This photo is from road leading into the Kolob Canyon section of Zion NP. I was struck by the sharp contrasts in colors: blue sky, red rock, green trees.
The “trees of green” and “skies of blue” made me think of the song “What a Wonderful World” written by Bob Thiele and George Weiss and memorably sung by Louis Armstrong.
Truly, what a wonderful world God has given us to live in.
This is another photo of the Virgin River in Zion NP. The river bottom is covered with large rocks. And then there are many boulders in and along the river. It seems amazing that all of these rocks and boulders have been carried through the canyon by the river. It is a striking display of the power of rushing water.
Awe & Wonder
Who can fathom all that You’ve done?
Earth, stars, and sun, in one breath
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
The reach of Your mercy knows no end
I want to see Your glory, feel Your thunder
Always filled with awe and wonder
Behold Your beauty, all Your splendor
Always filled with awe and wonder
(Song by Andrew Holt, Austin Davis, Daniella Mason)
This photo is from point where the Orderville Canyon joins the Narrows in Zion NP. Just up the Virgin River (to the left) leads to Wall Street, the narrowest section of the canyon.
We went only a hundred yards or so to the left and then turned around. I did a similar distance through the Orderville Canyon before turning around.
This hike was an amazing experience. Over half of it is spent actually walking in the water of the Virgin River. At the deepest points, it was just above mid-thigh. I thought walking upstream would be harder, working against the current. But it turns out walking downstream was a similar challenge. A lesson for life also?
This is another photo from Zion National Park. This one is from the Angel’s Landing Trail. I don’t think we saw a cloud the first 5 days of our trip. It is difficult to get a good picture when the sun is so bright. I was happy to get a blue sky even though there is significant artifact.
The human eye is amazing. Very often, a camera is simply not able to capture what the eye can see unassisted.
This was sunset on our first day at Zion. One of my friends suggested this as a great place to watch the sunset and she was certainly right. One of my wishes for our trip was to see the sun set from many different scenic views. For me, sunset caps a special day like icing on a cake.
If you look closely, you can see the road winding up from the bottom of the canyon. The road continues to pass through a tunnel that is approximately 1 mile long. There are multiple openings through the side of the canyon wall where you can see out from the tunnel; some are easily visible from this trail. We also saw some bighorn sheep scrambling on the rocks near the trailhead.
Photo: Canyon Overlook, Zion NP
Marylynn and I just got back from a trip to Utah. This photo was taken on flight out. We were able to visit 5 National Parks – Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches.
We feel so blessed to not only visit these parks, but to be physically able to hike several miles each day and to have each other to share the experience with.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise the Lord in the heights.
Praise the Lord, all his angels;
praise the Lord, all his hosts.
Praise the Lord, sun and moon;
praise the Lord, all shining stars.
Praise the Lord, highest heavens,
and the waters above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
who commanded, and they were created.
God established them forever and ever.
Psalm 148:1-6
Photo: Sweet Arrow Preserve, Sugarcreek Township
Signs Along the Way 