Where can I even begin to describe the magical land of Utah? It is truly one of the most remarkable and beautiful states in the country, with landscapes as diverse as its people. I came into Utah in the southwest at St. George and then made a big swoop through Kanab, Panguitch, and the Grand Staircase and National Parks to Green River. From there I headed north through the Nine Mile Canyon and out to Dinosaur Country in Vernal before backtracking through Helper and then continuing down through the center of the state. I visited the first territorial capital in Fillmore before moving on to the valleys of north central Utah, taking in the big cities of Provo, Salt Lake and Ogden and then left the state at Bear Lake on my way into Idaho. I truly loved visiting so many old Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont Indian architectural sites and marveled at the beautiful petroglyphs and pictographs they left for us on the canyon walls. I got to spend some time with modern American Indian tribes at an incredible powwow in Salt Lake City. I was also eager to learn more about the Mormon pioneers who came west in the 1840s and set up their New Zion in a region they referred to as Deseret. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers and the historic sites of the LDS Church itself gave me a good idea of what life was like back then. Miners played their part in the state’s history as well, as did the transcontinental railroad which drove it’s golden spike on Promontory Point just northwest of Ogden. Of course, as usual, Mother Nature steals the show and Utah’s State and National Parks are some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth, not even to mention the Navajo Nation’s Tribal Park at Monument Valley which is one of my favorite places anywhere in the country. My time in Utah was amazing from start to finish and I will never forget my incredible visit to The Beehive State.