Having a husband who is really getting into landscape photography means that we have to go on road trips to take pictures. He is also learning to take photos of the night sky. I love spending time with Ken, so this is a win-win! This week we went to some of the beautiful places in central and south Utah. All but one of these pictures are from my phone. I will have to get the photos Ken took when he downloads them onto the computer and sends them to me.
There was this canyon not too far from Goblin Valley called North Temple Wash. We took our Xterra on this trip so that we would be able to do some off road driving, and this drive was through some washes and narrow canyons. It was almost like a slot canyon for SUV's! Good thing we didn't meet another car in this spot. Actually, there were very few people anywhere we went. Nice time of year to go!
The erosion in the rocks was pretty spectacular.
We saw lots of balancing rocks. I can't imagine what keeps those things in place!
The next stop was at Capitol Reef National Park where we drove through Cathedral Valley. That is another place that it was good to have the SUV. The mud there was full of clay that may never come off my car! There is a formation there called Glass Mountain. It is not very big, but is very interesting. It is formed of a type of gypsum that is crystalized, so the whole thing is sparkly and shines (though you can't really tell from these photos). And they are very, very sharp. You would not want to touch this!
Then on to Natural Bridges National Monument. It was so COLD! The wind was blowing pretty hard, which made it feel even colder. During the day, we checked out where Ken wanted to take night photos. We hiked down to the bottom of this bridge and then I went back to the car while Ken stayed till after dark to get the photos he wanted. It was windy and cold at the car so I thought he must have been frozen down there as it got later and later. But he said that where he was taking the pictures, the wind was blocked.
I had an interesting experience in a restaurant in Blanding. As we were finishing our lunch, the waitress came up and asked me what I was going through treatment for. Most people just look at me with my head coverings and don't say anything. So it was rather a surprise. I told her that I had just finished chemo for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and she said that her mother had recently died of breast cancer. We talked for a bit about going through chemo. She shared a little of what her mom had gone through with surgery, chemo and radiation and how hard it was to watch. It's a strange thing to feel that I am part of that cancer community now. I don't often think of the word cancer in relation to myself. It still doesn't feel quite real to me! But it was nice to talk to her and feel what we had in common.
The last day We drove through Valley of the Gods and Gooseneck State Park. Then on to Monument Valley. I had never been there before, but the formations we very familiar from all the Western movies that have been filmed there. It is not a national park, but is a Navajo Nation Park. In fact, many Navajos actually live in the park. There is a 17 mile loop drive with many spectacular spots to stop and take pictures. If you want to go beyond that, you have to hire a Navajo guide.
So, it was a wonderful trip with lots of beautiful things to see. And best of all, a week with Ken with no interruptions!!
Things I am thankful for:
- The amazing beauty of this world. And that we live so close to these natural wonders.
- The time with my sweetheart!
- A car that can go on all sorts of interesting roads.
- Kind people everywhere.
- People sharing with me that I have been in their prayers, or that they put my name on the prayer roll at the temple.
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