Natural Wonders and National Parks of the Southwest

This year, for a much needed break, we were going on a road trip to the Southwest with a focus on the National Parks of Southern Utah. We had gotten a small taste three years before on a trip that centered around the Grand Canyon (see July 2007 posts). It was the end of July and we knew it would be hot. What we didn't know was that this part of the year also featured the monsoon season. We were going to the high desert. Who would expect rain. And conditions were such that it would be raining and storming in abundance. We were rained on or saw rain in the distance almost every day. Don't get me wrong. We like to get wet. But prefer to get wet when white water rafting.



The tone was set when we got hammered by a hail storm in Colorado. It was so bad that all traffic pulled over for the worst of it. Check out a few seconds below.



This is what that storm looked like as we looked back during a stop at a rest area, after we cleared out of the rain



We saw daily storms in Arches and around Moab, UT. This is one we saw during our rafting trip.



This is the storm that flash flooded us during a great hike in Bryce.



Here is some rain in the valley where we stayed near Bryce.



Rain coming into Zion.



Rain over the Grand Canyon.



Rain at Monument Valley



Funky Clouds in Colorado.



But there were benefits. It made the temperature cooler at times. It also cleared out the area a couple times providing serenity.
It also made for some great sunsets. This one is at Arches.



This is also Arches.



This one is at Zion.



And rain gives you rainbows. We got to enjoy quite a few. Here is one in central Colorado.