Morning Light

The first light of morning glows on rocks on the other side of and as seen through this natural arch in Arches National Park.

Canyonlands National Park

I loved the contrasting colors found in this National Park.

Lone Tree

Give Ben credit for spotting and taking this picture of a lone tree on top a sandstone tower in Kodachrome Basin.

Waterpocket Fold

This line of rock outcropping thrust up from the surface of the earth extends for slightly more than 100 miles in the southeastern desert of Utah. It is the beginning of a huge landform, a cliff formation of rock known as the Waterpocket Fold that climbs to an elevation of 5745 feet. This enormous land feature can be explored in Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah. Some of the magical cliffs, domes, gorges, canyons, rivers and washes in this lesser known national park are shown in subsequent photographs in this blog.

Capitol Reef National Park

Early morning light and blue skies make this rocky dome a beautiful scene.

Boulder Mountain, Utah

The fall colors in October were perfect on the east end of the Boulder Mountain.

Monument Valley

Novelty shot of one of the mittens.

Monument Valley

A view of many of the formations seen together with the prominent butte.

Kodachrome Basin

A wonderful mixture of colors from the yellow in the bottom right corner to the blue sky.

Tanks - Capitol Reef National Park

Tanks - Capitol Reef National Park

A reflection of a towering formation in one of the tanks.

Golden Throne

In morning light, this is why they call it the Golden Throne of Capitol Reef National Park.

Being with Family

Following are numerous photographs from a week long trip to the national park areas of Southeastern Utah. The scenary was spectacular. The photography was challenging and fun. However, family, like this little chipmunk, made the trip a memory of a lifetime.

Four Wheeling in Canyonlands National Park

My boys had us out on a four wheel drive road near where the Colorado River cuts through Canyonlands. The road was too rough so we continued on foot until we saw this storm approaching. We never did make it to the river overlook.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah - Storm

At nightfall we were in the Island in the Sky portion of Canyonlands National Park when a storm of freezing rain and sleet swept through the area. This was part of a large storm system in Utah that covered most elevations above 7000 feet with snow. We watched and photographed this interesting and ominous storm.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Sheer stone cliffs such as these are common in the Canyonlands National Park Needles area.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Petroglyphs made by the ancient inhabitants of this Southeastern Utah area contain one of the principal pieces of archeological evidence that the wheel was understood and used in ancient America.

Cannonville, Utah

Beautiful field of Rabbit Brush, red rock set against a white rock and blue sky fascinated us for about 30 minutes - until we realized that we were standing in ant hills. But, it was worth it.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

My favorite picture at Bryce Canyon. This poor tree is struggling to find water in this arid country.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

One of my favorite characteristics of Bryce Canyon are rich colors against the green of the pine trees in the canyon.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Rich light and long shadows cast by the early morning sun over the incredible formations at Bryce Canyon.

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Very early sunrise light over Bryce Canyon viewed from Sunrise Point

Monument Valley, Arizona

I was inspired to visit Monument Valley a few years ago after I viewed its magnificence from 30,000 feet on a flight to Los Angeles. I was not disappointed when we visited it up close and on the ground. Even though the day of our visit an overcast, dusty day, I remain in awe by this wonderous place. My favorite photograph of many taken in the valley was this simple sepia tone resulting from an unintentional under-exposure of a frequently photographed butte. Simple is better.

Monument Valley, Arizona

Monument Valley, Arizona

How could nature create this mirror image?