Zion 2022 Pt. 2

Every year, Tino and I visit a national park to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This trip in November 2022 holds a special place in my heart because as we hiked the mountains of Zion, we were metaphorically climbing our own in our marriage. It sounds dramatic, but it really wasn't. As happy as we were, we encountered multiple crossroads this time last year — career, family, and life goals decisions.

Zion, Tsiyon in Hebrew, is the highest point and signifies a place of importance. In the Christian faith, it's often considered as the dwelling place of God, a holy place. Walking through the park, you are surrounded by Zion's red rock formations in the valley. The valley created over a million years of flowing water that cut through the red Navajo sandstone beds that form Zion's sheer walls. Unlike the Grand Canyon, where you stand on the rim and look out, Zion Canyon is usually viewed from the bottom looking up. Words escape me when trying to describe the feeling of being there.

We hiked every day and talked about our hopes for the future. We debated what goals to prioritize and solidified plans for navigating those goals together. We dwelled in our meeting place with our God as we offered our prayers.

On the hike to the Emerald Pools, we toyed with the idea of starting our family — which comes full circle as I type this while I watch my son babble and roll in his crib next to me. M was born in November 2023, exactly a year later.

This was the view from our lodge (photo above). I loved sitting on a rocking chair with a coffee, watching the peaks turn bright orange as the sun rose. The picture below shows the view of the valley with the lodge to the right among the trees.

Okay, if you scrolled past all the sappy stuff up top just to see the pictures (which I'm totally fine with lol), you might notice the drastic color change in these photographs from the last post. The difference? I used Fujifilm Fujicolor 200 (rebranded in 2022 from C200), and I think it captured the essence of Zion in the fall PERFECTLY.

The warmth of the red rock? Check ✔

The golden hues of the fall leaves. Check ✔ Great exposure latitude to accommodate changes in light? Double check ✔✔

Inexpensive color negative? Triple check ✔✔✔

I think the film handles outdoor shooting well. For most of the hike, you're in the shadows of the trees and mountains, but the colors still come out beautifully compared to the pictures taken in direct sunlight. I still want to do a side-by-side comparison to Kodak's Gold 200. It's been rumored they have a similar chemical recipe.

These shots (above) were taken on my half-frame camera as we hiked to the Emerald Pools. There was ice on the ground, but the temperature wasn't so cold that I had to worry about my camera malfunctioning. Tino kept reminding me to hold the handrails, saying the ground might look wet, but it might be ice. I ignored him, thinking that walking slowly would be okay. I slipped and fell fast, walking underneath the waterfalls, trying to get a shot. He was not happy when I was more concerned if I broke my camera : | lol

^ Hi to my husband Tino ˙ᵕ˙ I'm grateful you choose me every day.

Zion 2022 Pt. 1

Zion had been on my bucket list for a few years, so I was excited when we booked lodging in 2021. We almost canceled this trip entirely when Tino quit his job but decided to go anyway for a little retreat treat.

What's pretty neat about this road trip is that you drive through 3 states from California. Our Friday drive was about 10 hours long - we made several stops, and traffic was pretty bad through Nevada. We arrived at the lodge close to midnight, and it was dark! We live in DTLA, close to Staples Center (Crypto.com Arena, lol), so it's pretty jarring adjusting to a night without light pollution.

We woke up early the next morning to avoid the afternoon heat and hiked the Sand Beach trail along the canyon. As the name states, this trail was 90% deep sand, but you don't find this out until you reach the loop. Hiking Tip: Go clockwise around the loop. There are concrete patches to help walking uphill, and you can walk downhill in the sandy section.

We flipped a coin, went counterclockwise, and hiked uphill, ankle-deep in sand. I would describe it as walking near an ocean while going up a mountain. It's a workout. The views were spectacular, I definitely would recommend if you want to see the canyon at a higher elevation and the Court of Patriarchs, named after Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The trail also has a variation of plants and wildlife - we ran into a lot of squirrels and deer.

Being more attentive in choosing film stocks was my lesson for this trip. I don't know why I decided to take my half-frame camera and load it with Fuji 400h, but I did. I love 400h, but I don't think it did Zion justice. The background in most of the shots came out with cooler tones than I expected. What I was most disappointed about was that the film stock muted the red Navajo sandstone Zion is known for, so my scans didn't seem true to life to me.

On the Road

I love road trips - I think it's my favorite way to travel (& that's coming from someone who works on airports for a living).

There's nothing quite like a night drive with a playlist, coffee, and a destination in mind. I love how quiet the world gets the farther you get away from a city. I have many fond memories of family trips around California, and once I had my license, solo trips to different cities were my favorite way to spend the weekend. Since I've been married, I can count the number of solo trips with two hands, but having someone to join in on my spontaneous adventures is great.

Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.

We drove through Nevada on our way to Utah in 2022 and made one planned stop that turned into two. I had been working long nights redesigning the runways and taxiways at Jean Airport, and I wanted to make a quick stop to see it before we went into construction. Coincidentally, the art installation 7 Magic Mountains was right next door.

I had seen the exhibition on social media a few years back, but it never piqued my interest to go out of my way and visit whenever I went to Vegas. Ugo Rondinone had chosen the location to express the mid-point physically and symbolically between the natural and the artificial: the surrounding mountain ranges and desert express nature, and the man-made highway and the constant traffic flow between Los Angeles and Las Vegas express the artificial.

I am planning for more trips in 2024, most likely road trips as a family of three (and three birds ˙ᵕ˙). We've actually been practicing short drives with the car seat, and it's been going well. For a while, I know our trips will be slower getting to the destination. Stops will be of a different nature - spontaneous feedings and diaper changes. I know the one thing I won't change is my favorite part of a road trip - stopping to catch the last light of a sunset or a moment of peace at dawn watching the sunrise.