Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

The Shoe Tree

I thought I would start this post out with an interesting and amusing spot in the Nevada Desert. Somewhere past Fallon Nevada is the "Shoe Tree". Not only are there lots of shoes in the tree, there are just as many if not more around the base also. I did not have any shoes I wanted to part with here but saw a couple of good pairs of hiking shoes I almost grabbed (kidding)

Illumination

When I left the Grand Canyon I made a last minute change in plans and went to Page Arizona which is about 60 miles from where I was at the North Rim. At Page is the Horseshoe Bend and also a wonderful "slot" canyon called Antelope Canyon. My purpose was to get a Sunset and then Sunrise shot of Horseshoe Bend but I got here early with plenty of daylight left so I thought I would try to make it to Antelope. I was here two years ago and did the normal "tourist" tour where you are shuffled thru with a large group and not much chance of getting any good shots. Several tour groups comprising about 300 people total are meandering thru the canyon on a constant basis throughout the day. This time I was fortunate to get in on a "Photo Tour" where the guides have the power to hold up the other groups and keep them out of sight while you get your good shots. They also get you to the "light beam" areas at the right time.

Abstract Synapse

A very pleasant Navajo woman named Carol Bigthumb runs the photo tours and her family owns the land where the canyon lies. I asked her to show me her big thumb and she held it up but then said that the real big thumb comes from her husband and that he would tell me the story of how that name came about. He started to tell me but then got caught up with customers so I'll have to get the full story next time I'm here.

It was interesting that as I was here there was a "pro" photographer conducting a workshop. As I was listening to the questions his group was asking and the answers he was giving, I thought "Man, I could do that!" Perhaps I might start doing that later on, not at the moment though.

Ephemeral Falls
to see photos in gallery click here

During a sand storm, these sand falls occur naturally, but during the tours the guide throws handfuls of sand up there and then you get your shot. I was very happy with the shots I got here. Eleven photos total uploaded into this gallery. Please view them larger.

Bending Space and Time
to see larger click here

This was my second time here and it still took my breath away as I stepped to the edge. Not that I was afraid of the height but that as the title alludes, you cannot help but think of the time that it took the river to cut this and the space that you can actually "feel" across the expanse.

I was again fortunate to get a fantastic sunset. As I sat at the edge waiting for the right light,........ and I was literally sitting about a foot from the edge with my tripod low and setup where my lens was actually peering over the ledge, I met a nice young French couple who I saw twice again over at Zion NP. Also a very nice Asian woman named Jean came up for a moment, looked around and went off to another area with the little bell she had on her camera backpack tinkering away. I met up with her also again on my last day at Zion. That's when I learned her name and that it really was her here at Horseshoe because of her bell.

If you view this photo larger in the gallery, you can make out some river kayaks down at the edge of the water. Several docked there and it looked like they were going to camp for the night. I would love to do that trip sometime.

Stay tuned for Zion Nation Park and "Angels Landing"

The Grand Canyon

Step into my Office

Right behind me it's about 1,000 feet down.

Photo taken with my 2nd camera via wireless remote.

Last Light

This is looking extreme west at Cape Royal which is the furthest point at the North Rim. It was good that I was able to spend 5 days here as I returned to this point for two more sunsets trying to get the best light. I got it on the first try.

The Grand View

There is no photo that can truly convey the Grand Canyon. When you are here, you can actually "feel" the expanse in front of you. It is absolutely amazing. This shot is from a ledge just below the main Lodge. There are two tourist viewpoint (with rails) on either side of me but I like the road less traveled and so I saw this ledge (no rails) and found the small path thru the trees to get to it.

Time to Change

I was hoping for lots of autumn colors but there was just a few here and there. This was a small patch of aspens turning color along the road to the North Rim from Jacob Lake where I was staying. I met a nice couple out here who trying to capture these trees as well. I hope their photo was good.

Over the Edge

to see photos in gallery click HERE

This is a ledge across from Angels Window which is a hole or arch of sorts thru a viewpoint area. The "window" has the tourist rails and again I saw a ledge where most people would not have gone. I found the small trail leading to it and thought it would take me right to the top but when I got to the formation, the trail stopped and it was obvious if I wanted to get up there I would have to free-climb for about 10 feet. That may not sound like much but when everything is sloped around you where if you fell you would tumble a good distance if not quite a ways and also the 30 pounds of gear on my back did not help either. When I got up here, I scared two condors that were hanging out. Magnificent birds. At Cape Royal there were six of them flying around.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

to see photo in gallery click HERE

This is a place in Nevada close to the Utah border called Cathedral Gorge and is similar to a small Bryce Canyon. I walked into one of the "slot" areas as far as I could go and then looked up and there was my shot.

Stay tuned for Antelope Canyon photos and Horseshoe Bend