Happy Sunday! Anne is the lovely hostess for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge with a topic that at first glance had me drawing blanks but after reading her post on the topic of What’s around the corner, I felt a light-bulb go off in my head.

On the final day of my Four Corner road trip in June 2025, I spent most of the day driving from Los Lunas, New Mexico to Monument Valley. That morning, I zigzagged along the border of Arizona and New Mexico so many times that I was relieved that Google Maps didn’t welcome me to Arizona or New Mexico each time I crossed the border.

The drive became pretty dull when all I could see were red rock cliffs and desert. The only interesting thing was the clock. It kept switching between daylight saving and standard time as I straddled the border of the Navajo nation and Arizona.

Suddenly, the drive became slightly interesting as I spotted greenery in the distance, and before I knew it, I was heading up a hill and entering a forest. The road became winding and twisty – my favorite kind of road. Then, after all the twists and turns, I arrived in an opening, which felt very unrewarding in my opinion but after a slight turn on the road, I was rewarded with this large lake and mountains. I had to stop and there’s a pullout, what a perfect spot.

They don’t call this road a scenic backway for nothing! Guardsman Pass is one of the most beautiful route in northern Utah, and yes, it can be challenging to drive as it’s twisty and narrow in some parts. So naturally, there’s nowhere to stop to take pictures. The only place where parking is allowed is at the top.

That’s what I did. I parked the car at the highest point of the road and hiked back down. As I hiked down, I kept taking pictures even though nothing truly caught my eyes. I was looking for something, and I didn’t know what.

Then I saw it. The view I was looking for.

I did wish I hiked down farther but hiking down meant I must hike back up and it’s not an easy hike. Oh well, next time.

I was on a personal errand walk from the office a few months ago. When I saw this mural, I walked backward and did a double-take. “When did this happen?” I said aloud. I haven’t walked this street in maybe a year but I knew this mural didn’t exist in 2024.