Melanie Heinrich Artist
Melanie Heinrich, Artist
Travel Destinations

Utah

Arches / Bryce / Capitol Reef / Red Canyon / Red Cliff / Dead Horse Canyon / Driving / Kodachrome Basin / Zion

Bryce Canyon

The day I arrived in Bryce National Park was cold and clear. Due to low pollution levels, the atmosphere was cleaner than normal, so I could see farther than on other days. It was spring, so not many people were there at this time. My traveling partner and I were allowed to walk or drive only along the upper ridge, and in places we walked between eight-foot-high tunnels to get to the canyon’s edge. The railings meant to prevent people from falling into the canyon were completely covered over by snow, so it felt more natural than if we had been held back. We clambered up the eight-foot-high snowbanks to see down into the canyon. There were points where our footing was unsure, but many ventured out to the edge anyway. Orange and blue color complements filled my camera with beauty.

One night we sat still in our rental car with the engine and the lights turned off. I wanted to photograph the night sky, which was filled with stars. Since there are no city lights there to drown the stars from view, I took advantage of this occasion. It was so still and quiet that it was eerie. We left in a hurry, heading back to the B and B. Once back there, I walked out to the porch, set up my tripod, and took several two- to four-minute exposures of the night sky.

At the bottom of the canyon we walked in as far as we could to see the mossy cave. Ice had formed at the cave’s opening and frozen into large bulbous chunks. Everything seemed to glow there. Even the sunsets were ablaze with color.

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