Utah Calling

    My regular readers will know that I fell in love with Utah a couple of years ago on a road trip  with my husband.

     Everything about it amazed me...the breadth of it...the luminous air...the landscape that seemed to change with every bend in the road.

                     Arches National Park

It has called me many times to return, but I've not found the chance. Because I woke up this morning imagining the hot sun above me and red soil beneath my feet, I thought a few favourite pictures would be perfect for Skywatch Friday

 Yes, I know...another one of my unwise choices, treating a running arroyo as just another photo op!

 Bryce Canyon defies description with its mystical hoodoos and cliffs that graze the clouds.

                                            Canyonlands National Park

Of all the sights,  it was Monument Valley that simply took my breath away. I considered it a great stoke of luck that we ran straight into a raging storm.

 Every turn of the road revealed new treasures and changing skies.

We encountered this lovely lake as we took a quick detour into Wyoming, just because we could.

We stopped to get a few shots of this abandoned ranch along the way. Unfortunately, we also got busted for trespassing, but that's another story!

      How could one not fall in love with a place as magical and varied as this as this? 

I'm linking up today with Skywatch Friday. If you get a chance, stop by to see other skies from around the world...

http://skyley.blogspot.ca/

And while only a few of these shots qualify, I'm also linking up to Weekend Reflections because I know James will like the pictures...

http://weekendreflection.blogspot.ca/

Utah's National Parks

I thought I might share more photos of our road trip through Utah to illustrate clearly what a heavenly corner of the world it truly is!
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The state is home to five of Americas most memorable National Parks and a number of National Monuments. Beyond that, each turn in the road offers vistas so varied and amazing that I was often rendered speechless by the sheer scope of its diversity.


 Zion National Park was first on the itinerary, its high jagged walls and river canyon nothing short of spectacular. It rained heavily when we were there, which lent the red soil an even more brilliant hue.

The storm followed us to Bryce Canyon National Park, but did nothing to diminish our absolute wonder at the sandstone formations, formed from the erosive force of water and wind over countless millennia.

Of them all, there is no question that Bryce
Canyon was my favourite.

To stand looking down at the world-renowned hoodoos is to realize fully the magical bounty of this wonderful planet we live on.

It simply defies description...

Equally mesmerizing is Arches National Park , with its graceful natural arches formed over the ages.

Providing a dramatic background to all was a sky of brilliant blue.

After years of seeing these land forms in pictures, I was ecstatic to be able to stand under them and marvel at their scale and scope.

Our last park was Canyonlands National Park, a magnificent area of which we saw little , so massive a size is it. I've been to the Grand Canyon, and can say unequivocally that Canyonlands is its equal in magnificence.

Upon leaving the parks and heading up to
Salt Lake City, the scenery continued to amaze us. The road would cut through massive walls of rock, only to suddenly open onto a breadth of fields and farms aglow with golden grass, and peppered with scattered herds of cattle.
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We drove though forests, brilliantly bedecked in their autumn shades of red and gold. I grew particularly fond of the delicate aspen, and was delighted to find them growing even in the midst of an ancient lava bed.

In spite of how much we saw of Utah, it was not nearly enough...I'm already thinking of when we can go back to see the parks we missed...to drive up roads we did not get to travel. I do know we will need to allow much more time on a second trip...one day in each park does not begin to satisfy the need to see it all.

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I can hardly wait until next time...

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Road Trip!

Route 66, Arizona
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I will be incommunicado for the first part of the month. My husband and I are taking another trip down to the Southwest area that we so enjoy, both for the incredible scenery and the mystical history behind its scattered ruins. This will be the first time we hit Four Corners, where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado meet, so there will be much to discover. We fly into Las Vegas, then immediately set off on a week-long road trip, mostly spent exploring the National Parks in Utah, to finally end up in Salt Lake City for a few days before heading home.

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I am including a tentative itinerary here for any armchair travelers among you who might be interested. Of course, plans are always subject to change! Leaving the house and furry companions in the capable hands of our big sons, we will be free souls wandering wherever whim takes us…our favourite thing in the world to do!
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Grand Canyon, Arizona

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My much-loved regular readers do not

need me to say that I am rendered breathless at the thought of photographing Antelope Canyon, (high on my bucket list), and Bryce Canyon, not to mention Monument Valley! Think of every John Ford western flick you’ve ever seen with the red spires and buttes…are they not beyond magnificent? I am literally aquiver with anticipation!

Grand Canyon, Arizona This is the plan:

2nd: Vancouver to Las Vegas
3rd: Las Vegas to Zion Nat. Park
4th: Bryce Canyon, UT,
5th: Antelope Canyon, AZ
6th: Monument Valley, AZ
7th: Mesa Verde, CO
8th: Arches Nat. Park, UT
9th: Canyonlands, UT
10th: Salt Lake City and environs
11th: Salt Lake City to Vancouver

Chapel On The Hill, Sedona

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My camera awaits...batteries charged and memory cards lined up. When I get back online, I hope to have many wonders to share with you. I’ll try not to bore you with an excess of photos, but like an overexcited child, I don’t always know when to stop…and moderation never was my strong suit!
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I may check in whilst away, but striving to take in as much as we can, we spend very little time in hotel rooms. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back. In the meantime…happy blogging!!
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The photos above are from a trip to the Arizona in 2007

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