In Winter, 1998, my younger sister worked as a seasonal ranger at Canyonlands National Park, some 50 miles outside of Moab, Utah. I drove up to spend Christmas with her and with my family, who drove down from Minot, North Dakota. I learned that southeast Utah has some of the most incredible natural scenery I've ever seen, especially in the winter. The following pictures were taken in and around Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. However, many spectacular vistas just couldn't be contained in a camera, and others were only seen from the window of my car as I battled my way across I-70. Trust me, if you ever make that drive in winter, you'll be astounded at what you see.
Me in the snow at the base of Schafer trail, with Island in the Sky in the background.
A naturally balanced boulder by the Potash road.
Erosion doing its work in the sandstone, creating an incredible variety of natural arches, for which the park is named.
Waving from the North Window.
Another view of North Window.
Miriam and I getting a look from the Window.
"Will ya look at that?!?"
Wow -- that is a breathtaking view from the North Window. That just goes on forever!
Sitting and contemplating, moving to get a better view.
The other end of the Window.
The remains of the cabin of the only family to actually settle in what was to become Arches NP. Amazingly enough, they lasted for decades.
This is actually the second cabin they built. It replaced a smaller one with no floor.
And, their storage shed.
Delicate Arch -- one of the more famous points in Arches NP, it graces the Utah licence plate.
Delicate Arch again, taken from the same place as above, without telephoto.
A SpiderWave production, ©1999
HH