Red Rocks of Pioneer Park

Utah is such an interesting place to visit. Depending on what part of the state you are in, you can see red rock formations, canyons, waterfalls, snow capped mountains, flower filled valleys, dry deserts, lakes, colorful fields, and star filled skies.

When you are in Central and Southern Utah, you will see red rocks start to join the natural landscape. In St George, the city sits in the valley and there is a breathtaking backdrop of red rock cliffs.

Visit the city run Pioneer Park and you will have a morning/evening of adventure and fun. Notice I didn't say day....it's HOT in St George. We went at 10 in the morning and had a wonderful time. Take plenty of water to stay hydrated.

The red sandstone rocks have such interesting features. There are small eroded circles, larger ones that children can climb into, and even small tunnels to walk through. You can hike/climb through the different formations for hours.

You can climb onto the top of the rocks to get an amazing view of the city down below. My husband took this panoramic photo with his phone and I love how it turned out.

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Pacific Ocean at La Jolla Children's Cove

When you visit San Diego, you can't pass up the opportunity to take a trip to the beach. There are some beaches where you can watch the Pacific Ocean crash against the rock outcroppings. La Jolla is a beautiful place and definitely worth the visit.

When we visited California last year, we enjoyed a few days in San Diego. We searched online to find the perfect beach to visit. La Jolla Children's Cove came up on our search and we decided to spend a bit of time there. The tide was coming in and my children has a lot of fun watching the water crash against the rocks, the pelicans flying and landing on the cliff, and walking down to the beach so we could get a closer look at the seals that were basking in the sun on the sand.

The day we went, the waves were crashing high against the breaker wall at Point Mencinger (same beach as the Children's Cove). We didn't walk on the breaker wall because I was worried that we would be washed away into the ocean, but it was amazing to watch the waves crash against and over the wall.

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Tiny Frog Among the Geraniums

When watering the flowers in your planter, you never know what will surprise you among the leaves. One day, my neighbor was watering her geraniums when all of a sudden this little green frog jumped out from among the leaves. While the water was probably a surprise to him, I'm sure he enjoyed the refreshing liquid on a warm evening.

Rodrigo the Frog had a long journey - he had been playing in the bushes at his house when his human family lost track of him. Rodrigo was a brave soul and hopped through yards and across streets, until he found a nice patch of green leaves to nestle into. I'm not sure how long he was hiding out in the geraniums before my neighbor was surprised by her unexpected guest.

He spent a nice evening having a photo shoot and being oohed and aahed over by my children. His family was eventually found and he said "goodbye" then returned to his home. What a lovely adventure for a little frog!

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Misty Spray at Narada Falls Mt Rainier National Park

When visiting Mt Rainier National Park, take the time to venture down the path at Narada Falls. You will enjoy a shady walk through the trees, then come out near the bottom of the falls and be cooled by the fine mist spray from the water hitting the rocks at the bottom.

I grew up visiting Mount Rainier National Park every summer, but this was the first time I remember taking the short trail to the bottom of the falls. We walked through the shady woods, past a few small streams, listened to birds in the trees, then emerged into the sunlight at one of the scenic spots. There was a shimmery rainbow where the mist hit the rocks, which unfortunately didn't translate well in the photo.

Have you ever been to Mt Rainier? What is your favorite spot to take photographs there?

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