Southern Utah Xmas Ventures - Day 2 - Canyonlands

The day started at 5.30am! Yes, you read that correctly ... !! We were told the sunrise at Mesa Arch was worth the early morning visit which meant leaving the airbnb pre dawn at 6.15am. And lets just say this early morning venture did not disappoint!

It was a pitch black sky as we drove out of Moab and first light started as we reached a higher elevation in Canyonlands. You have little sense of depth of field in this light when the mountains and canyons are flatten into a silhouette.

We arrived at the Mesa Arch trailhead 30 minutes before sunrise to find a full parking lot and about 30 people gathered behind the arch (to be honest we have only seen a handful of people since we arrived). Even so, we found a perfect spot to capture the spectacular views and light.

We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed this unique experience.

We stayed for an hour after everyone had left to enjoy the silence and our breakfast. We have been struck by the stillness and silence in both Arches or Canyonlands National Park. You can be 20' apart and not hear each others footsteps or voices. It is a very unexpected and strange sensation.

These are some of the adjectives we used to describe the view and the experience ...

... majestic, awe inspiring, astounding, immense and mesmerizing.

From Mesa Arch we went on to several overlooks, where we met a guy travelling from New York City with his adorable big fluffy dog.

One of my work colleagues had mentioned a road we should consider driving down into Shafer Canyon ... well thankfully it was closed due to icey conditions. I shared the photos with Moira and Garth, and had to laugh at Moiras reaction ... 'hell no!' I felt the same way ... Not a chance ice or no ice!!!

And after some recoup back in Moab we headed back out to capture the sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park overlooking the Colorado River.

I have to end todays entry by saying this has been a very special and moving day!

See you all tomorrow! Take care.