Zion National Park is one of the country’s favorite and Utah’s first national park, established in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson. It’s popularity is attributed to the dramatic landscape of colorful canyons, high cliffs, mesas, and forested plateaus.

I am always up for a good adventure, so when my friend Ted Wulfers suggested on Facebook that we visit Sego Canyon, I didn’t have to think twice! Sego Canyon has rock art from three different Native American Cultures, a well preserved ghost town and remnants of a coal mine!

This is our first time visiting the state of Utah, and we wanted to make the most of every minute of it! Our first stop - Arches National Park. Leave it to a morning person to suggest arriving very early to watch the sunrise - surprisingly everyone agreed!

After taking a day off for some touristy sightseeing at Estes Park, and dinner with a cherished, long-time friend, we drove through the mountains one last time to explore RMNP.

Never underestimate the healing effects of water or mountains. Being a lifelong Chicagoan, I’ve always been drawn to Lake Michigan. When I travel, I look for destinations with water, or mountains, since we don’t see anything vaguely resembling that in most Illinois topography.