6th July 2015 - Visit to the desert.

The best time to visit the desert is spring time. Arizona feels so pleasant and Utah's arid region so cooling.

This is on the way from Arizona to Utah on the road. For this shot I stepped out of the car and took a picture on the main highway. If that is not thrilling what is. The view was magnificent.

The settings for the image are below the image.

The adjacent image is from Zion, Utah. It is a postcard site. The cool breeze, the cool waters and the greenery of Spring is awesome. I had a feeling i would be coming back to this place again. Last time I was there I felt like spending some more time there. There are so many beautiful places to unwind and view the place made just for you.


Here are a few Spring flowers that were growing in my backyard.

April 22nd 2014 - Utah's Treasure.

I went on a vacation to National Parks in the state Utah - the most wonderful wonderland. It was a long drive from my place but worth it. As an incentive I got to pass many different states along the way. I had been longing to do something like this for a while. Believe me, you learn a lot by traveling through different terrains and  when the summit is Utah, you don't even get tired.

I passed through the busy - Illinois, the windmill state - Iowa, the lush green - Nebraska and the colorful Colorado along the way. In all, I covered I,807 miles (2,908 km)  one way. This is a little more than Delhi, India to Kanyakumari, India one way. Do the math - a total of 3614 miles (5,816 km) on wheels but for the experience and the views it's worth it. The picture above is of the snow capped La Sal mountains in the Arches National Park.
Utah has snow and desert at one place. The air is so pure, and the silence of the place is divine, the best part is the view. How can Nature make all these sculptures by itself? Once again I am in awe of Nature.
The adjacent picture is of the Double Arch.The blue sky against the red sandstone looked very beautiful as it looks great in the picture. 

Aperture - F8
ISO - 100
Shutter Speed- 1/30 secs.

The most strenuous  hike was the hike to the Delicate arch. Man, how I wished I had not embarked on the trail. A very long and steep trail that too without water but if I had not undertaken that trail, I would have missed one of the most breathtaking views of Utah.
I was so out of breath and so out of water when I reached the top but by just looking at it, I did not hesitate to go further to take a closeup. Man seems so small in front of this magnificent structure. The calmness, stillness and colors were too much to imbibe in one day. I wished to stay a little longer but had to visit a few more sites, so had to leave that peaceful place.

Another visit was to the Zion National Park, a five hour drive from the Arches National Park. It was like an oasis in the desert. Red sandstone rocks with rivers and trees. It is called the "Hanging gardens" as the Juniper trees seem to hang from the mountain tops. If only I could have stayed there forever. Never seen anything like it before. I found a desert Lizard and a herd of Deer very close to me in the wild and of course squirrels -  who behaved like people, asking for food from the passers-by on the trail.

There are way too many pictures for one blog post, so I will be sharing them in my next one. Hope you all are having a nice week. 

The picture on the right is of the Virgin river flowing through the Zion National Park.

ISO - 100
Aperture - F11