A week ago today

Yes, it does already seem like a lifetime ago.
And yes, I want to go back down to the land of red rock and hoo doos in the Dixie National forest just below Brian Head.
As always, you are welcome to view the pictures in full screen size by clicking HERE
There are more pictures in the slide show than on the blog and they look so much better viewed full screen.

So beautiful and so amazing to be out in this scenery all by myself.
I stood aside the road and clicked away, barely ever seeing another car or soul.

I had intended to go to Bryce Canyon National Park, and actually took the wrong fork in the road.
That is how I wound up instead in the Dixie National Forest's Red Canyon.

Not complaining.  No siree.  Given that I had only a few hours to spend it really was best that I didn't dip into the "heavy" scenery of the National Park.
The National Forest scenes were plenty for me!

The red rock and stripes of brownish gray rocks were so amazing.

The snow...that was exactly what I wanted to see surrounding the red rock scenes.
I know this area is really popular in summer; I don't think I could handle the heat that time of year though.

Wind and water sculpted details.
After the Japan earthquake, and knowing how there are fault lines three hours above this area, I look at these pictures realizing that an earthquake could easily ruin all these delicate hoo doos.

Every rain storm and every snow storm makes changes in these structures.

In this scene I can see where a hoo doo has collapsed and is now is mostly just a smooth pile of reddish sand.

As I photographed the first thin high clouds of the next winter's storm was drifting into the area.

I really don't understand how caves are formed. 

Well, I do understand how this cave tunnel was formed. It had a bit of help from the Forest Service I believe.
Actually there were two such arches to drive under.
Pretty cool!

I was winding through the Red Canyon area and was very surprised to suddenly see pink hoo doo structures!

Depending on the exposure, the land was either a foot or more deep in snow or was totally snow free and bone dry.
I only crunched through the snow a couple of times to get shots, but found that sometimes that smooth snow field actually covered undulating landscape; I sunk up to my thigh more than once.
(The day before I had learned that setting up a camera tripod in the snow was pointless.  They need to make baskets for tripod legs, just like they do for ski poles. The tripod legs just knifed through the snow and had me reaching to catch a camera about to take a tumble.  Hand held shots became the order of the day after those tripod usage attempts.)

I'm just going to admit it: I absolutely love all shades of pink. 
Discovering these pink structures in red rock land...well...you guessed it: I was tickled pink!

Seashell pink is what I would call it. 

Sort of reminded me of paint sample chips with the colors gradiated.
I am smiling again just looking at this shot.
The pinkness with snow!  Love it!

Pink castles...

I did want to trek in closer and try to walk between the spirers.
Not something that I felt would be wise to do alone.
If I had had a buddy with me...I would have though, for sure.

(I did have my snow shoes in the car.  Hiking up the snow to the split was very tempting.)

Then the thin sheer clouds were joined by a different kind of cloud that looked almost like a huge smoke ring.
Those clouds are called Lenticular clouds I am told by friend Vicki.
I didn't think to bring my cloud identification book with me, but I had wondered what they were called.

Eventually I left the National Forest and started back up to Brian Head.
The snow fields looked so different today.

In places they seemed endless.

Then there would be another bend in the road and I would see more red castles perched above me.
It was so strange that I would see a totally different view driving out than I did driving in!

It all had to do with slight changes in angles.

How had I missed this rock with peek holes on the way in?

I should mention that the air was wonderfully scented with the pine and sage and I don't know all what.

More lenticular clouds hovered over the distant mountains.
I am amazed at how many colors are in this one scene.

Then there were these patches of scrub brush and such that looked like they were put in place according to a very detailed landscape plan.

Bernie said he thinks this was either the Freemont or the San Juan river.  It snaked through the area, looking like the sky fallen to earth.

A little saturation and crop, and suddenly the mountain range looked like a painting.

And doesn't a scene like that need a little cabin in it too?
Well, there you go!  I couldn't believe that the perfect cabin was right there when I took the picture.

 A scraggly tree would be good too. 
And there it was.   I only wish I had a wider angle lens to capture it all more clearly

Road side rock arrangements and planting that would be just perfect to duplicate in a billionaires garden.

A small tree was growing straight out of the rocks!
An even smaller one was growing the rock cleft.

I like to think of the orange lichen as God's extra brush strokes of beauty.

Fence posts made of what was naturally available.

A few posts were now no-nonsense metal posts.
Oh I hope the rancher has an artistic soul and at leasts tries to keep the natural posts for as long and as much as possible.

I took lots and lots of pictures of the fence posts. 
OK, OK, I admit it: I am a city girl who just loves the country looks.

From the look of the homestead and ranch buildings, I'm thinking this is a ranching enterprise with a very long history.
I wonder if they realize how much those who pass by enjoy the rugged look of their property.
Maybe I should write them a thank you note thanking them for giving me such wonderful things to photograph with my camera.

I know I want to go back to the area in the fall.  If it is possible, I might try to get back down there while the snow is still around.
We will see.
Got to take one day at a time.
Because as we all are now really realizing....you really just never know what will happen next.