Author: stephiestewart

Revisiting Some of Utah’s Most Beautiful Places

Once more around the national parks in Utah

An older image of Zion’s Overlook, in 2020

Visiting the national parks in Utah, of which there are many well known ones, was slightly different in spring, as the weather changed, and some of the snow remained on the mountains, making it a very pretty sight in many places, while the weather warmed, and yet the spring blossoms did not quite emerge to cover the ground with blooms. Unlike the forests of the Midwest, the landscape in Utah is more Martian, many say, and I would agree, with its reddish hues and desert landscapes, and the mountains with sparse ground cover that do not really ever seem to change with the season, in many places.

Skiing at Brianhead Resort was a very scenic sight, with beautiful vistas on many sides of the mountains, with the red hues in the distance against the white snow.

The best places to go in Utah that are National Parks are arguably the Big Five:

Bryce Canyon

Zion

The Canyonlands

Arches

Capitol Reef

There are also places of immense beauty that are lesser known, such as Snow Canyon, near St. George, and many places around St. George, like the Pioneer Park boulders and the trails in the Red Cliffs National Conversation Area. There are also pretty places around Moab that aren’t amongst the Big Five that are worth exploring, though I will leave those up for the visitor to discover themselves.

Not to be missed is Salt Lake City, with The Crater nearby (in Park City), and the white sands to the left of the city (an hour and a half away).

On the way back to the Midwest, Vail is a nice place to visit with its Swiss styling, even if one is not skiing and merely taking in the sights. Visit the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop for gifts if anyone likes chocolates.

There was just enough time to get back in time to see the Solar Eclipse with friends and family.

Vail, covered in snow, from one of the roads.

As always, all opinions are my own.

The Old Town in Alexandria, Washington, D.C.

Some things leave behind memories that are greater than others, though small moments matter, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

The drive through the mountains of West Virginia and its sweeping mountains is one that takes one back to olden times.

After a few weeks in a pleasant small town (though it is growing at a rapid rate with apartment complexes) with friends and family after solar ecplise and a season of tennis in the summer ahead, the mountains of West Virginia once again beckoned.

However, I did not wind up stopping in them, as a friend was playing a piano concert in the German Embassy in Washington D.C., and it is not often that these things happen. So, I went and watched, and made a “film” of it with the equipment I had.

While there, which was a short weekend, the old town of Alexandria and the wharf had some nice views to walk along, and another lovely woodland walk starting from the Old Anglers Bridge into the woods and back along the Potomac River – until next time. As always, all opinions are my own.

St. George, Utah

Words don’t really describe well the changing colors of the southern Utah landscape. For a month in winter, I hiked different trails, went skiing and climbing, and admired the beautiful landscapes again. It’s like living on Mars, many say, and time passes differently there, it seems like, with the long hours of reddish hues and golden grasses mixed with growing small towns into cities. Most of the time I spent in St. George, which is very close to Zion National Park.

For those who enjoy scenic views, camping in the high country near Yant Flats is very nice.

Of the prettiest trails, a walk through an easy trail in Snow Canyon was by far the favorite, which led to three lava caves and the gentle rock waves, and the balloons rising from the rocks in the morning over the town of St. George were a pretty sight during the weekend festivals they held.

As always, all opinions are my own. May your life be blessed with goodness this season.

Some photographs of Utah, with one of a trail in Red Rocks in Las Vegas.

Traveling Across the USA

When I look back at the photographs, the last eight months was extremely full of new sights and landscapes, though while I lived it, it didn’t feel very different. I spent weeks living a different lifestyle, traveling to Tuscon, Arizona, and to several different small towns and landmarks nearby, before the year turned toward the end. A snowdrift in Denver, during the cold spell, caused me to stay for a few nights in a very small former coal mining town, Leadville, with extremely beautiful snow capped mountains in the distance, in high altitudes, and an appreciation for various kinds of lifestyles, while I was there.

CowsonthewaytoHotSprings,NC

I returned to Indiana yet again in the spring, where the leaves were changing, the blooms were opening up and sprouting into green hues everywhere, and the placid lake in the mornings as the sun drifted over it changed morning and evening, reminding me once again why I liked being in Indiana so much, anyway.

The months passed slowly, and another trip out west happened. Weeks slowly became the past, as it kept moving on, and suddenly the blooms were gone and full leaves had been grown. I wandered around the New River Gorge, taking in the sights and climbing, and visited the Red River Gorge, on the way back.

Another trip took me to Asheville, where finally, I visited the Biltmore Estate and drove along part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, admiring the views.

In Yellowwood, someone who was traveling across the country said, “you might look to the future and aspire to it, but one day, you’ll look back and realize that the last ten years is what you did.” We often look to the future and admire our plans without fully realizing that where we are and what we’re doing is what we knit into our shroud, as the saying goes.

Spain and England

Involving two more countries and a marathon:

For two months, I was in Spain and England. I was actually in Scotland during a very momentous time in history, when the Queen of England died, and watched part of the precession gathering in Edinburgh, while it was being set up.

Spain was hotter than I expected, though I enjoyed wandering the cool streets in the Murcia region, in the south of Spain, and visiting the landmarks and cathedrals in Cartagena and spending quiet days in the small coastal town of Aguilas, swimming in the waters.

England, with its beautiful green landscapes in the countryside, and its varied regions, was no less interesting. I preferred Cornwall the most this time, as — perhaps it was the weather — there was a very peaceful feeling in the land while I was there.

I also visited Dublin, for a few days, and spent some nice evenings watching cricket on the lawns, seeing the interiors of the cathedrals and watching street music along the narrow streets, and walking by the River Liffey in the mornings and evenings. One day, it would be nice to spend a month exploring Ireland’s countryside, and visit places like Graystones, which was highly recommended by others.

There were train strikes in Oxford while I was there, and also the London Marathon, which I completed a couple days afterwards, following the course one day on my own.

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New River Gorge, The Blue Ridge Mountains, and The Great Smokey Mountains

Climbing in The New River Gorge was breathtaking. The sights of the river, down below, and the town, which proclaimed itself “The Coolest Small Town in North America,” led to a pleasant experience. Mist covered bridges, high above the ground, and humidity. It was nice to wind through familiar places, distant roads, heading back towards Indiana.

Prepare for difficult, long sustained climbs in the New River Gorge and if it is nearby, the Biltmore is a once in a lifetime experience to visit, very similar to a European castle, in Asheville, NC. It’s time for the photographs. As always, all opinions are my own.

The Blue Ridge Mountains

Along The Journey Home

These cows were visible from a winding road that was either near Wolf Creek, TN, or a little closer to Bluff NC. There wasn’t much cell service and the roads were being worked on, at the time. I saw a rider on horseback on the highway I was on and asked directions to Hot Springs, NC, and then after a very winding road that was gravel, turned around and made it to 40, heading northwest. A very pretty sight along the road in a quaint, country way.

The route I took wound through the Smokey Mountains at one point, and it was nice to see them again, majestic and covered in mist, the fog reaching into the deeper blue hills in the distance. It was very nostalgic. Time passes, and some things change, and yet, some remain.

Ravens are very intelligent creatures. They can even talk like humans, in some instances, if trained. This one met me on top of the mountain and spent time nearby, before it flew away.

A view of Pigeon Forge from an overlook.

The full moon in August, 2023.