Zion National Park, Utah, the East Side

Springdale Winter

The tiny town of Springdale, Utah sits at the entrance of one of the best national parks in the US, Zion National Park.  Zion offers easy access to beautiful vistas for the casual tourist, strenuous hikes to challenge the physically fit and back canyons for skilled mountaineers.  I had the privileged to stay here through the changing seasons…. twice!
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Moab, Utah

Delicate Arch

Moab, Utah was just one of many small towns dotting my route as I frequently traveled between the University of Utah and my home town of Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Stopping to explore this impressive landscape was never considered.  Time was always short, rushing to get back to school, go skiing or to get home on a vacation.  Now that I have nuttin’ but time on my hands I rented a VRBO cottage in downtown Moab.  This great location did little good as many of the shops, restaurants and both photo galleries I wished to visit were closed, as February is considered the off season.  Some shops were scheduled to open up the day we departed for Colorado.  Many times while dining we were the only tourists in the cafe.  It was fun listening to the business owners in town discuss the issues of the day.  They seemed to look upon the inevitable onslaught of tourists starting in March with both great anticipation and trepidation.  Goodbye to their quiet little town.
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Desert Big Horn Sheep

Mom with Baby

Mom with Baby

On just about any late afternoon in Zion National Park, it seems if one heads to the slick rock area on the east side, you will almost certainly find several Desert Bighorn Sheep.  While it is easy to get lots of photos, it is harder to get the sheep against the skyline, doing something interesting or in a unique setting.  It is very surprising how very agile they are and how easy they can climb up a steep hill.

Desert Big Horn Sheep of Zion National Park.Big-Horn-Baby-20130211-_ALL2235-Edit

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