travel diary: Zion National Park, UT [utah pt. 1]

19 June 2018



I honestly don't even know where to start.  I got back from a four-day trip to southwestern Utah early last week, and spent the latter half of that week recovering from getting sick.  (That's what happens when you get around 4 hours of sleep max every night on a trip.  But it's worth it when I see these pictures :) 

These pictures were taken in Zion National Park, a fabulous national park.  I laugh as I write "fabulous national park", because that doesn't even BEGIN to describe it.  That's such a majorly inadequate statement to describe this majestic, glorious piece of nature.  The first few days I couldn't even begin to say it was beautiful, because the mountains, deserts, and canyons were honestly so overwhelming.  It's majestic.  It's commanding.  It's awe-striking.  And it's a beauty all its own.  And, yeah, Zion is pretty crowded with tourists, yet, somehow, the mountains don't seem to care.  I find it impressive how these mountains have been around for thousands of years.  They stood tall and stately before men even discovered them.  They stood powerful and firm whenever the government finally decided, "hey, let's make this a national park." And they still stand towering and splendorous, as millions of people visit them each year.

Nature is inspiring.  I realize that when I go out to my front porch and look out across my neighbor's beautiful pond.  But when I travel to new places and see insane beauty like this that was formed BY NATURE, it's hard for my mind to comprehend that this isn't fake.  God made this.  Wow.  What a God.  Places like these remind me why I love nature.

And I only saw one national park on this trip.  Utah has so many national parks, national monuments, scenic byways.  DUDE.  What a ride.  So, yes, I want to go back.  I want to hike Angel's Landing.  I want to camp out for a week in Zion...or somewhere out there.  I finally understand "the mountains are calling and I must go." And honestly, the mountains are good for the soul.  I firmly believe that everyone needs to get out there and clear your mind at least once a year.  It does something for you.  Puts things in perspective. 

Zion National Park is amazing.  A natural 360° view of mountains.  You look around you, and all you see is mountains towering above you.  I remember thinking, "Manhattan's got nothing on this." The difference between "country" and the city has honestly never been quite more apparent to me.  

There's some beautiful land out there.  Just saying.

xxxxx

1) next week's post is the q&a vlog! if you want to ask me any questions definitely leave them down below :) i'll be filming it next week.
2) the week after that will be another post with pictures from escalante, UT.  guys.  escalante is 2 million acres of sprawling desert and mountains.  it's good for the soul.
3) i already miss utah.  but you could've figured that out.
4) you have no idea how many pictures i have from this trip.  like, i had to narrow it down so hard to just pick these for this post.  
5) HI HOW ARE YOU WHAT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE YOU'VE BEEN TO.  have you ever been to utah? i was just like wow some people literally get this beauty to be their backyard.  count your blessings.

xx
autumn 

13 comments:

  1. Wow, it looks so good! Spectacular photos! And yes, there's something about the mountains. I enjoyed reading your reflections on the experience. :) I would definitely choose national park over city any day.

    Also, hi! Yes, I'm well, and I hope you are too. :) And the most beautiful place I've been to.. well, I'm a bit stumped on that one, but our recent trip to outback Australia certainly had some impressive scenery. I'm so, so glad God saw fit to give us all this beautiful and varied expressions of His care. Imagine what heaven will be like! xx

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    1. Thank you, Jessica! That means a lot. FOR SURE. Utah is so beautiful and the mountains are incredible <3

      Ohh I've always wanted to visit outback Australia. It sounds so amazing and beautiful! I know right, God is so creative and nature really testifies to that :) It's hard to imagine heaven!

      Thank you for your sweet comment, Jess. It made my day.

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  2. Wow! Those are great pictures!!!

    Your right! Nature is inspiring. I'm so glad we serve such a loving God who has given us such beauty in the nature around us!

    Here 5 questions for question and answer...
    Favorite animal?
    Favorite book EVER?
    Favorite dessert?
    Favorite sport?
    Favorite color?

    Have a great day!
    -Brooklyne :)

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    1. Thank you!! God is definitely amazing in His handiwork.

      Thanks for the questions!

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  3. Those pictures are amazing! Also the way you described the park just makes me love nature so much. :)

    Nabila | Hot Town Cool Girl

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  4. "Manhattan's got nothing on this." << YOU'RE RIGHT ON!!! 😂 seriously you described Zion PERFECTLY. It's beyond words, really. I can't wait to go back. It's so funny because yesterday my photo cloud reminded me "here's what you were doing on this day 2 years ago" and they were pictures of Zion!! I CAN'T BELIEVE 2 YEARS HAVE GONE BY JUST LIKE THAT. These pictures are absolutely B R E A T H T A K I N G !!!

    OMG I DON'T THINK I'VE ASKED YOU QUESTIONS FOR YOUR Q+A VLOG!! AHHHH. (so so so pumped for it btw!!!) Okay here are my questions:

    - favorite time of day?
    - favorite fictional character (and why?)
    - dragons or unicorns?
    - would you rather be able to time-travel or read minds?
    - top 3 countries you'd like to visit???

    OKAY I'LL STOP THERE :') can't wait for the video! this post was great!

    rock on,
    abbiee

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    1. THANK YOU!!!! I know, I want to go back so bad and soak it all in again. OH MY GOODNESS THAT'S SO COOL. It's crazy how fast two years can go by.

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  5. These photos are gorgeous!! (much better than the ones I took when I visited). And that one of the squirrel - so cute.

    Utah is definitely one of my absolute favorite places. I haven't been to Zion, but I've been to Red Canyon and Dixie National Park. I would love to go back there someday.

    best.
    k.

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    1. Well thank you so much!!! THERE WERE SO MANY SQUIRRELS THERE OH MY GOODNESS

      Utah is absolutely breathtaking <3 I only went to Zion and Escalante, so there's so much more I want to see there :)

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  6. Your photography is nothing short of incredible.

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  7. ALL THE BEAUTIFULNESS! IT'S TOO MUCH!!! Guess there's a reason it's called Zion national park.

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  8. These photos are absolutely beautiful!! I have never really thought about visiting Zion National Park before, but now I think I really must go!

    Also, this is carrotandclaire btw, just with a new personal blog and account xx

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