Inspiration...From Inspiring Places

Las week at this time I was in a city about fifty miles to the south of where I am right now. It's called Provo, Utah. Maybe it's just me, but I don't believe a lot of people are indifferent to the city. It's one of those places you either love, or do not love.

Personally, I think it's a beautiful valley with a shimmering blue lake to the west and incredible mountains to the east (I still like the mountains in Weber County better, but that's just personal preference...). Each day I was at the writing retreat I took a break and went up to a small canyon just east of my friend's house. It's called Rock Canyon.

And it's incredible.

I took my camera and tried to get some good pictures. Of course, it's impossible to capture the true beauty of a place with a camera because being there--living it--is part of what makes the experience so memorable. 

Taking a daily hike also helped my writing. I had sent my main character on a trip through a rocky, barren canyon from Jericho to Jerusalem. I've never been to this area of the world myself, but if you do a google search, as I did, a lot of Rock Canyon looks like the area thousands of miles away. It helped me write the scene. It put me there. And if you've ever tried writing something--creating something, you know how important a spark of inspiration can be.

So, if you've never been up to Rock Canyon directly east of the Provo Temple, here's a couple of pictures. I really didn't go up very far. Next time I need to explore more.