Utah Photos Now Available for Purchase on CafePress

The photos of Utah's parks are here for you to enjoy along with the blog posts.

However, several people have contacted me about having my photos available for sale. The easiest way for me to share my photos this way is to have them available on sites like CafePress where you can buy them on products like mugs, T-shirts, mouse pads etc. etc.

So here's the website info for you: http://www.cafepress.com.au/profile/franwest1.

Fran West Utah photos on CafePress

As you can imagine, the most popular photos are of Bryce Canyon, Kolob Canyons and Monument Valley plus house boating on Lake Powell.

Enjoy!

Bryce Canyon National Park, Southern Utah: Just Beautiful

Bryce Canyon National Park is just beautiful. This national park is one of the highlights of southern Utah and one of the USA's most memorable parks.

Since I was driving in a clockwise direction to visit the state's national parks, I travelled about 90 miles from Zion National Park in the southwest to Bryce Canyon.

Some of the route was along National Scenic Byway 12. I highly recommend planning your trip along these byways when possible because the scenery is well worth it.


Scenic Byway sign, Utah, USA - Fran West


These Scenic Byways are well marked as you can see from the sign.

There's a whole list of these in a little booklet which was sent to me in 2009 from the American Park Network - "Utah's National Parks: your complete guide to the parks".


When I arrived at Bryce Canyon it was pouring with rain, not a good omen for taking photos.

However, the weather cleared up at times with a few sunny patches here and there, revealing the scenery in the two photos below.

Quite an adventure walking the muddy trails after rain as it was slippery in sections and sometimes each step was like pulling my feet out of glue as I squelched along the track. I just love having my boots caked in mud!

Nevertheless, there's nothing like walking in amongst the multihued rock formations.


Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA - Fran West

As you drive further into the park, you'll come across several lookouts like the one below.


Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA - Fran West

To really explore Bryce Canyon you need more than the two and a half days which I had. The colours of the rocks change depending on the time of day, particularly sunrise and sunset, and you need to experience the park in several ways by driving, walking, biking or riding a mule into one of the canyons.

Here's a link to more information about Bryce Canyon National Park.

There are two photos of Bryce Canyon in my kindle book on Amazon. Just click on the photo for more information.

Canyon Country Created Into Jigsaw Puzzles Is Just Perfect

Canyon Country created into jigsaw puzzles is just perfect. Utilising photos of some of the spectacular landscapes of southern Utah, these jigsaws are a delight to put together.

In this CD there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

Canyon Country Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

This range of puzzles can be used by children of different ages and skill levels, promoting hand and eye coordination. Not only are the jigsaws great for stimulating learning and the imagination, they’re full of colour and loads of fun. You can never lose the pieces.

Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over. Suitable for adults as well! Each CD costs $25.00. That works out to $1 per jigsaw puzzle - great value!

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector, and internet access isn’t required.

They're great to take away on holidays and play in the car while travelling or in the tent, RV or caravan on rainy days.

In the Canyon Country CD there are 5 photos which have been turned into jigsaw puzzles: Bryce Canyon, Red Canyon (near Bryce Canyon), Kolob Canyons in Zion National Park, Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.

The Bryce Canyon photo was taken in the afternoon when the rainy weather had cleared. Blue sky with wisps of cloud above the orange and rusty tones of the canyon. Overnight it poured again so I headed for Cedar Breaks travelling through the Red Canyon (very aptly named too). Rainy weather seemed to follow me so after cloudy skies in Zion National Park I decided to head over to the Kolob Canyons section of the park in the northwest corner. I preferred this because the vistas were in the distance. In Zion Canyon I felt boxed in and had to keep looking up at the canyon walls. At Bryce Canyon you look down into the canyon from the rim and see a beautiful panorama of canyon landforms with mountains in the distance.

Canyonlands National Park is quite vast and it was very hot when I visited. It had several striking formations, like Mesa Arch. My favourite place though is Dead Horse Point State Park with the Colorado River snaking its way around the bottom of high canyon walls. Camping on the spot gives opportunities for sunset and sunrise photos as well as the photo which I've made into a jigsaw. The place must be quite magical when it's covered in snow.



Here's a bit more about the jigsaws which are also available for sale from my other websites - click here!

Here are a couple of samples (a lion and a bus) so you can see how to do the puzzles -

Canyon Country Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

Canyon Country Coming Soon As Jigsaw Puzzles

Utah's Canyon Country is coming soon as 25 interactive Jigsaw Puzzles on CD. The spectacular rock formations present photographers with such a wealth of material that it's hard to resist capturing them on film or digital flash card. The response to my photos has been so overwhelming that I've decided to make 5 of the photos into interactive jigsaws: Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park's Kolob Canyons, Red Canyon, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.

Stay tuned!

http://utahparks.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/canyon-country-created-into-jigsaw.html

Photos of Utah's National and State Parks

Many of the visitors to this site are attracted by the photos of Utah's spectacular parks. The following slide presentation puts a few together for your enjoyment of Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Dead Horse Point State Park.

Utah Parks from Fran West

Check out Canyon Country Jigsaw Puzzles.

Hike the Trails in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, Using a Great Map

To get the most enjoyment out of hiking in Bryce Canyon National Park, southern Utah, you need a good map. Check out this one, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT - Trails Illustrated Map # 219 [Folded Map] from National Geographic.

Click on the ad for more information.

Product Description
The map includes the entire national park area, with detailed trails and topographic information. Also included are portions of Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, Bryce Ampitheater, Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon Lodge, Black Birch Canyon, Rainbow Point, the Queens Garden Trail, and more. Includes UTM grids for use with your GPS unit.

Scale = 1:35,000 Size: 26'' x 38''

About the Author
Founded in 1915 as the Cartographic Group, the first division of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Maps has been responsible for illustrating the world around us through the art and science of mapmaking.
Today, National Geographic Maps continues this mission by creating the world's best wall maps, recreation maps, atlases, and globes which inspire people to care about and explore their world. All proceeds from the sale of National Geographic maps go to support the Society's non-profit mission to increase global understanding and promote conservation of our planet through exploration, research, and education.

Check out Canyon Country Interactive Jigsaw Puzzles.

Beautiful Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

In 2009, one of the best holidays I organised myself was a trip to the Southwest of the USA and southern Utah's national parks.

I started in the west with Zion National Park and followed a tourist route recommended on one of the internet sites.

At Zion Canyon, you have to look up to appreciate the canyon, whereas at Bryce Canyon, you have to look down to view a breathtaking panorama.

There are many drives and walks at the top of the canyon as well as walking and mule trails down into the canyon.

The features of the park are not only the vegetation and wildlife but in particular the rock formations and their various hues.

Sunrise and sunset are brilliant at certain points of the canyon.

One of the places I'd like to return to and explore a bit more.

Check out http://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm and Canyon Country Jigsaw Puzzles.

Mule Riding in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

I missed out on a mule ride down into the Grand Canyon, so I jumped at the chance to go mule riding at Bryce Canyon.

My first time on a mule (a bit scary because I don't like heights) but I was assured that my mule Angie knew what she was doing.

She did, I didn't.

All the mules followed our guide, John Henry, who was on horseback.

We followed the narrow winding trail down into the canyon stopping every now and then for photos and commentary. Spectacular scenery with the various colours of the canyon.

I was a bit sore in the backside at the end of the ride and I was definitely walking funny for the rest of the day. Another adventure ticked off the list.

Here's the rest of the story http://pilotyourlife.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/pilot-your-life-7/

Check out Canyon Country Jigsaw Puzzles.