Arizona - Antelope & Glen Canyons - 10 May 2011

Photo 1: Below the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River.

Photo 2: Light shaft in the Antelope Canyon.

The first time I saw photos of Antelope Canyon was in a National Geographic magazine and I couldn't believe that anything could be that beautiful. It was everything it promised to be and more.

Wayne dropped me off at the Antelope Canyon Tour office at 11 am and the photo tour took off at 11:30. There were 12 of us sitting on benches in the open back of a truck with giant wheels and no muffler. I figured if the freezing wind didn't kill me, the carbon monoxide fumes would! The canyon is on the Navajo Nation reservation and you must have a Navajo guide to visit the canyon. After about a 20 minute drive, we turned off the highway and went in to the river bed which leads to the canyon. Given that the fine sand is about 3 feet deep, I understood the need for the giant tires!

Our guide Bruce told us that we'd have to fight the bus loads of tourists that were also there but we would have an extra hour alone to take photos. Thank goodness we had extra time as there were times when a person (me) could get crushed when a 7 ft, 250 lb German insisted she was going to get past me, despite the corridor being 2 ft wide! The first half of me photos will need some PhotoShopping to get rid a elbows, ankles/boots, and hat brims. Bruce was patient as a saint as there were 'photographers' with point-and-shoot cameras as well as Hasselbad's and he helped everyone regardless of equipment.

From the moment we entered the canyon, it was magic. There are many open areas above the canyon floor so that the light reflect off the walls and creates incredible waves of colour on the 20-30 ft canyon walls. There are ceiling 'holes' where the sun creates pillars of light and admittedly, the guides will throw handfuls of fine sand in the air to enhance the pillar which makes for a spectacular photo. My dream would be to have a few hours alone in the canyon to take my time and really appreciate what I'm taking a photo of. I can understand why people return over and over as the light changes and the desire to get better and better shots can be addictive. I see a new camera in my future next year so.......

It was only 2 pm when we got back so after a quick lunch, Wayne and I did a bit of driving to see what else was in the area. He had hiked in to Horseshoe Bend which is a loop of the Colorado River. In order to take photos, he had to 'belly crawl' to the edge and hang the camera over the ledge! We found a turnoff for a walking trail and beach and decided to investigate. What a find it turned out to be!! Directly below the Glen Canyon dam was a area that looked like the land had been folded over and over on itself as it's limestone so was layered rock in shades of red, pink, and white (which indicates where the water levels have been in the past). It was fun to climb pinacles that looked like they shouldn't be there.

From there we drove to the Glen Canyon Recreation Area to have a look at some of the huge houseboats at the marina. The scenery is beyond description and it's frustrating that photos just don't capture the majestic beauty of the reds, greens, pinks, beiges, and other colours of the mountains and hills along this area of the Colorado River. This area crosses into Utah and I'm hoping that we will have time to see more of this area after visiting Monument Valley.

It was another busy day and no doubt we'll sleep well tonight. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx