I first visited the area in 1969, and I've been back 10 times or so, never tiring of the stunning rock formations and canyons formed by wind and water erosion. I'm going again next July, introducing my grandson to such grandeur he won't find in Wisconsin. I know, the Wisconsin Dells has pretty reddish rocks, too. But I took the boat trip there in 1971. When the boat turned around to go back to town, I asked the pilot why we were turning back, as I expected the beautiful rocks were yet to come (as I remembered them from my 1963 trip there). That's what happens when you visit Utah and nearby states--you get spoiled.
Bob Kattner and I visited a few of my favorite spots in the area in early October. If you never visited any of them, we highly recommend visiting them.
Bob Kattner and I visited a few of my favorite spots in the area in early October. If you never visited any of them, we highly recommend visiting them.
Utah
Utah is my favorite state (at least the southern third, home to five national parks and several national monuments). Had my great grandfather been one of Brigham Young's many children, I might have lived there--rather than milking cows as a youth 730 times a year in Newton.
Arizona
Northern Arizona is on the southern fringe of the Colorado Plateau. We saw a truly magical place there--Antelope Canyon. It is on Navajo land. We also saw Horseshoe Bend, an enormous twist in the Colorado River. Both places are very close to Page, Arizona, which was built when the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed in the late 1950s.

Nevada
The only thing we saw in Nevada was Valley of Fire State Park, just off I-15, an hour from Las Vegas, on our return to the airport.
The only thing we saw in Nevada was Valley of Fire State Park, just off I-15, an hour from Las Vegas, on our return to the airport.
Epilogue
I remember in grade school looking at pictures of Utah, impressed with the colorful rocks. Never have I been disappointed in visiting there. The variation in color, in rock formations, and in vegetation (or lack thereof) keeps me from boredom as I travel through lower Utah, and into Arizona. I think you'll find the same when you go there--and I hope you do.
I remember in grade school looking at pictures of Utah, impressed with the colorful rocks. Never have I been disappointed in visiting there. The variation in color, in rock formations, and in vegetation (or lack thereof) keeps me from boredom as I travel through lower Utah, and into Arizona. I think you'll find the same when you go there--and I hope you do.