After not having gotten to travel for over a year and a half, we were finally able to take a trip to the American Southwest. This is an area in which I have spent far too little time. We were only able to spend a couple of days at Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, and unfortunately, only a day at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. But they were memorable days.

At Zion, the weather quickly turned ominous and heavy rain began the first evening. By the next morning, it was still raining in the valleys, but snowing at the higher elevations. The weather cleared in the afternoon, but turned cold. We headed to Bryce under beautiful clear skies, with temperatures dropping. On arrival at Bryce we were thrilled to see that the rains of Zion had been snow at Bryce. It was like a snowy fairyland! The next morning we got up very early to photograph a stunning sunrise in bitterly cold temperatures (19 deg. F). Our final day on the road, we visited the North Rim on the day it closed for the season. There was still snow on the ground, but clear skies. On our trip back to Utah, we were treated to a clear view of the Grand Staircase - Escalante, a series of escarpments that reveal the many layers of our western geology. The trip was memorable for many reasons, but the photography opportunities were certainly one of them. Please enjoy the photographs from this journey.

ERRATA 12-8-2021: I neglected to mention, and in turn link the photos of, a day trip we did to Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. I have added those pictures to the gallery. MP

Stay tuned for another collection from our pre-trip to the Mojave Dessert and 29 Palms!