Utah (some people pronounce it as u-ta, others pronounce it as wooo-tah) is
an astonishing place !! It calls itself as the The Beehive
State. This name comes from the fact that the pioneering people
who came here in the early times found this place to be extremely
hostile. These settlers had to toil really hard to make this place
live-able. Well, hard work and activity is usally associated with the
bees - hence the name beehive. If we were given a chance to name this
state we would have called it something different like: The Landscape
State, or even The Canyons State !! Once you see the pictures below
you will know why
Utah in general comes with dry desert like climate. However unlike the
regular deserts you find mountain ranges every where. At many place
most of these mountains are dry, but adjoining the rockies you find
the legendary skiing places of Utah. The most interesting part of the
place is the crusty, light, sand like surface of the ground. At many
places it feels like things might crumble any instant. Because of this
crusty surface in this region, the rivers have had a fabulous time.
Any thread of flowing water here has carved a deep gorge !! Thus over
the ages these mind boggling places have got formed... Now for the
pictures.
We start with one of the most magnificient canyons - The Zion Canyon.
The picture below is the Kolob Canyon rim. Unfortunately we do not
have pictures of The Zion on the inside...
The Kolob Canyon rim, that is a part of The Zion Canyon.
Driving on the Kolob drive here was being in the midst of a dream. The
Zion Canyon, UT
Zion Canyon is based in the midst of high mountain ranges.
This picture shows how the road winds along the Canyon Walls of
The Zion Canyon, UT
A picture of the walls of the canyon.
The Redrock Canyon, UT, justifies its name ten times over. The
rock around this place is RED ! This was an amazing spectacle too.
One of the best things to see in Utah is the Bryce Canyon. Well words
fail to describe this. And we dont know even if the pictures do it any
justice.
Sunset at Bryce Canyon NP, UT
The sky and the ground get set on fire at sunset ! In the
Bryce Canyon NP, UT
Finally one of our most favourite pictures of the trip !
Bryce Canyon, UT, basks in the sunshise...
As you hike down into Bryce Canyon, you will be sorrounded
by unearthly formations of red/yellow mud. Its a real eirie feeling.
Here is Thor's Head one of the most photo-ed landscapes
The following pictures are the fall colours on top of the Boulder
Mountain, UT. And who said, fall is only in the far eastern US ??
Fall colours on the Boulder Mountain, UT. Probably it was
not a good idea for us to sit there... We are hardly visible :-)
No need to search, we are not in this picture :-). But the
colours are as fabulous as ever !
Pick your own fruit !! Thats what Ajay is upto - at the
Capitol Reef National Monument, UT
The Ovakhomo natural bridge strikes a pose against the
deep blue sky. at The Natural Bridges, NP, UT. You get this view after
you hike for a mile or so :-)
Canyonlands NP, UT !! This is a huge national park with
lots of by roads and pathways. We enjoyed some of the best back
country driving in this park. Here our CRV strikes a pose !
We strike a pose at the Canyonlands National Park, UT
An interesting observation in Utah is that lots of the monuments
and natural landscapes are protected areas, but there are some which
are not named, unprotected - this above picture is an example. It
pretty much looks like an Indian (no not the american indian one)
temple.
The skyline for the delicate arch at The Arches Natioal Park,
UT. This arch (on the left in the picture above) is perched on top of
a big mountain...
Another view of the same skyline - the rock again is a
crimson hue. Arches National Park, UT
Sun sets over The Balanced rock in Arches National Park,
UT.
This picture stands testimony to the beautiful landscape of
Utah. The Road, as seen in UT
The Road as seen in UT - 2 !
Colorado
Colorado is the famous Rocky Mountain State. This range of mountains
goes right across the heart of the state from north to south. The
nickname of the state however is The Centennial State. The name
comes from a spanish word that literally read "Colored Red" ! The
beauty of the rockies is compared to that of Switzerland. However this
trip of ours did not cover much of Colorado since we had covered it in
yet another trip earlier. We still have some pictures to show - mostly
of the southern parts.
Colorado is synonymous to Aspen !! Aspen is the most
visibile and likeable trees in the Rockies. Here is a picture of them
aspens - you see forests and forests of these trees in here.
When crossing over to Colorado from Utah we took the
Independence Pass. This is one of the highest points in our trip. The
view from top is crisp.
The most important site we visited in CO was the Sand Dunes
National Monument. Here the Sand Dunes are dwarfed by the Rockies in
the back drop. The Sand Dunes themselves can be as tall as 500 feet.
Ajay strikes a pose in the wind at the Sand Dunes.
That brings us to the end of Colorado and Week 4 !
