I've spent quite a bit of time in the St. George area, usually visiting Zion or one of the many other outdoor attractions. Each spring, I make an annual pilgrimage to Kayenta, a development on the very edge of Ivins, Utah, where an annual spring chalk art festival draws people in to the art focused housing development. This is one of the more unique places to chalk, as instead of an urban city center, the backdrop for this festival is a small collection of art galleries amid homes, all backed up against the picturesque Snow Canyon State Park.
The theme this year was "Red Rock Reflections". Having had an insane work schedule, I chose to read the theme literally, and chose a composition of red rocks reflected in water. I'd never attempted a reflection piece in chalk before, and I was certain it was going to be a challenge.
Progress.
As is the norm in the spring anywhere out west, the wind chose to howl for most of the weekend. Most of us artists spent a lot of time revamping colors and doing our best to keep lines sharp. It's one of the big challenges of outdoor chalk art.
I was staying just down the road at a new RV park, where my dad and step mom were returning from their six month stay in Arizona. It's always nice when our trips line up and I have somewhere to crash that isn't the back of my Kia. An added bonus of this particular RV park was it's close access to trails. Never one to turn down a good hike, I spent late afternoon on the trail, pleased to snag some nice photos of Snow Canyon along the way.
Snow Canyon State Park
Day Two was almost as windy as day one, but by the afternoon, things were beginning to calm down. I finished up a couple hours ahead of the deadline, pleased that I had something to present that I was mostly happy with. Drawing the same image upside down had messed with my brain more than I had expected.
My dad and step mom came down to see everything and we spent a little time going through the galleries. I unexpectedly ran into the Elko Art Club President who was visiting family in the area and we settled in to wait for the awards. At the end of the day, I ended up winning Director's Choice, which was a nice surprise.
"Bob the Bobcat"
It's about a six hour drive back to Elko, so I only got in a short hike that night after a dinner of burgers. I like to get up and get going early in the morning, so I packed up the car the night before and was up and out before sunrise on Sunday morning. The route back winds up and out of the red rocks, back into the high elevation desert that surrounds Ely. On my way back, I happened upon the largest herd of Elk I had ever seen and I pulled over to take pictures and gaze in amazement at the sheer number of animals.
Hundreds of Elk Outside Pioche, Nevada
I'm never surprised by the things I see while traveling. It's one of the many reasons I prefer road trips over flying. The 2025 chalk season was off to a good start and I was already looking forward to the next weekend away.