Dawn at Zion

"A good spot for sunrise photographs?" the Park Ranger stated, echoing my question. "Try the space behind the Museum."

Conditions were not the most conducive to taking a leisurely walk behind the Museum to set up photographs--the temperature was in the high 30s and it was windy. Nonetheless this was an excellent site from which to welcome the sunrise. The sun had barely cleared the opposite cliffs when we arrived around 8:30.

This was the scene that greeted us.

On the left in the photo above is the formation called the West Temple. Shown in this close-up (left), the West Temple is one of the three named monoliths rising from this rock wall.

The photo on the right shows the formation called the Altar of Sacrifice (the section on the right with the rust-colored surface). Had it been warmer, we would have sat on one of the benches facing the cliff and watched the shadows retreat down the wall.

On the far left in this photo is the formation named the Sundial.

In the photo on the right, there is a white rock formation with cylindrical shapes rising from its surface. This formation is called the Beehive.

This is a little different view of the Beehive.

We wanted to see more areas of the Park at dawn, so we gathered the equipment and continued our search for sunrise scenes.