Before getting to this weeks desktop, there's a couple of things I wanted to remind you about. First, the
updates are shifted a few days the next couple of weeks and will be back on
track soon. Second, the previous weeks wallpaper is always still available by clicking the preview to the left found on this page. Enjoy!
Above is this weeks free desktop. This week takes us back to a truly
wonderful park which has been featured here many times, this is Zion
National Park in southwest Utah. Zion NP was established in 1909
and features amazing sandstone cliffs among the highest in the world.
For me, the park divides into three sections, not only by the variations
in what you will see in each, but also by the fact each section requires
access from a different route. The upper section is Kolob Canyon,
a beautiful area which is very lightly developed and offers some very
intriguing day hikes along with trailheads to backcountry possibilities.
The central section is the Upper and Lower Kolob Plateau which is the
least developed of the three and one which could easily be overlooked as
it requires a bit of searching just to find it (this section offers some
great views and contains some backcountry trailheads). Lastly,
Zion Canyon is the main, highly developed section where the majority of
visitors go when experiencing this park. Most of Zion Canyon is
accessed only through a shuttle service because of the volume of
visitors and I find this more enjoyable every visit. This weeks
picture comes from Zion Canyon section, taken in September 2005 at the
top of Angels Landing looking south down the canyon. Angels is a
very impressive formation when viewing it from the floor and one of the
outstanding hiking experiences here. Now, as with most
"outstanding experiences" there is a catch, this is a tough 2.5 mile
(one way) hike which gains close to 1500 ft with the last 1/2 mile of
the trail being kind of a scramble up a narrow ridge to reach the
summit. If you have any issues with heights, this is probably not
the hike for you (to give you an idea, click here
for a photo I took of the people on trail while descending (;). In
the photo, it's easy to see the Virgin River (to the right), a section
of park road (to the left), and Zion Lodge (just follow the park road)
which is basically where the Angels Landing trail starts. Zion
National Park is a real treasure in America's park system, providing one
with an opportunity to explore amazing landscape shaped by the Virgin
River. With the layout and volume of things to experience here,
you'll just get a glimpse of what it has to offer unless you more than a
one day visit.
To set this photo
as your desktop, click on the box with the correct size.
Right-click on the image and select the option to "save/set as desktop
or wallpaper." You're done! If you wish to change the
desktop image, simply right-click on your desktop, select Properties,
and then select the tab labeled Backgrounds in your display control
panel
