Zion National Park inspires some to take photographs, others to write poetry, others just to gawk at the beauty as they hike.

For composer Phillip Bimstein, Zion inspired him to buy a house in Springdale, serve as mayor twice, and become "composer in residence." And, as this profile that aired Friday on NPR's "All Things Considered" notes, it has inspired Bimstein to write classical works and ballads about the land and the people who are part of it.

"Zion National Park is not only the rock and the river," Bimstein said. "It is also the wildlife and the people who live there and have shaped the place."

(Photo: Lin Alder/courtesy NPR)