Arizona, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Moab

So after Zion, we headed down to Arizona, to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was neat but did not compare to Zion. Our classroom then moved back up to Utah to check out Monument Valley. This is when we first experienced the winds of Utah. Now i come back to my tent after mapping to find eolian processes in action! The desert is really nice and toasty but holy, that wind is something fierce! It's relentless. Luckily, last night 12 of us booked two rooms at the Aarchway Inn to stay out of the wind on our Mesa camp ground in the La Sals. Showering felt great!

A bunch of us went to Arches today, our day off. It was my second time this trip and boy am I super happy that Josh and I decided to wake up at 3:00am last Sunday to get tranquil sunrise pictures with a more interesting sky... so busy!!! But it was a good time anyhow, I snapped some pics at different angles. I'll edit this post and add those images later when I have more time.

the Grand Canyon

the world is our classroom - Monument Valley, Utah

our view from camp in Moab up in the LaSal Mountains (an igneous intrusion)

the A-Team mapping in Salt Valley

Delicate Arch (last Sunday at sunrise)

Zion National Park

This blog is finally off! I have a lot of photos to go through and not enough time, but here is a picture of Zion National Park looking from Angel's Landing down the canyon which was well worth the scramble. The sky in the desert is incredible. I cranked up my Vivid picture setting to get the most of the Navajo sandstone cliffs and the bright green trees under the cloudless sky. I also shot an HDR from this viewpoint.