This morning I check the weather and the threat of rain is low so my plans to visit the Zebra slot canyon in the Grand Straircase Escalante National Monument are on. While checking in at the Escalante Ranger Station I bump into Steffen and Alexandra again (now for the fouth time) and sure enough they have the same destination in mind. I am happy to join up with Steffen for the five mile hike providing an additional measure of safety for both of us. Alexandra is not feeling well and stays with the cars at the trailhead.
The most interesting photographs happen when the sun is rising or setting. This afternoon the sun spent much of its time behind clouds and I was hoping that by sunset it would emerge to illuminate the cliffs at Paria View. My long wait was rewarded when a five minute window opened up where the sun cleared the clouds but was still high enough to light up the scene.
My final destination for the day is Bryce Canyon which is simply awe inspiring. Even after clicking on this photo for a larger view it will not be big enough to appreciate the detail in this scene. I hope to create a 30 x 20 inch print which should do it justice. Unlike many of my prior destinations you can simply drive right up to any number of tremendous observation points to admire the thousands of hoodoos which can be found in Bryce.
I found the perspective from directly under the arch to be the most interesting and started to feel less disappointed about my aborted excursion to the Wahweap Hoodoos with each image.
I paused for almost an hour at the Grosvenor Arch which offers up many interesting photographic angles, this being one of the more traditional views with a good profile of the double arch.
This morning I attempt to reach the Wahweap Hoodoos. With just a few miles to go after an hour on a progressively less passable dirt road I am unable to climb out of a wash with the SUV and am forced to turn around empty handed. I used the shovel I had purchased to frequently groom the road ahead of me and to extricate myself when I got stuck. Without the shovel I would have no doubt been stranded for days. Returning to the comparatively well groomed Cottonwood Road pictured here I travel north along the Cockscomb so named for the triceratops like fins which emerge from the ground along most of the 2 hour traverse to HW 12.
After grabbing some food and fuel I decide to head over to Monument Valley. When I arrive 2.5 hours later winds are gusting to 50 mph and the air is so thick with dust that photography, let alone standing upright, is nearly impossible. Another 2.5 hours in the car back to Page where I treat myself to a cheap roadside motel and my first shower in 3 days. Although the later half of the day was a bust, the morning produced a treasure trove of images and a great hiking experience.
I spent hours in and around the buttes, often hiking through deep sand and enjoying one spectacular view after another. Fatigue and hunger eventually set in, and I knew it was time to head back when the rocks started to look like ice cream desserts.
Today, with winds gusting to 35mph, it was very easy to understand how these bizarre features were created. When sand is captured by the wind you get a powerful sandblasting machine. Not a very hospitable climate for delicate optical equipment or photographers for that matter.
Last night I traveled to within a few miles of the South Coyote Buttes Paw Hole trail head. I completed the journey before sunrise and was very fortunate to avoid getting stuck in the deep sand. My reward for missing both dinner and breakfast was golden light on what could pass for a Martian landscape. The features here are simply extraordinary both in color and texture.
The panoramic view from Alstrom Point is spectacular but a wide angle photo shown in the small format of this blog would not do it justice. Here is a narrow angle slice which gives you a sense of the view. On the long ride back to civilization I cannot help but marvel in what I have seen in just my first full day on the ground.
For my sunset photo I travel to Alstrom Point which over looks Lake Powell. The journey takes an hour and a half over dirt roads which get progressively worse. For my own safety I cover the last mile on foot only to discover this Land Rover parked at the end of the road in the middle of no where. We are so far off the beaten path you cannot even tune in a radio station. Now for the really synchronistic part. I had met and spoke to the German couple, Steffen and Alexandra, who are traveling across the USA in this vehicle, earlier in the day at Horseshoe Bend. The couple decided to interrupt their careers to embark on a three year tour of the world in this ultimate off road machine tricked out with a roof top tent and solar powered electrical grid. Both are avid photographers. They spent the last year in Australia and New Zealand, will spend a year in the USA, and then move on to South America for a year. With each transition they ship their rolling residence on to the next destination. Although I am tempted to stay and talk to them for some time after the sun has set, I still have a long walk ahead of me in the waning light to locate my comparatively pathetic SUV. In my enthusiasm to reach Alstrom Point I had failed to set a waypoint on my GPS when I left the car, a mistake I will never make again. The undulating mesa top made it impossible to see my SUV until I was right on top of it. Without the waypoint I was forced to retrace my steps rather than seek a bee line route back.
Beams vary in width from pencil thin to huge columns of light. The trick to making them stand out in photographs is to throw sand in the air during your exposure. Needless to say the sand eventually has to come down and generally finds its way into your photo gear. A small price to pay, I suppose, for creating well defined beams.
The ultimate prize for arriving at the right time is a chance to photograph the beams of light which appear for minutes at a time when the angle of the sun is just right relative to the contours of the canyon. I came away with a treasure trove of images capturing a half dozen beams in action.
Antelope Canyon is simply magical. From the moment you enter it is easy to understand why the Navajo regard this place as sacred. This slot canyon has become a very popular destination for tourists since photographers began publishing images depicting its beauty. Access to the relatively short canyon, located on Navajo land, requires a guide but there are no apparent limits to the number of people who may enter and it is not uncommon to have hundreds of people milling through during prime lighting. Not surprisingly, taking long exposure photographs in the narrow confines is quite a challenge. Fortunately I am part of a small group of 5 led by an exceptional guide who understands photography and goes out of his way to clear the path so that we may get photos that don’t include tourists.
One of my primary motivations for selecting the Page area for this vacation was its proximity to the Antelope slot canyons. The Upper Antelope Canyon is best photographed, spring through fall, on a cloudless day near noon when the sun shines directly down into the slots, reflecting off the walls and creating the most beautiful light in the world. With my Coyote Buttes pass squared away for tomorrow I have a little over an hour before I need to head over to Page. I use the time to make a short hike to the Toadstool Hoodoos, my favorite pictured here. The mid morning light was less than flattering but the sun eventually does have to rise.
Horseshoe Bend, just outside of Page, is an often photographed portion of the Colorado River and my sunrise photo destination this morning. I am quickly back in the SUV to reach the Paria Ranger Contact Station by 9am to enter the daily lottery for one of ten walk-in permits to access the North Coyote Buttes restricted area. With 54 similarly hopeful photographers present this day I would not win a coveted pass to one of the most photogenic destinations in the USA. I simultaneously entered the lottery for the South Coyote Buttes area, almost as beautiful but more arduous to reach. With only twelve people vying for the 10 permits I like my chances much better. Alas with 6 permits issued a family of 5 wins the next drawing leaving me out of luck again. But wait….there are only four permits left so the family must either leave someone behind or relinquish their position. They are unwilling to separate so I luck into a pass which will grant me access on Wednesday.
From LA I fly to St. George, Utah where I rent a SUV. Instead of the high clearance, 4WD vehicle I specified, my only choice is a 2WD SUV wannabe with a low hanging air dam. This unfortunate situation will impact my ability to reach some of my planned destinations. As I drive towards Page, AZ I stop at a hardware store to purchase a shovel, correctly anticipating how essential this will be for self extrication should I get stuck in the middle of the desert somewhere. I was in the vicinity of the abandoned town of Old Paria as the sun was setting and made a quick detour to capture this image (no post processing, color is true to the scene) and also elected to spend the night there. The town was originally settled by Mormon farmers who were followed by gold miners when flash floods destroyed the farm land. More recently it was used as a location for filming Western movies but vandals burned down the sets years ago and now it is just a beautiful destination at the end of a dirt road. Although I came prepared to sleep in my tent, I opted to sleep in the SUV (its single virtue being adequate space with the rear seats folded flat for me to stretch out diagonally across the cargo area). Sleeping in the SUV was no less comfortable than in the tent and saved me setup and tear down time each day. I could roll out of my sleeping bag and be on the road in under a minute.
On approach to LAX I notice hills covered in blooming goldenrod. I have rarely had so many great aerial photo opportunities on a single flight and take this as a good omen for my week of photography.
Today begins a one week solo adventure during which I will travel 7150 miles (6000 in the air, 1100 by car, and 50 on foot). During my flight from Boston to LA en route to Page, Arizona, I am lucky to fly directly above the terrain over which I will be hiking in the coming days.
Maya and Lydia decided to paint the tree house today. I was very impressed with the results given they worked on the task with no adult supervision. It should be noted that there appears to be as much paint on Maya’s thighs as on the tree house. Earlier in the day I played in my first outdoor soccer match of the season. We won 4-2 and I came away with a well struck goal from the top of the box and an assist and most importantly no injuries. I leave early tomorrow morning for a one week solo adventure into the wild. I will be hiking and camping in Utah and Arizona canyon country. Weather permitting, I would like to spend most of my time in the spectacular slot canyons of the region. I will not be posting for at least a week but when I do I hope to have a bounty of great images to share.
This morning Maya’s indoor soccer team concluded their season with a three game sweep of the championship tournament. Maya did not think it was any big deal and has already turned her sights on the outdoor season. The parents, however, were plenty excited about the accomplishment.
Early this morning I attended Maya’s Teacher Conference. It was almost embarassing to hear about how wonderfully she is doing in all aspects of school. We are very proud of her and hope she continues to take full advantage of all that school has to offer. As I was leaving the building I decided to capture an image of the library where Maya has spent a lot of time enjoying herself. I hope she will look back on this entry many years from now and remember this special place where she began her love affair with reading.
It is not exactly clear to me what Jeanine does on these retreats to Kripalu. I am fairly sure they don’t make bagels but why else would you need to toast so many sesame seeds?
When she returns from Kripalu, Jeanine will be pleased to learn of her daughter’s exploits as a professional chef. Maya announced this morning that we would be having French Toast for breakfast and proceeded to create a masterpiece. Unfortunately, Kyle had long since left for school leaving Nico and I as the sole benefactors. Maya thought this would be a healthy breakfast to fuel her through the MCAST tests at school today.
In case Jeanine checks the blog from Kripalu I though she would enjoy seeing a picture of her dog missing her. Kyle was in charge of dinner this evening and we enjoyed pasta with Vodka sauce.
Jeanine is off to Kripalu, a center for yoga and health located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts for a 5 day retreat. She will be both student and teacher as she continues to acquire and share knowledge about healthy lifestyles, food, and eating. I will hold down the fort with the primary goal of keeping everyone alive until she returns. Unhealthy eating will be permitted. Having returned early from Baltimore, I was able to attend an outdoor soccer scrimage this morning and scored several nice goals. Despite the pouring rain, which fell throughout the match, it was a great tune up for our season opener next Sunday. Later in the afternoon I retrieved Nicolai from an all day referee training course held at the hotel pictured here.
Sterling Memorial Library is architected in the style of a cathedral per the wishes of its benefactor but all religious symbols have been replaced with Yale inspired secular icons.
This website is dedicated to sharing, with family and friends, the day-to-day adventures of the Calabria family.
