Zion - it's all about the rock.

Highway 9 heading west through Zion National Park, between 6:45 and 7:15 a.m., June 26, 2015.

I woke up at Zion Ponderosa Camp with a bad case of strep throat after sleeping under the stars. Planned to take pictures of a small group of youth and their leaders in the Zion Narrows that day, but had to bail when the bug hit. Bummer.

When you wake in the middle of the night after the moon has set in the western desert, and your contact lenses are safely stored in their case, the brighter stars look just like dandelion puffs scattered in the sky overhead.