Total Shots taken	572
Number of 5 star ratings (5* yield %)	10 (1.7 %)

 

One of the highlights of last year’s photography vacation was the visit to Zion National Park.  I was blown away by the beauty of the location, the colors, and the majestic Zion Canyon.  It was hard not to be awestruck.  I have mined these vacation photos for several previous posts (see Day 1 – Cedar Breaks National Monument – 5* Pix From the Side, Day 2: Who Knew ‘Bout Those Hoodoos? – 5* Pix), but even a year later, the images spark that same reaction.  I remembered that as I walked around and through the canyon, the refrain of a traditional Christian hymn kept going through my head:

“Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made….

When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur

And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze….

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art, How great Thou art. ”

With that song as my refrain, I couldn’t help but share these images with you.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the park itself – here are my 5* images.

• Scenic Drive – The drive into Zion Canyon is breathtaking!  I love the layers from the peak of West Temple, to the carved mountainside and the roadway.  During my drive, I learned the term  ‘switchback’ to describe roads that had hairpin turns, typically used to traverse steep mountainside – I read there might be some on this road, and the road sign in this image indicated sharp curves were ahead.

• Bubbling Brook (3) – The Virgin River flows through Zion Canyon. We walked through the base of the canyon, sometimes falling it, and other times, wading through it. I loved the play of the water over the stones (so much so that I couldn’t decide which one to pick!).

• Splash of Red – The blossoms growing in the crevices of the canyon walls made for a wonderful splash of color in the midst of an otherwise brown green landscape.

• Bathed in Light (2)– Zion Mountain, as highlighted in the sun is breathtaking. I loved the sight  of the clouds in the bluest sky.   In the 2^nd image, the craggy face of the mountain is highlighted by light and shadow.

• Bathed in Bronze – At the end of  a few hours in the canyon, we began heading back.   As I rounded the last curve, I was transfixed by the way the canyon glowed bronze in the later afternoon sunlight.  It was hard to believe that the staid brown I saw on the entrance blazed so abundantly in this light.  This is what they mean when they say “photography is about capturing the light.”

Photography vacations are a wonderful thing!  My visit down memory lane brought back the wonder I felt when I was in Zion Canyon.  I hope you enjoy this  brief visit provided by these 5* selections!