Images of March, April & May

It's difficult to squeeze images of the last three months into one post. But as March was dominated by western scenery and April and May brought seasonal change as well as my final months living in Meredith, it felt right to include these three months together. Plus, my blogging game needs to step it up and get caught up. These months were some of the busiest that I can remember, but also some of the happiest and most reflective, with an emphasis placed upon change, challenge, and seeking new opportunities. Besides personal travel out west, there was plenty of job interview travel (more on that soon), local adventures, and a series of images of doors. I'm not sure why, but think I'm going to continue that door photography trend. As a side note too, it seems fair to say that spring is a single month season in northern New England: just the month of May. While still in the month at the moment, I think summer has already arrived. 

Early March. Lake Waukewan, Meredith, NH

Boston, early in the morning on the first day of spring.

Dan and I attempted to shop for plants on the first day of spring. Selection was small, but there were a couple of winners.

Early April! A melted Lake Waukewan. Meredith, NH

A chilly hike. Holderness, NH

The Atlantic! York, Maine.

Lunch with one of my best friends in Lexington, Massachusetts brought these lovely flowers!

Assembling my own line-up. 

The interior of the Round Church in Richmond, Vermont. I love the architecture, serenity and history of this 16-sided wooden interfaith church and try to visit whenever possible for a few peaceful moments.

Richmond, Vermont.

Vermont State House, Montpelier, VT. So much sun!

On this trip through Vermont, Dan and I found a sweet thrift store in Middlesex, VT where this awesome tie lived and was purchased. While purchased for his use, I nearly swiped it to try out this neck bow look more regularly. 

Meredith, NH

Holderness, NH

Bristol, NH

Overcast morning in D.C. Monuments from afar.

Blossoms in NH.

Blossoms in VT.

Lake Waukewan, Meredith, NH

Holderness, NH. So much peace and green. 

Lone loon on Lake Waukewan, Meredith, NH

Meredith, NH, late May. 

Visiting Arizona

Arizona was the final state on our trip and we were there about 36 hours. It was sunny, hot and filled with simple and bright beauty. The small slices of each state we visited previously all felt so remote and aside from the world. The slice we saw of Arizona was more populated with both tourists and residents. We'd also successfully escaped news of the presidential race and candidates during most of the trip, but once in Arizona, Trump joined us and caused controversy nearby. The peacefulness came to a brief halt! 

Horseshoe Bend in the northern part of the state was quite extraordinary. A 280-degree curve of the Colorado River, the half mile walk to the bend through sand with clear blue sky and strong sun felt like pure desert! The eighty-degree weather in mid-March was comfortable, I can't imagine the summertime!

The Grand Canyon was majestic! After exploration in many national parks in the previous days though, the Grand Canyon felt crowded and a little less extraordinary than the others. The changing colors on the formations throughout the afternoon were eye-catching as the sun shifted and it was still unlike anything we'd seen previously. I thought the National Park Service education was great, particularly the film offered and the information on geology. Still so worth a visit -- because we didn't hike/camp/explore in the canyon, I think we had more of a traditional tourist experience in just a couple of hours. If time allows, seek more in the canyon!

Sedona was great! Bright red and mystical and creative. We arrived late at night, shared some homemade chai tea with our airbnb host and the next day hiked the red rocks. The dry heat, small cacti and simple and beautiful scenery were all unfamiliar, as was the king snake we nearly stepped on while hiking. :) 

That afternoon we headed south to Cave Creek, Arizona, a little bit north of Phoenix. We loved seeing the saguaro cacti once we crossed into southern Arizona. We took a horseback riding tour with a small group where we saw coyotes (we were happy we were on horseback!) and rode among the saguaros. The sunset at the end was so, so beautiful and golden.

That night I headed east and woke up in Boston on the first day of Spring (although it was still winter for a little while longer...). The trip was an adventurous, full and exciting exploration out west. 

Visiting Utah

Of all the states we visited, Utah was stunning. We spent three days there overall, the longest of any state on the trip and it was the state we saw the most of. Crossing into the state after a very brief trip through Colorado, we immediately noticed the 13,000-ft. La Sal mountains on our drive to  Arches National park. The mountains provided beautiful background scenery while tall red rock formations littered the landscape we drove through. It felt like we were in both the desert and the mountains. 

Once at Arches, we planned our route carefully as it was a long day with plenty of state to cover. We both regretted that we didn't do more hiking in Arches, but in the few hours we were there, we loved the arches we saw, the bright red and brown rock formations and La Sal mountains in the distance. 

It really felt like you could see for miles!

In the late afternoon, it was my turn to drive and I drove us north to Salt Lake City, about four and a half hours away. The road north took us through sparse land, coal towns, Native American land, and a small snowstorm. The temperature dropped to 26 degrees on the drive, a big dip from the 70-degree temperatures we had enjoyed in Arches National Park. Visiting family in Salt Lake and having the following day as a rest day with no driving and staying in the city was really nice. My aunt took us on a tour of the city and it was fantastic to visit with my uncle and cousins. The entire city is beautifully surrounded by tall mountains.

We saw the statehouse with its white marble, large paintings of  Mormons pioneers founding the state for religious freedom, and dozens of children filing through on a field trip. The religious founding of the state is so intertwined with the present-day's state government and culture. That seemed fascinating and unfamiliar. 

 The following day, (St. Patrick's Day!) we headed south to Zion National Park, a five hour drive through straight interstate where the speed limit was 80 mph. The weather became much warmer and I was surprised to see lilacs in bloom as we arrived at Zion. 

It's tricky to say that one location in this world is the most beautiful when there is so much diversity in landscape, but Zion to me was unlike anything I had seen before, and felt true to its name of God and Earth meeting. To me, it was one of most truly beautiful places I'd seen and the best national park of the trip.

Maybe it was the early spring, but there was something about the colors, the bright blue sky, the light green trees, the bright red rocks, the height of the mountains, the emerald pools of water and the rivers flowing through it all. We did quite a bit of hiking in Zion, wanting to see as much as we could. 

We stayed in Kanab, Utah that night near the Arizona boarder and headed south the next day.