Monday, 11 August 2008

• Summer road trip 2008 - Cedar Breaks National Monument / Zion National Park

  Day 7 - Cedar Breaks National Monument / Zion National Park
  

  Trip duration: 15 days (May 9th to 23rd)
  Total distance: 9000km/5560miles

  

  Day 7, left Panguitch, Utah at around 11am and blasted up the hills to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Little did I know, in mid May the roads there were still closed!

  It was so windy up at the top of the mountain with temperature just slightly above freezing. No wonder why the roads were still closed. I took advantage and ruffled my hair in the cold breeze xD  That felt nice :)
  

  It sure was a beautiful sight though, with the red stone pillars accented by the white snow. However, with the unplanned road closure (one of the few rare lapses of my trip planning) I had to drive back down the mountain in a huge hurry so I could get to Zion National Park and Death Valley all in one day. 

  

  The MINI Cooper made short work of the twisty mountain roads. Vroom Vroom :D
  

  

  Snow!
  

  

  And after much vroom vrooming in the Utah Mountains and hills, I got to the warmer Zion National Park in early afternoon. It was so warm in fact, I was in T-shirts again with the AC on. The clouds made for fairly boring looking lights though, not good for landscape shots!
  

  

  And the first sights as I entered Zion from the east entrance. Lines and layers of rock, stacked at uncomfortable angles.

  And Zion.. strange name ain't it? sounds like some kind of cult...
  

  

  Red's the color of Utah, it is as if the entire land's rusting or something. If you've been following my trip so far, you must be bored of these red rocks. Zion sure was spectacular, but boy, after staring at strangely shaped red rocks for 3 days I'm starting to get a bit sick of them too.
  

  

  The desert landscape and the twisty roads rocks though :D Too bad, inside the park's just way too much traffic to have any sort of sustained fun in the MINI.
  

  

  Isn't it funny how the trees dots the hill side, as if they decided they don't wanna be beside each other or something.
  

  

  Pictures like these makes me wanna go on another road trip in the MINI so bad. Twisty roads, crazy landscapes.
  

  

  And pretty desert flowers :D Finally after a week of tripping I used the macro lens for the first time.
  

  

  Sometimes I wish I had the taste buds of different creatures, wouldn't it be fun to taste other food that doesn't seem like food to us? I bet everything tastes awesome as a sewer rat... xD
  

  

  Pretty :D
  

  

  I love summer!
  

  

  This would make for a good MINI Cooper Calendar contest entry don't you think?
  

  

  And inside Zion there's a couple of tunnels, and although my car doesn't have an aftermarket exhaust on it anymore, the new intake I got did sound fun in the tunnels.

  If only I had a Ferrari, mmmmmmm

  
  

  

  Such a beautiful place, such a beautiful day. I miss this, I do. I need to go for a trip again...
  

  <
  

  Layers and layers
  Years and years
  Stories and tales
  Locked inside the details 

  The rocks makes me feel small
  My existence merely a speck on a wall
  My life isn't about having it all
  Just have fun, have a ball :P
  

  

  The clouds floated by
  Wondering how the rocks were
  "Hey you, Hi!"

  The rocks replied
  Such a great day, what a pleasant surprise
  "Have fun floating, bu bye!"
  

  

  I'll have to come back here and explore the park some more, there are so many amazing hiking trails that I didn't get a chance to see.
  

  

  After visiting the visitor's center (and bought some postcards for Li-Ann), I left Zion through the west gate and headed west towards Las Vegas and the desert.
  

  

  No more red rocks! Next up, deserts, and Death Valley!
  

  Go back to previous road trip entries....
  Day 1: Montana
  Day 2: West Yellowstone
  Day 3: Yellowstone National Park 1
  Day 3: Yellowstone National Park 2
  Day 4: Yellowstone/Salt Lake City
  Day 5: Salt Lake City
  Day 5: Arches National Park
  Day 5: Canyonlands National Park
  Day 6: Capitol Reefs National Park
  Day 6: Bryce Canyon National Park
  Day 7: Cedar Breaks National Monument / Zion National Park
  Day 7: Nevada desert and Death Valley
  Day 8: Central California and Giant Sequoia National Monument
  Day 8: Monterey California sunset
  Day 9: San Francisco Sunrise panoramas and wallpaper
  Day 9: San Francisco downtown Part 1 of 2
  Day 9: San Francisco downtown Part 2 of 2
  Day 10: Alcatraz, San Francisco
  Day 11: California Coastal Redwoods
  Day 11: Northern California Coasts
  Day 12: Oregon and Washington
  Day 12: Wayne's house
  Day 13: Pike Place Market, Seattle
  Day 13: Vancouver sunset and night shots
  Day 14: Interior BC and Squilax Hostel
  Day 15: Suqilax Hostel and Alberta

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