In April 2008, when I was visiting my bestie, Violet, in Utah, we had the opportunity to go camping in Canyonlands National Park! The two of us were very excited because we would be there to celebrate Yuri's Night. Yuri's Night is a holiday that celebrates the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's orbit of the earth- the very first person to enter space! He is one of my biggest heroes- and there was nowhere better to see the night sky than Canyonlands!



Right away, we set out on a hike. Doesn't the landscape look like the moon, or maybe Mars? I think Yuri Gagarin would have been right at home.


I couldn't believe how red the rocks are at Canyonlands. Doesn't the sky also look extra blue against the red rock?


On the Pothole Point trail, Violet and I stopped to take rests, but we were determined to do the entire trail!


There is cactus in Utah too! This one looks pretty painful.


That night, Violet's daddy made us a delicious dinner of hot dogs and baked beans.


After we ate, we climbed the rocks to watch the beautiful colors of the sunset. The colors of the rocks grew more and more beautiful as the sun dipped low in the sky.


Just before bed, we headed back to our campsite to make s'mores with Violet's parents. It was the perfect end to our first day in Canyonlands!