Zion National Park in Utah is one of those places that exceeds expectations and defies explanation. I might just be partial to it because I’m getting married there in June, but it truly is an awe-inspiring place. Red rocks line steep canyons and wild flowers dot the horizon. It’s difficult to imagine what early settlers of the West must have thought when they came across Zion. This video shows two days in the life of Zion in January of this year. The whole video is gorgeous, but the trip through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel is a highlight for sure.
Video: One giant rope swing
As a kid, who hasn’t tossed a rope over a tree branch and swung through the air with wild abandon? Well, that is exactly what the folks in the video below tried to replicate, only on a much grander scale. The rope swing, in this case, was actually attached to the 140-foot tall Corona Arch, located not far from Moab, Utah, and the riders used a cliff as their launching pad. The result is one wild ride, all of which was caught on helmet cams for optimal effect.
Not for the faint of heart.
Utah town hopes to benefit from celestial sightseeing
Thought to be one of the best places on earth to view the annual solar eclipse on May 20, the small town of Kanarraville, Utah is hoping to draw a considerable number of “astrotourists” this spring. Defined as those willing to travel to study astronomy or observe the sky, astrotourists are common in the region, where dark nighttime skies make stellar stargazing spots.
“I heard of the concept two years ago,” Bonnie Oldroyd, a representative from the Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau told The Daily Spectrum. “I thought, ‘What the heck is astro-tourism?’ I did some research and found out we have astro-tourism.”
It’s estimated that around 5,000 of these astrotourists will descent upon the town in order to see the moon pass between the sun and the earth, leaving just a ring of light from the sun. Considering Kanarraville has a population of merely 300 people, the uptick in tourism is a pretty big deal. Public safety workers will deal with traffic and parking around popular viewing areas, and the tourism bureau is working with nearby hotels to provide special “eclipse packages” for the date. The rest of Southern Utah–besides the areas affected by lights from Las Vegas–might see increased tourism as well.
Would you–or have you–ever planned a trip around stargazing? Hopefully the clouds don’t roll in and ruin it all.
[Photo by makelessnoise / Flickr]
Utah filmmakers show the best of the Beehive State
The Utah Film Commission has just announced the winners of their ninth annual “Spot On” video campaign. For the commercial contest, the organization asked Utah-based filmmakers to create 30-second spots that demonstrate what makes Utah the most visually stunning state. Open to all Utah residents and students attending school in the state, the grand prize is not only $1,500 but also the chance to see commercials on television during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival (and a grab bag that included tickets to the fest and other freebies).
The overall campaign winner is Andrew Buys, who created the ‘Utah is Epic’ film posted above. Although it appears to be simply a bunch of sweeping views of the Beehive State edited together with some dramatic background music, it definitely shows why Utah has a long history of being the backdrop to Hollywood movies, television series, and (of course) adventurous vacations. Things get a little more creative with the other winners and honorable mentions after the jump.
Second Place Winner for the Utah Film Commission 2011 “Spot On” Commercial Contest: Made by Sahna Foley
Creative Concept Award Winner for the Utah Film Commission 2011 “Spot On” Commercial Contest: Made by Warren Workman.
Honorable Mention for the Utah Film Commission 2011 “Spot On” Commercial Contest: Made by Dan Larsen
Honorable Mention for the Utah Film Commission 2011 “Spot On” Commercial Contest: Made by Xmas Lutu.
View winners from past years at the Utah Film Commission’s YouTube page.
Video of the Day: Salt boarding
Some people love winter sports so much, they don’t give a hang if there’s an absence of snow. Check out this epic video, where a group of shredders hit the Utah Salt Flats for kicks at speeds up to 50 mph. The boards were supplied by snowboard company BLANK; no word on who handed out the road rash salve.