ridges and steep cliffs comprised of Navajo Sandstone is seldomly visited and cannot be seen from the more popular area of Candy Cliffs. One must traverse a half-mile long canyon with several short dry falls and lots of brush. The old saying, no pain no gain, holds true when visiting Yellow Top to photograph and enjoy this amazingly colorful area.

10/12/2024

Wanna go on an armchair road trip through Arizona on Route 66? Watch part 1 of our virtual road trip down historic Route 66 from the New Mexico border to Flagstaff. Sit back and watch what there's to see along this famous road. Part 2 will come out shortly and covers Williams to the California border.

This virtual journey will take you down historic Route 66 through the state of Arizona. All the towns and places Route 66 passes through in Arizona boast abu...

21/11/2024

Be on the lookout for our upcoming video tour of Route 66 through Arizona that showcases many of the sites along the way with its artifacts and Americana. This will be part 1 of 2 that will cover Route 66 from the New Mexico border to Flagstaff. It will be posted in about a week from now.

09/11/2024

Would you like to learn how to find great scenery in Southern Utah? One way is to blindly explore and hope to find scenery (which isn't hard to do in Utah). Another way is to learn where to expect the "usual suspects". What are usual suspects? Come out to the Color Country Camera Club meeting at the St. George Library (at 88 W 100 South) at 6pm on Tuesday, November 12 to find out. Cliff will give a presentation on the geologic formations, the usual suspects, which are what's responsible for putting the color in Color Country and creating Utah's fantastic scenery.

07/11/2024

We've been to the Red Planet and have lived to tell about it. Take that Elon Musk! And we didn't even need oxygen. Plus, we didn't even leave Utah! This is the Mars Research Station just east of Capitol Reef National Park along Cow Dung Road. Yes, you read that correctly. Along with the research station, the landscape really is other-worldly and very photogenic.

27/07/2024

You’ve all probably watched some of the videos I’ve created in the past that are part of my hobby. But you may have not seen any videos I create for my real job. This latest video was created for our public transit operation in Las Vegas, where bus operators need to know how to read a form called a “paddle”. It instructs them what places they need to go to (bus stops) by what time. It also tells them a lot more about their work shift and can be confusing to read. This video plays on a big screen in their driver lounge every so often so they can be reminded how to read it, as it’s easy to forget all the details. Enjoy the tour of this small but mighty form!

A "paddle" is a sheet of paper that provides driving directions to a bus driver when they leave the bus yard they begin their work shift, till when they retu...

27/07/2024

Our latest video tour takes you to more of Utah’s spectacular and unique scenery, a place called White Rocks. In our opinion, this place is on par with Coyote Buttes (aka The Wave). White Rocks is only 15 miles from Coyote Buttes, but because of the differences in geology, the landscapes and rock formations here are very, very different than anything else we’ve seen. It’s a wonderful place. Enjoy the tour!

The White Rocks area of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah is a labyrinth of crazy white rock formations like none other that we’ve seen els...

04/07/2024

Happy Fourth of July! We recently shot this video in May during a quick passing storm at the Navajo Bridge that marks the northern end of Grand Canyon National Park at Marble Canyon/Lees Ferry. This video does no justice if you’re not watching it with the volume turned up. There’s nothing like the sound of an American flag flapping in the wind! When we pass by here, it’s customary to walk across the older bridge, built in 1929, which sits about 500 feet above the Colorado River. However, no walk today in fear of being blown off the bridge! The second picture is of the twin bridges taken during safer weather. The same flag can faintly be seen above the visitor center in the middle of the 2 bridges.

27/06/2024

You don’t need to be in a slot canyon to be wowed. A canyon with lots of dramatic and unusual rock formations will do just fine. This is Cathedral Wash canyon located in the Lees Ferry section of Lake Powell National Recreational Area next to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Wow, that’s a mouth full! At any rate, this canyon is quite spectacular. If you’re good at mild rock scrambling, you can make it all the way down to the Colorado River near Navajo Bridge; a 3 mile roundtrip hike. If you’re not that great at rock scrambling or a little shy of heights, the walk down to the first dry fall won’t disappoint. The Cathedral Wash trailhead is found along the road to Lees Ferry – you can’t miss it. These are pictures taken in May during some great weather. Don't go there now as it's too hot!

25/06/2024

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument but were too afraid to ask? Look no more and don’t be afraid! This is a video tour we’ve been wanting to create for a long time as it includes pictures we’ve been accumulating since 2005 and incorporates the knowledge we’ve gained from visiting many of the places in GSENM for that long. It’s also the longest video we’ve ever produced at created at 1hr 14min. Prepare to sit a little longer than normal to enjoy the whole tour!

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) covers a large area encompassing many different scenic areas and unique places of interest all nestle...