A Taste of Utah

At Arches National Park near Delicate Arch (May.2015)

Long before the movie "127 hours" was filmed, I already fell in love with Utah.
Various pictures of out-of-this-world rock formations are both "curious" and beautiful.  It's for this reason that I put Utah as a 'must visit' place in my bucket list.

Southwest USA (covering Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, etc.) is popular to most US outdoor or climb magazines that I've read.  I can only envy the people that live near or around it, having such a majestic panorama of natural beauty.  Well, the good side is - I don't have to endure a difficult 'long-distance' desert life, where one travels 100miles to hop from one location to the next ha ha!

Here are some southern Utah pictures for visual tour (I went on to Arizona to see Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe bend, Monuments Valley and Petrified Forest).

Zion national park. A secret alien/ET base? :)  Long, long ago, Utah was underwater, then it surfaced forming very unique rock formations shaped by age and natural elements.

Zion. Curved by nature. Solid rock mountain, easy hike when dry, deadly when wet/icy.

Desert cactus abound. (Zion)

Admiring a cave structure, perhaps a Dinosaur's rest house...

10 Million years in the making, Chekerboard Mesa sculpted with vertical and horizontal lines. (Zion)

Arches National Park.  Here doing less than 5km hike to Delicate Arch. Easy hiking suited for all ages. 

(Arches) 'Windows', stunning giant arch. This is just one of the thousands arches in this vast Moab territory.

Flowers by the Window?  Spring bloom at the Arches.

A distant Arch. I wish to get closer but time is sometimes not a luxury (Arches)

Balancing rock, there are many in this places. Rock material of top and bottom is different and bottom erodes faster.  In due time, this rock (and even all the Arches) will fall.

Delicate Arch. Like some alien-made 'Gate of time'/ portal. Here (if you could see me) pushing the rock for more room.

Finally, spectacular view of the Delicate Arch after 1:20min easy hike.

Sometimes, one needs to look upwards. Here, under the giant Arch. 

Some tribal rock drawing made in the 1700 is somehow preserved (near the trail head of Delicate Arch).

In the mercy of time.  It's always good and nice, while it last. (Arches)

Desert has its own inhabitant, can you spot the rabbit? (Arches)

Doing the Samson Act, at a minor arch on the way to Delicate.

Magnificent rock formation at Bryce Canyon national park.  Another 100 years and all these may disappear.

Bryce, at a distance. Like some giant castle on top of a mountain.

Bryce, as seen from its interior.

"Mask"? rock formation at Bryce's interior.

My shirt said it all!

Short hiking at Bryce Canyon's interior.  Really an amazing place...

Well, practicing survival in case there's sudden ice storm! (Bryce)