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!

Natural Bridges National Monument Bridges the Gap Again

Although Natural Bridges National Monument isn't a huge park, it's still worth visiting.

You may like to read the previous post about it before continuing on with this post - click here!

This is Utah's first National Monument, declared in 1908, so it's been open for business for over a hundred years. It's famous for its bridges, naturally, but there's more to the park than just those. The rest of the terrain and the flora are outstanding.
 

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, USA - Fran West

The wildflowers and shrubs (above) are colourful as are the rock formations in the distance (below).
 

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, USA - Fran West

Wherever you drive or walk, there's something to enjoy and photograph. However, with all of these parks, to really appreciate what nature has to offer, you must spend longer than a few hours or even a day there.
 

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, USA - Fran West

In this desert country, as well as your trusty camera, camcorder or mobile phone etc., remember to take snacks and plenty of water. Sightseeing is very hungry and thirsty work!

Many people have emailed me about my photos and where they're available for purchase. I've started loading a lot of the photos already onto CafePress where you can buy them on mugs, T-shirts, magnets, clothing etc., so here's the link to that - Fran West photos on CafePress.

If you want to be more specific about Utah photos here's the link to those.

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.

Soar Beyond Your Wildest Expectations

Dear Readers,

Posting more articles and images to this blog will resume in a week or so.

For the last couple of months I've be collaborating on our new ebook - "Free Internet Marketing for Small Business". This is due for release towards the end of February 2013.

In the meantime, please enjoy "Soar beyond your wildest expectations".


Soar beyond your wildest expectations,
Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, Utah, USA

This photo was taken during a 6am flight over Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, Utah, USA.

Here's the link to Dropbox so you can download it for use as an inspirational poster or for use on your computer as a desktop wallpaper.

Canyonlands Is Just Captivating in Unsurpassed Utah

Canyonlands National Park is just captivating in unsurpassed Utah. It's not far from Moab, Utah's adventure capital.

I'm sitting here in Adelaide, in the sweltering heat of our Australian summer, and it's bringing back memories of the hot days when I was touring through and walking in southern Utah's national parks.

If you are into canyons, photographing them, viewing them from above or getting down into them, then Canyonlands National Park is for you. You will certainly get your fill of some rugged country.

Heading southwest from the Visitor Center, one of the places to stop is Mesa Arch (below). Not only is the arch spectacular but the view through the arch (and framed by it) is also spectacular.


The area is comprised of limestone, sandstone and shale and is the product of over 10 million years of erosion.

Quite something to behold as the rows of canyons continue on into the distance.

In addition to the regular tourist lookouts, there are places where you just have to pull off onto the side of the road and get out of the car to check the view. Everywhere seems to be a photographic opportunity.

The photos here are just a few of the many which I couldn't stop myself from taking.

Canyonlands is Utah's largest national park and the part which I saw most of is "Island in the Sky", located in the northern section.  

I only spent a brief time in the park but you need to allow several days or longer for walking and exploring.      



There are also quite a few roads for high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicles.

In the photo below, zoom in and you'll see a car making its way down into the canyon (bottom right hand corner). What an adventure. I wonder how long it took them.

Here's the link to the Canyonlands National Park website and map to help you prepare for your visit.

If you enjoyed this post then please share it with others.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is Just Gorgeous

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is just gorgeous.

It's shared by both Utah and Arizona and it's a very special place whether enjoyed from the land, the water or the air (I thoroughly recommend that way as detailed in a previous post).

The signs around Glen Canyon National Recreation Area are almost as impressive as the natural beauty which they highlight.

I left my campground and went for a drive around part of the lake until I came to this spot at the Coves. The painted part of the sign is mirrored in the stone which supports it.

Very creatively designed to make a statement about the place.

Photographing signs on a trip actually defines where the photos were taken, breaks up the series of photos taken e.g. all landscapes, and some are just worth photographing anyway.

Click on the photo to enlarge it and enjoy both the sign and the scenery behind it.

I can definitely feel the urge to create some interactive jigsaw puzzles about Glen Canyon and Lake Powell. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, check out my "Canyon Country" post.

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.

Capitol Reef is Captivating, Really

Capitol Reef National Park, one of the Utah parks in the south, really is captivating. It's a long skinny national park accessible between Torrey and Hanksville. Or if you're doing a clockwise trip around the national parks like I did, it's between Bryce Canyon National Park to the west and Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park to the east.

I love photographing different signs. The national parks, in particular, have a clear welcoming sign that lets you know that you're in for something spectacular. Photographing signs also indicates where the next photographs have been taken. It's also not a bad idea to photograph the sign when you leave a place (for obvious reasons).

The Visitor Center very fittingly blends in well with its surroundings. It's well worth a visit to pick up maps and information, look at the exhibits, watch a short video, buy souvenirs and use the rest rooms. The location is at the junction of the Scenic Drive and Route 24.

I really only had time to travel along the Scenic Drive and back and then continue east along the main road. However, the park really needs a couple of days to explore.

Looking at the photos, you can see that Capitol Reef National Park is one of those really rocky Utah parks. It's comprised of 378 square miles of towering landforms, canyons, mesas and folded rock layers and it's a photographer's Paradise (most of my photos of Utah are rocks, rocks and more rocks!). Stay tuned for more posts later.

Here's more information about Capitol Reef National Park.