TravelAwaits
May.7.2021
Located in Northern Arizona just minutes from the Utah border, the city of Page is the perfect base for outdoor lovers looking to explore the region. No matter which direction you drive, you’ll find scenic and otherworldly sites, from the colorful rock formations of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument to the rushing waters of Lees Ferry. This is a photographer’s paradise full of grand vistas just waiting to be captured.
I recently had the opportunity to explore much of the region surrounding Page with my sister, Beth. We packed seven sites into one long day and enjoyed every minute of it. And believe it or not, we weren’t able to see everything. Our home base for two nights was the lovely Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell, which is central to all the sites described below. After a long day of sightseeing, it was great to return to a comfortable and stylish hotel.
On April 5, Gov. Spencer Cox declared April Dark Sky Month in Utah. Though you wouldn’t know it from the light-polluted urban centers, Utah is actually one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky, no telescope required. The state’s declaration committed to preserving dark sky places plus the health benefits and tourist dollars they bring.
Utah has 23 locations accredited by the International Dark Sky Association. The sheer number of dark sky parks in Utah the highest concentration in the world makes Utah an unofficial stargazing capital. Recognition from the IDA isn’t a simple task. Officials go through a lengthy application process to earn the distinction, which, according to the association, goes to “land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage and/or public enjoyment.”
Long before he was the most wanted person in the Utah backcountry, Troy James Knapp was a high school dropout from Kalamazoo.
Knapp s criminal record begins with a breaking-and-entering charge from Kalamazoo County filed in 1986 when he was 18. No sources reveal what high school in the area Knapp dropped out from.
After his stretch in jail served in Michigan, Knapp surfaced out west. It was 2007 that the first reports of break-ins began in southern Utah, an area full of federal lands like Dixie National Forest as well as Zion National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Owners of cabins in these report areas would report the break-ins.
Illustration by Zhao Chuang/Courtesy of PNSO
Already in the first few months of 2021, new findings about the Tyrannosaurus rex have shifted paleontologists picture of how the dinosaur hunted, moved, and grew into a fearsome predator.
Researchers also determined that the T. rex developed stiff, bone-crushing jaws once it became an adult, after experiencing a huge growth spurt during its teenage years.
The previously held idea that this type of dinosaur preferred a solo lifestyle has also been called into question: A recent fossil finding suggests a pack of Tyrannosaurs died together while hunting.
Reconstructing the behavior of a predator that hasn t walked on the Earth in over 66 million years isn t easy. But the T. rex is such a compelling creature that paleontologists continue to pore over its fossils.