Green canyons, red cliffs, blue skies: Zion’s colors can stop in your tracks. Water enables greens rare amidst otherwise desert landscape. Visible or not, water forcefully shapes these stalwart walls. Trickling falls summon emerald growth in nooks and crannies. Sculpted evidence testifies to the carving of red slot canyons. Winter’s icy-blue snow-melt feeds anew the rushing, scouring river torrents of spring.  Almost 12,000 years ago Zion’s first peoples, who are now almost invisible, tracked mammoths, giant sloth, and camel across southern Utah. Due the climate change and overhunting these animals died out about 8,000 years ago. In 1860s, just after settlement by Mormon pioneers, John Wesley Powell visited Zion of the first scientific exploration of southern Utah.

Everything in Zion takes life from the Virgin River’s scarce desert waters. Water flows, and solid rock melts into cliffs and towers. The Vermilion, White, and pink cliffs are part of the Grand Staircase, the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau.  Landscape changes as canyon deepen to create forested highlands and lowland deserts. A ribbon of green marks the river’s course as diverse plants and animals take shelter and thrive in this canyon oasis. From the beginning people sought this place, this sanctuary in the desert’s dry reaches. The very name Zion, a Hebrew word for refuge, evokes its significance.

Zion’s nature multiplies with each slope, aspect, and soil type, with each minute change in precipitation or temperature. Add to these influences species from nearby ecosystems, Zion becomes an assemblage of plants, and thus of animals, found nowhere else exactly like this. This unlikely desert harbors a mosaic of environments, each fine-tuned to place. Zion is alive with movement, a river of life always here and always changing.

Park elevations range from 3,600 to 8,700 feet and provide vastly different environments. Fir pine and aspen prefer snowy high-country winters, while pinon, cliffrose, and mesquite flourish in the desert’s heat. This national park is beautiful but not pristine. Research shows that 150 years of farming, grazing, and recreation changed Zion’s environment. Exotic species like tamarisk and cheat grass replace native willow and native grasses. It is the mission of the National Park Service to provide sanctuary for and reinvigorate Zion’s remaining diversity. Although most park species are not unusual and much has changed, these unique assemblages create and sustain the relevance and sanctity of this wondrous place called Zion.

Be prepared and plan well
• Plan your trip. Choose trails that are without your ability.
• Falls cause most injuries and deaths at Zion.
• Carry and drink 2l of water per person per day.
• Wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
• Know the weather before you go. Distant storms can cause flash floods. When in doubt, stay out!
• Cell phones don’t work in most areas and don’t make you invincible.
• Your safety is your responsibility.

The wild, turquoise blue waters of the Tara River pass out a soft limestone surface, forming one of incredible gorges in Montenegro. The 82 km long Tara Canyon is the second longest canyon in the globe, coming just after the Colorado canyon. Known also as “Tear of Europe” it’s a world heritage site designates by UNESCO.

The best way to discover this breathtaking natural beauty is a take a part in rafting or kayaking adventure. You can choose between one day, two days or three days rafting trip. The most commonly done is the one day trip, continued about 2 – 3 hours and run over 18km. The tours start off from rafting camps. The best know of which are Splaviste, Scepan Polje, Radovan Luka and Brstanovica, where the group can enjoy going over 21 out of 50 rapids on the entire Tara River. The nice warm weather in June, July and August is welcome when you are taking a plunge from the side of your raft.

 
Rafting at the Tara River is an incredible experience for adventurers and nature lovers. It gives you unforgettable moments and completely confusing feeling during rafting-from euphoric hysteria to state of nirvana. Every new kilometer, even so a meter, all along the way, gives another hue, another sight-seeing, and another challenge.
 

Aside from rafting there are sandy beaches, high cliffs, and more than 80 large caves along the canyon. You can enjoy an overnight camping on the river side, make sure to carry the essentials along with you.

Telluride is a slice of paradise in the beautiful San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. Telluride and Mountain Village are great places for the whole family.

The main street is delightful for shopping, munching, and people-watching; you can sign up for a walking tour, or guide yourself with a map available from the visitor’s center.

It is best known for its world-class ski resort, which boasts 1,700 acres of terrain and three air gardens and terrain parks.

The resort has feature a new luxury hotels and residential property in the spectacularly beautiful setting of the Town of Mountain Village, above historic Telluride.

There are dozens of festivals held here annually, including the extremely popular Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Blues and Brews and more.

The Town of Vail is located in Eagle County, Colorado. The town is emerged as  having the largest single ski mountain in North America and other winter sports, being a year round destination for outdoor activities.

Vail offers 5,300 skiable acres, 193 trails and seven bowls. And this winter, skiers are checking into new boutique hotels with ski valets, getting pine-scented massages at Zen-channeling spas and warming themselves by outdoor fire places.

It’s good to have a plan, when you get ready for skiing in Vail, not because of the travel time, which can run upwards of 30 minutes without traffic, but also to avoid the morning crush.

Unlike skiing, snowshoeing requires no special skills.

Tourists in the venerable Red Lion, a dive bar packed with high-top tables, enjoy the apres-ski evening.

In a dry and sunny area on Western Slope is the Palisade region of Colorado. In the last few years the vineyards there have produced award-winning wines and blends, making Colorado a star. But for travelers Colorado is a nice spot where you also can push yourself to the physical limit by day and then relax with a good meal and a glass of wine.

Surrounded by mountain range and quaint country roads Palisade is also a pristine cycling playground. The paved route crisscrosses the Colorado River offers cool breezes and lovely views.

The climate is hot, which allows grapes to ripen with ideal sugar levels, while cool nights create terrific acidity, bith essential elements for quality wine.

There’re a bunch of country stores and farm stands like Ball Fruit along the way to pick up snack, if you want to have a picnic in the lovely valleys.

This is Hiro Izumi, in his restaurant, where he uses locally grown ingredients to create wonderful dishes.

Boulder is the first city in the United States which imposes an additional tax on residents who use electricity made from coal. About a third of the total waste steam here is recycled.

The city has one of the largest solar hydronic systems in the country and it is ringed by 43,000 acres of protected open space, which is nearly three times the landmass of Manhattan. Boulder is also laced with greenways and designated bike lanes.

In Boulder you can get anywhere on bike, almost as fast as a car can. As well as in this beautiful city, the community program gives bikes to homeless people in exchange for work and there’re a bounty of new routes and trails in recent years.

The Boulder Creek Path is the main artery of Boulder bikeland. But Boulder is not for everybody. Some people hate the place. The town is rigorously conformist in its alternative way- if you wear river sandals and sport rucksack.

All the restaurants there use organic ingredients that are free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides.

Aspen is a beautiful city situated in Colorado, United States. The city is also famous ski resort and upscale tourist center. A large amount of restaurants offer innovative menus from local seasonal crops. A dog guards a trailer turned chicken coop at the Zephyros Farm and Garden in Paonia. It’s one of a number of organic farms that have become a staple in some of the finest commercial kitchens.

In most of the restaurants in Aspen the ingredients from the restaurant’s menu have come from local farmers since it opened 15 years ago. The Montagna Restaurant is known as Aspen’s finest culinary address. Chef Ryan Hardy regularly buys organic ingredients.

As well as Six89 is a splendid restaurant in Carbondale that’s dedicated to small-scale farmers for organic meat and produce. The picture shows a pan-roasted angus filet with creamed spinach, potatoes and fried onions.

HMMM DELICIOUS!