Day 248: May 31, 2005 - Paper Flower

by Karen Williams
I was walking around in east Zion near Clear Creek, and noticed this flower with paper thin petals. The delicate flower was so fragile, I was surprised it could thrive in the rough, sandy wash where it grew.

Day 247: May 30, 2005 - Bands of Light

by Karen Williams
I spotted this lizard fighting with another lizard and my presence distrupted their territorial confrontation. The two lizards quickly separated and ran in opposite directions. I'm always impressed how lizards can disappear into tiny little cracks in the rock. This lizard wedged himself where he supposed he was out of sight. I braced my macro lens up against the rock to get a picture of him in his hideaway. I like the effect of the two diagonal bands of light across the top and bottom that is created in this photograph. This effect on the rock is caused by the reflecting sun, combined with the higher ISO and lower depth of field required to reveal the shadows within.

Day 246: May 29, 2005 - Texture of Rock

by Karen Williams
The shadows excentuated the interesting texture of this rock. As you look at an entire scene it is easy to miss all the intricate details to be found in Zion. But when you focus on a single close-up of this rock wall, there is a deep depth of texture to be found and explored.

Day 245: May 28, 2005 - The Sego Lily

by Karen Williams
The Sego Lily was named Utah's state flower, both for its beauty and place in Utah's state history. During a great famine in pioneer times, where crickets had devoured most of the crops, the early pioneers discovered the Sego Lily's bulbous root was edible. But probably not too tasty.

by Karen Williams
Another view of the Sego Lily with its petals in the closed position. It's a truly beautiful flower that I would not expect to come across growing out of the dry desert sand.

Day 244: May 27, 2005 - Mountain Pools

by Christian Williams

This area of Zion often has beautiful pools of collected rainwater. Today was especially nice with the stormy clouds rolling in over the lovely mountain scene.

by Karen Williams

The pools of water are often filled with tadpoles, and later in the season if there has been enough rain, frogs. I like watching the tadpoles come up to the water surface. It looks so funny to see their little mouths poke out of the water, so I tried to get a picture of one. After a whole lot of watching, waiting, and missing the moment by a split second, I finally got a pic just as this little guy broke the surface.

Day 243: May 26, 2005 - East Zion in Late Afternoon

by Christian Williams

This place is another one of my favorite spots to spend time walking around off the beaten path in East Zion.

Day 242: May 25, 2005 - Shadows and Light

by Christian Williams
The setting sun lit up the bushes on the tops of the canyon walls, causing them to glow like fire in contrast to the deep shadows that settled over the stillness of the canyon.

Day 241: May 24, 2005 - East Zion

by Karen Williams
This pictures represents east Zion to me: with so much going on that you just have to keep looking to take it all in! Big skies with fantastic clouds, chaotic rock everywhere you look, and the varied plantlife with its unique beauty.

Day 240: May 23, 2005 - Something in the Air

by Karen Williams
While Chris was off in the canyon, taking pictures of the narrow walls in the fading light, I was following a lizard around. Pretty soon, he was joined by a companion, and they started chasing each other, and well, you know the rest.

by Christian Williams
Little did Karen know, while taking pictures in the canyon, I heard a frog's distinct repetitive croaking. I looked closer and saw two frogs, in a mating ritual. The large bubble under its mouth, swells up whenever it croaks. There must have been something in the air today.

Day 239: May 22, 2005 - Cactus Flower

by Karen Williams
These large, beautiful cactus flowers are everywhere during the springtime in Zion.

Day 238: May 21, 2005 - Upper Emerald Pool

by Christian Williams
Karen and I hiked up to the Upper Emerald Pools, a beautiful hike with wonderful views of the main canyon, and with so much water this year, the waterfalls were spectacular as well. When we reached the uppermost waterfall, we noticed these hikers rappelling down the falls. I have no idea what hike ends at the top of the falls, but it is a long way down from there!

by Christian Williams
A picture of the whole waterfall to give a perspective of how large it is. If you look closely you can see the rappelling hikers.

by Karen Williams
Although I enjoyed the beautiful scenery, I also found this great lizard with a beautiful blue belly. Uncle Bill, I am sorry I can't remember the name, I know you must have taught us what this little guy is called on one of our many hiking trips! I love the varied textures and patterns in this scene, with the rough bark next to the orderly, spiny lizard scales.

Day 237: May 20, 2005 - Converging Lines in the Rock

by Christian Williams
The converging lines in the rock make a strong impression as the setting sun casts strong shadows across the glowing sandstone.

Day 236: May 19, 2005 - Scoggins Wash

by Christian Williams
We spent some time on the western side of Zion today. The terrain is much more desert-like. I took two versions of this photo (see below). I like the portrait one a bit more because of the way the trees and rocks in the foreground make a diagonal line toward the mountains.

by Christian Williams

Day 235: May 18, 2005 - East Temple

by Karen Williams
The view from the switchbacks coming out of main canyon on the way to east Zion are amazing. While driving up the side of the mountain, their are still spectacular cliffs towering over the road. Here is a view of the East Temple, taken from a pullout on the switchbacks. With the cactus plants blooming, it was a lovely day to enjoy the views in Zion.

Day 234: May 17,2005 - Canyon Frogs

by Christian Williams
This skinny slot canyon has always been a favorite location of ours to hike around. Depending on the time of year and the amount of recent rain, it can be full of ponds or mostly dry. There is always some water in this location though, as the back areas of the canyon are never touched by the sun. This makes it a great spot to look for frogs, especially in the late spring and early summer when there is plenty of water.


by Christian Williams
I found this frog under a rock. I watched it for some time, and mostly it just watched me back.

Day 233: May 16, 2005 - Strange Fruit

by Karen Williams
I had crossed this tree several times before and was always fond of its odd appearance. In the early spring it's covered in blossoms, which give way to strange little fruits. I stopped to look closer at the fruit because I was curious what kind of tree it is. I still don't know.

Day 232: May 15, 2005 - White Cliffs Clear Creek

by Karen Williams
On a clear warm day in Zion, there's nothing nicer than hanging out by the creek and reading a book, which is what I did!

Day 231: May 14, 2005 - East Zion Views and Critters

by Karen Williams

I climbed up onto a trail that had spectacular views looking back towards East Zion. This is where I spend most of my time hiking, but I have never taken any pictures that capture what East Zion is like. So here it is, a huge, expansive, never-ending jumble of rocks, mountains, canyons and trees that I spent an entire year exploring, and never saw it all!

by Karen Williams

While hiking today I found a variety of lizards. I liked this photo out of all the ones I took because I love the way the lizard is perched on top of this rock, with just a glimpse of the rocky mountain expanse behind him. He gets to enjoy the good view every day and probably doesn't realize how cool that is.

Day 230: May 13, 2005 - Beautiful Day by Clear Creek

by Christian Williams
It was nice and peaceful to walk along Clear Creek and enjoy the beautiful views of Zion on such a beautiful day.

Day 229: May 12, 2005 - Zion's Magnificent Views

by Christian Williams
Today on this typical Southern Utah beautiful spring day, I tried to capture the grandness of Zion National Park. On days like this, everywhere you look are magnificent walls of rock, mountains, canyons, and stretches of desert landscape. Looking at this photo reminds me of the seeming insignificance of man when compared with endless landscapes that have existed long before I was here, and will continue on long after I am gone.

Day 228: May 11, 2005 - Desert Phlox by the River

by Karen Williams
This beautiful flower, Desert Phlox, grows in bunches throughout Zion. I stopped by the river and enjoyed listening to the flowing water as I tried to frame a photo of this cheerful bunch of flowers.

Day 227: May 10, 2005 - Fog Surrounds the Mountains

by Karen Williams
This was a dreary foggy day in the canyon, but I like the way the fog makes the mountains seem mysterious and dark. When the sun streamed through a small break in the fog, I quickly took some pictures of the rays of light.

Day 226: May 9 2005 - East Zion Side Canyon

by Christian Williams
As we've written several times, East Zion is probably our preferred area in Zion National Park. Highway 9 follows the Clear Creek around winding bends, and over and under the layers of rock and sandstone. The great thing about East Zion is every 100 years bring a new side canyon intersecting with Hwy 9. Each day we explored a new side canyon, until we explored them all. But even after 226 days in Zion, it would be far too presumptious to think we discovered all of Zion's secrets.

Day 225: May 8, 2005 - Purple Flowers

by Karen Williams
I take a lot of pictures of flowers while I am hiking. Christian often comments on my staring more at the ground than the bigger surroundings. I enjoy searching for new types of flowers I haven't seen before, and the more I hike around Zion and explore different and more remote areas of the park, the more I am rewarded with the sight of flowers I have not previously seen. I am always interested in the variety of plantlife that exists in this somewhat harsh environment of sand and stone. As usual, I am not sure of the name of this plant. I will have to start studying botany to figure out what all these amazing plants are called.

Day 224: May 7, 2005 - Caterpillar Surprise

by Christian Williams
I had come across a nest of caterpillars like this once before, so I knew it wasn't an anomaly. But it was a fascinating sight, that still to this day makes my skin crawl.


by Christian Williams
Today was another beautiful day in Zion National Park and we spent several hours exploring all of it. Here the often dry Clear Creek is running, due to the recent rains, and snow pack, which was beginning to melt.

Day 223: May 6, 2005 - Waterfall

by Karen Williams
One of my favorite things about Zion in the spring time is that any canyon you explore while the snow is melting, is sure to offer a waterfall coming off a cliff. To hike here in summer, you would never suspect how much running water can be found in other times of year. Zion is a great place to explore during all the seasons, as the face of the park changes and offers unique views each time you visit.

Day 222: May 5, 2005 - Clear Creek

by Christian Williams
It was a rainy day today, and the clouds quickly parted for a few moments shining light onto the Clear Creek, making this photo possible.

Day 221: May 4, 2005 - The Faux Subway

by Christian Williams
I returned to this area because it reminded me of the Subway which is in Left Fork in the North Creek of Zion. The Subway is quite famous and well photographed, but this area is also beautiful and has an unusual shape to the rock which I wanted to spend more time photographing.

Day 220: May 3, 2005 - Path of the Water

by Christian Williams
In the spring I spent time wandering through the wash that winds its way through East Zion. It was often filled with water this year, and I found some really awesome secluded spots like this one, where the water has carved out the rock over the years. The patterns that remain in the canyons, even after water ceases to rush through them, are quite varied and an interesting look at the power of the elements.

Day 219: May 2, 2005 - Endless Walls of Rock

by Christian Williams
I love hiking across an endless expanse of slick rock. The towering cliffs in the immediate background were too large to fit into the frame without losing some of the "closeness" of the rock in front of me. In the end, I liked this composition best because it shows some parts of Zion are just too big to take in.

Day 218: May 1, 2005 - Top of the Mesa

by Christian Williams

We hiked up the East side of the Checkerboard Mesa to reach the top and check out the view. It was a pretty tough climb, and near the top there was a lot of scrambling up over rocks.

by Christian Williams

We were hoping to get a stunning vista from the top, but the view was not as rewarding as the climb up. From this viewpoint we're looking out across the east toward the Coral Pink Sanddunes and Kanab.