Storm over Bryce Canyon

We might all like to have warm, sunny weather all of the time. If so, we can move north and south with the seasons. But I like weather, no matter what kind comes along. I have found that images like this are not as popular as those showing people basking in the sun on a tropical beach, but Bryce Canyon and other such locations are my preferred venue. I would much rather be in a storm on the Colorado Plateau than sitting on a beach with a calm ocean. The images that result from my standing out in the rain or snow are not as bright as those with sunshine, but they do depict what is going on when I took the photo.

Back to Winter Again

Well, it is that time of year again. We see all this strange white stuff falling out of the air and it piles up and looks like Winter. We get to wear a lot more clothes than we were used to from living in the low desert for years. Despite the inconvenience I really do like snow. It is a pleasant change from brown and green for a while. Of course, Winter is just beginning and I might become less enthusiastic as the months roll on. 

Cross Bedding

The pattern of the sandstone in this image indicates that the formation was composed of ancient sand dunes. The theory is that the sand dunes became frozen in place when they were cemented by water with a high concentration of calcium. The different patterns in the rock were caused by changes in the pattern of the winds. The vertical lines come from the stresses imposed on the rocks as they were uplifted to their present level.

Zion Vista

Even when the temperatures outside say that Winter is on its way, I still remember the summer days in Southern Utah and particularly days spent in Zion Canyon. I just read that Zion had a record number of visitors so far in 2015. We added to that number, but I am almost sure that most of them were there the days we visited. I have been there many times and have never seen such crowds. I think we will concentrate on other areas of the state and maybe return to our favorite places in Arizona. The only other place with so many people is the Grand Canyon and Zion is a lot smaller area and the canyon concentrates all the people together. At the Grand Canyon there are a lot of people but they are spread out over miles of the Rim.

Snowstorm on Timpanogos

It was about 27 or 28 degrees outside and I was just starting to shovel some snow off our steep driveway when I looked at this gorgeous view of the top of Mount Timpanogos. I had to run in and get my camera so I could take this shot before the clouds closed in and it started to snow again. Lovely time of the day to be out and about. I really do like snow.

Western Desert Mountains of Utah

One of the most interesting things about living along the Wasatch Front is that all of the towns and people are plastered along the western edge of the mountains from Nephi to Logan. If you drive west, within a few minutes you will leave Utah Valley and cross over into the western deserts. This area is characterized by huge valleys with hardly any development and just a few roads. The roads are mainly dirt with one or two exceptions. This is called the Basin and Range Province. The huge flat valleys are in between long north/south lines of hills and mountains. The valleys or basins are usually treeless and are covered in a sea of sage brush. It is one of my favorite places because of the vast open areas and the fact that there are so few people. Not that I would like to live there, but it is appealing in its emptiness.

At Home

Everywhere I go there are scenes that tell a story. The furniture in this image correspond to the type of chairs and tables that were prevalent when I was much younger. Usually, they were single pieces handed down from a grandparent. We have a table very similar to this one in our home today that came from a grandparent. I still have several hurricane lamps similar to the one in photo. These items are old enough to be considered part of a museum.