Rock on, Utah!

Rocks! Big ones! Everywhere! Wow!

That sums my first impression of Utah this past summer. Utah is the polar opposite of the Pacific Northwest where the landscape is lush green and tall evergreens are a predominant feature.


Utah was brown, orange and red. Hot, dry and dusty. Magical. Like these petroglyphs:

At first you might not notice them. You might even blissfully walk right by. Then when you finally notice,  they about take your breath away. Here's a closer look at this grouping:

After seeing the petroglyph site, little did I know how much we were just getting started in this state of canyons and mystery.  I was bowled over when we got to our destination late in the afternoon:

Bryce Canyon is the dessert of Utah. It's a huge, delicious rock confection that is mesmerizing eye candy. Each of those pinnacle hoodoos seems like a sugary treat pointing toward the sky.

There are so many delicious vistas from the various viewpoints around the rim of the canyon. 

That evening we arrived we hung out near inspiration point shooting photo after photo

while wandering the rim until after sunset.

I felt wordless in the face of such beauty.