During my recent road trip, I travelled through Utah and visited Arches National Park. It was the height of monsoon season, so instead of glowing red rocks against bright blue skies, I was greeted with dark red on an eerie foggy backdrop. As I was revelling in the grandeur of Arches, a solitary girl caught my eye. She was hiding from the rain under an umbrella, gazing out into the mist and rain that surrounded us. She created such a striking figure against hazy skies and flushed rock, I simply couldn’t resist the photo opportunity.
About ailsapm
Hi there! I’m Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney. I’ve lived in many places, and travelled to many more. I had a lot of fun getting there and being there, wherever there happened to be at the time. I climbed a castle wall in Czesky Krumlov, abseiled down cliffs to go caving in the west of Ireland, slept on the beach in Paros, got chased by a swarm of bees in Vourvourou (ok that wasn’t fun, but it was exciting), learned flower arranging in Tokyo, found myself in the middle of a riot in Seoul, learned to snowboard in Salzburg, got lost in a labyrinth in Budapest and had my ice cream stolen by a gull in Cornwall.
And I’m just getting started.
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read so far, I’d love you to follow my travelogue - wheresmybackpack.com - and remember, anyone who tries to tell you it’s a small world hasn’t tried to see it all.
Where's my backpack? 
Excellent photos for the challenge, Ailsa! Very cool. Was she aware you were taking pictures of her?
No, Cathy, she was off in the distance and disappeared into the mist shortly after these photos 🙂
Wow! Nice….
Great shots
Thanks frontrangescribbles 🙂
Fantastic entry for the challenge…love it!! 🙂
Thanks Sunshine xxx
🙂
great photos.
Thanks Suzanne!
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What a perfect set of photos for the challenge!
Strange choice of footwear for that terrain 🙂
Haha, I thought the same thing, Madhu, flip flops would not be my first choice, especially in the rain which made the rocks slippery!
Very nice shots Ailsa. !
Congratulatios. Perfect choice.
Thanks Max! xxx
Quite a different perspective of such a place – I love it Ailsa 🙂
I admire the young girls confidence in the ‘grip’ of her flip flops !
Thanks poppytump, glad you liked my shots. Yes, her flip flops were an unusual choice – I had my jungle boots on that have crazy good grips on them, but she was flitting around in just those flip flops like it was a day at the beach. 🙂
wow this could be my eldest daughter!! (It’s the legs!) Great photos!
Thanks hungryheart62, was your eldest daughter anywhere near Utah recently? Maybe it was her. 🙂
Love these solitary shots, Ailsa. I concur with other bloggers who have remarked on her inappropriate footwear, but if it worked for her, who am I to judge? 🙂 Now I’d like to see behind that umbrella. Is her face as beautiful as her legs. 🙂
Haha, good question, ad, and yes, her face was just as beautiful as her legs. I got a few photos of her turned towards the camera, but didn’t publish them because I didn’t have a chance to ask her permission, she disappeared into the mist before I could talk to her.
these are all great Ailsa but for some reason I reall love the last one
Me too, Jo, it was such a fabulous photo opportunity, with the umbrella at the perfect angle. xxx
Wonderful shots, and just right for the theme… 😉
Thanks, ledrakenoir. xx
Top of the world … and contemplation – the last one my favorite – there is also safeness in the shot (umbrella)
Very true, viveka, the umbrella is almost a shield in a way, xxx
Great pictures. I feel like they should be in a magazine or something.
Ooh, thanks Browsing the Atlas, that’s quite a compliment. xxx
Great catch! The last one is my favourite, too.
Thanks Trish, that last one is my favourite too. xxx
LOVE IT.. I would love to think these were posed but I have some from Korea where they totally looked posed but were absolutely not.. great challenge.. can’t wait to see the direction other’s take on this theme.. love the color of the rocks.. and glad i’m not the only one who wears flip flops on crazy terrain..
I think I just realized this was not a challenge.. but it’s a great theme.. so I might use it..
Do it, rfl – I wore my jungle boots in Arches, I saved my flip flops for the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. 🙂
done..
Looks very brave!
Grin. It wasn’t that high up, the walk to this point was pretty tame, although it got more interesting further along!
Very apt for the challenge. Well done.
Thanks Hitesh, glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
what great shots! like it was planned. Nice job!
Thanks Gemma, I couldn’t believe when she just popped out of the fog like a model ready for her photo shoot. So glad I had my camera with me. 🙂
Nice pictures! Especially because ypu said she wasnt aware of you taking pictures of her!
Thanks, dipitblack, I was just taking photos of Arches in the mist and caught sight of her in the distance. It was such a wonderful photo opportunity. x
Love the last two images. Really illustrates the mood.
Thanks Angelia, glad you enjoyed them. xxx
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These are striking images. Ailsa. 🙂
Thanks Imelda. xxx
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Awesome photo’s Ailsa. 😉
Thanks Coreen. xxx
The Arches is my favourite USA National Park (of the few I’ve visited), and I love the girl with the umbrella agaisnt the red rock. Great shots.
Thanks, Silken, Arches was my favourite of the Utah Parks… until I made it to Zion.
Zion is my second favourite. There’s not much in it though!
Love these photos! They tell such a story! I am traveling and blogging now in Utah, Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion. Great time of year to go!
Cheers,
Cindy
It’s such an amazing part of the world, Cindy, have fun on your travels!
We would love to post the top photo at toemail if you do not mind? http://toemail.wordpress.com
Hey, yes, that would be cool if you post a link back to the site. Cheers!
It’s posted now. Thanks so much, we really appreciate it!
Awesome, I have to say, your blog made me crack up, ace idea! Honoured to be a part of the toe show!
Thanks again! 🙂
Excellent photographs.
Thanks Indira, she looked so striking I couldn’t resist the photo op! xxx
All your photographs are beautiful, wonderful blog. God bless you.
Oh thank you so much for your kind words, Indira. xxx Ailsa
You are welcome dear.
Thanks for letting me camp out in your blog for a little while today. I had a great time and tried to leave my campsite as good as when I arrived. I’ll be back!
That makes me a very happy camper indeed, Russel! 🙂
Lovely. Hoping to visit the Utah parks soon. Loved Page and Sedona in AZ
Oh Ziggy, Utah is stunning, I haven’t been to AZ yet though, next time! So many places to see! xxx