I must confess I was unsure of what to expect when I scheduled my trip to Utah. My childhood memories are of hot dry weather, an abundance of harsh sunlight, and long stretches of uninterrupted road which was quite the underwhelming experience for a young child trapped in a stuffy back seat. There were only so many state license plates to find and there were limited things to “spy” from the view out our window. My sister was constantly encroaching on “my” side of the back bench seat, and I confess I spent much more time worried about her movements than I did about what was outside my car window.
The benefit of age and maturity have improved my view of this magnificent state. I travelled alone to Moab on a somewhat sketchy back road following the mighty Colorado river, and around every corner were new vistas of orange, brown, and red towering cliffs, swiftly flowing muddy water, pockets of green trees and brush, and idyllic small farms with charming old barns and the requisite grazing cows. Occasionally I would catch a glimpse of a towering brown and grey mountain in the distance and know that my beloved alpine scenery was not far away. If you’ve never driven to a new destination on your own, never had the opportunity to explore wherever you wanted, drive as fast or slow as you desired, and stop and just breathe in the scenery for a few moments, you should do so. It brings a moment of peace so rare in today’s hustling humanity.
I met my old friend who had arranged this trip and was delightfully surprised to find another old friend on the same tour. I spent time meeting new people and discovering their life stories. There is always some mild awkwardness when meeting new people, discovering how they fit in your life and with your values. Our group meshed well from the beginning.
Arches National Park is a sprawling, bustling, awe-inspiring experience. The arches tower over us puny humans, keeping watch for millennia, appearing as though they are unchanged through thousands of years, when in fact nature is picking and poking at them in every sandstorm and ice blizzard. I am privileged to have seen these formations at this moment in time, because they will never again be exactly the same, but will have been etched and changed by each gust of wind, rain drop, and ice pellet.
There is a solitude unlike any other when you are able to stand under one of these grand formations as the sun is setting and the area is clearing of people headed back for dinner and playtime. It is as if you are given the priceless opportunity to share one gorgeous sunset alone with this creation, watching as the sunlight turns the arch bright red then orange, and finally a deep bronzy golden, before it finally rests for the night under a brilliant carpet of stars. This is pure magic.
On we went to Capitol Reef where, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the stark dry desert vistas, devoid of all but the smallest and hardiest shrubs. The desert is an ever-changing play of light and rock, and towers of hardened sand and rubble stand up from the floor, beckoning us to forever immortalize them with our cameras as they reach toward the heavens above.
On my agenda this trip, as well, was Bryce Canyon. Having never seen the hoodoos, I was unprepared for the sheer majesty of these individual towers of rock which, when viewed together, present a craggy, ragged, almost unnavigable landscape. Yet, I saw trails weaving through these towers, disappearing into the shadows underneath and around them, and reappearing in the sunlight shining over the distant peaks. I will be back to experience you from the ground up, Bryce Canyon.
Zion was serene but unwelcoming. We managed to visit here just as a pacific storm was announcing its presence in the region and drenched our efforts to capture the beauty of this national monument. My traveling companion and I, however, were the only two people to witness and record the birth of a small transient waterfall as it developed down the steep face of a rock wall – a rare sight indeed in the dry Utah desert.
We found ourselves at White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs national monument next. This drive is not for the faint of heart, and I, who generally have no issue with rough roads, found myself counting the miles until we found ourselves back on hard asphalt again. But, oh the trip was worth the effort. This may have been the most beautiful and mysterious moment of my entire trip. The pacific storm was easing and low clouds were scudding to the northeast when we arrived, leaving the light as a misty, gentle cover over the dunes. This area is a playground for those wanting to lose themselves in childhood memories of cowboys and Indians, defending forts, and “hiding from the bad guys.” Everywhere I looked were nooks and crannies into which I could fold myself, slanted and steep walls to climb, and photos to take of these magnificent ancient sand dunes petrified into outlandish, otherworldly designs and shapes. We chose to wait for nightfall, for the rising of the Milky way in the southern sky, but, as we were eating our tasty sandwiches in our makeshift al fresco dining area on the side of a small petrified sand hill, a fog bank rolled in and covered the Pocket in a misty blanket of cool brisk moisture. There is such beauty and peace in sitting within the fog witnessing the end of the light. Knowing that our Milky Way shoot was impossible at this point, we chose to stay and attempt to capture the mysterious vapor as it cavorted and weaved around the dune formations, lit only by the beams of our flashlights. But in a moment of clarity, we all looked up and the fog parted to reveal the Milky way in all its gloriousness. The gift was fleeting, for we only had minutes to capture this star trail against the foreground of the dune, and then the fog returned in droves, driving us back to our vehicle and leaving us to ponder the beauty of all we had just witnessed.
Last on our agenda were Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon in the most northern part of Arizona. If you have never been, I recommend a visit to Antelope Canyon, one of the most interesting slot canyons I have ever seen. Here one aspiring photographer took a picture that sold for $6 million dollars, because he was in the right place just when a sunbeam hit a dust cloud and created the shape of a ghost. No such luck for me! However, the history of this canyon, deep in the Navaho tribal lands, is fascinating, and the canyon is evolving every day. Our guide showed us the markings on the ground of this narrow slot which revealed this canyon’s floor had been 3 feet higher just 3 years ago. Again, I am privileged to have been here now in this moment, visualizing this canyon at its current state because it will never appear that way again.
Horseshoe Canyon is a breathtaking view and the clouds on the day of our visit were of paramount importance to the beauty of the photos we captured. I was amused and a little saddened, however, to see that, though most of the people attending the sunset at the Canyon that evening were just as enamored of the view as myself, a few had completely forgone the scene in front of them, instead turning in the opposite direction to capture a selfie with themselves against the background of the canyon. What a statement of our world of social media and self-importance this was to me. I am reminded that, even though I stand behind the lens of a camera, I must never forget to stop, look beyond my eyepiece, and marvel at the view in front of my eyes.
Thus ended my photography trip to Utah. I was surprised at how I enjoyed this dry desert with its interspersed mountain peaks. I was captivated by the peace and tranquility that I discovered in our early mornings and late nights among the park attractions, away from the bustle of crowds and before even the birds were awake to sing. This is the joy and the peace I find in photography.
Blessings!
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Photography has been a tool through which I create space to develop positive emotions in my life. There is joy in creation of an image that envelops those who view it in a sense of awe. There is happiness in my heart when I ponder those images and consider all I learned and how much I grew in knowledge in order to produce those photographs.