Zionic Bliss

The two days in Zion were packed with great shots and almost perfect conditions, given that it IS still mid-March! I had planned on staying another half day but, a little snow storm put the damper on that.

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My plan had me spending a full day in the Kolob Canyons part of Zion. I didn't check this place out the last time I went so a full day of shooting was in order. The funny thing is that, despite how huge this place is and how close it is to Interstate 15, you can't see any of the park from the freeway. I drove right past it and had to backtrack. It's a view-packed 17 mile drive, ending on a high ridge across from a collection of monolithic red cliffs like these below.

I just love those soothing red colors, the incredible textures and the endless varieties of shapes and sizes.

The second day had me on an expedition to get up on top of the cliffs. This scene below greeted me as I entered the park. The last time I was here, I didn't have my nice Fuji with the 10X optical zoom. I'm now able to get an infinite amount of better pictures with this camera and Zion is so full of scenes like these.

This is what I saw looking up from the bottom of the trail. Carved right out of sheer cliffs, in places, the trail winds its way up, amongst the cottonwoods, cactus, oaks, junipers and pines.

Nope, there's not too many railings on this trail. All these switchbacks get you into the the dramatically narrow Refrigerator Canyon. We'll continue the journey next time as I reach Scouts Lookout, atop a 1000 foot cliff.