Utah!

Hoodoos

Bryce Canyon Navajo Loop Trail

My recent trip to Utah was absolutely amazing. For an 'outdoor enthusiast' like me, Utah is a place of outstanding beauty and scenery. During my week there, I did a lot of driving, but I got to re-visit Zion, visit Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands, Arches National Park, and Natural Bridges National Park in the short period of time I was there. The weather was mainly good, varying in temperature and conditions from falling snow to desert. I think Bryce was my favorite, but all these parks are amazing.

Trish and Jonathan are volunteering as rangers at Natural Bridges National Park, in Blanding, Utah, and I got to stay with them one day. Highlights were a hike Jonathan and I did, in which we saw Indian ruins up on a cliff, and mating frogs making quite a racket. We also saw one of the 'natural bridges,' which has a huge crack in the middle of it. We didn't see any rattlesnakes or mountain lions, (thank goddess as far as I'm concerned) though a few days later Jonathan got to visit a rattlesnake den.  

Jonathan and I also went out that night and gazed at the stars. The Natural Bridges National Park is famous for its dark skies, and star gazing. There are little interfering city lights emanating from earth. We did see an amazing display, and I would say the clarity was similar to parts of Maine I've seen, but the vastness of the sky was far larger. Also, we saw what must have been a meteorite or comet. It shot across the sky, and was visible for about 3 to 4 seconds. Jonathan and I had our bonding moment. Sniff sniff.