Sunset over the mesa

We just got home from a long day of travel.  I took some photos this morning as we left Utah, but I also took some of the sunset last night after I posted, and I like those better because they really show off the beautiful colors of the desert. So here's our last sunset over the mesa.

Slot canyon

This morning we hiked a slot canyon.  First of all, we had to go off-road through the desert to get there and that was an adventure in itself (at times the vehicle was at more than a 45 degree angle going over rocks and hills).  The guy who took us discovered this canyon a few years ago and built his business around it.   It's amazing that he ever found this place it's so remote.  There are a number of slot canyons in this area, but a good thing about this one is that it is on private Navaho land and only this guy has permission to take people there.  So we were a crowd of three and had this magnificent place all to ourselves.  Slot canyons are formed, like most canyons, by water, and when it floods (the last major flood at this canyon was in 1997) it can be very dangerous because the water rises very quickly and the pressure is intense.  Since there is no way to climb the 50 foot high steep walls, people get trapped in slot canyons during a storm and often die.  Fortunately, this was a nice day, so we were able to hike without worry.  The colors and rock formations are jawdropping.  Not the easiest place to photograph in mid-day, however with the stark contrasts and glaring sun.  In many of the shots the sky is totally blown out and the dark areas are almost black.  I did get a few decent ones, however to show the stark beauty of this place.

Horseshoe bend

A quick post before we head to dinner.  Today we went on a nice hike to a place called Horseshoe Bend.  When you arrive at the overlook, you are looking down from the rim of the canyon onto the Colorado River.  (It's the beginning of the Grand Canyon system.)  The vegetation along the banks of the river was this unreal blue-green color.  Unfortunately I didn't have my wide angle lens with me and couldn't capture the entire horseshoe.  Also, it was mid-day, so the exposure and colors weren't great, but it was beautiful, nevertheless.  I'm also posting a fun one.  We went into Page, AZ (the nearest town) to get a couple of things from the drug store and decided to ride around and check out the town.  The second image  was taken, appropriately, on a street called "Street of Little Hotels".  Seeing the photo you'll understand that no explanation is needed.

Tumbleweed

It's been a weird weather day.  We went out this morning to go off-roading in the desert and hike into a slot canyon.  Once we got to the canyon, however, it started raining and the wind really picked up.  Since flooding can happen very quickly in a slot canyon, and can be very dangerous, we decided to head back to the hotel and go on Friday instead.  Since the weather was strange, we just spent some time talking with some nice people we met from Toronto, eating a late lunch and then just reading and relaxing this afternoon.  I realized as I was getting ready for dinner that I hadn't had a camera in my hands all day.  I just couldn't take another mesa photo, however, so I  hiked into the desert behind our room, brought a tumbleweed inside and shot this image. Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least it's a post of something I can't photograph back home.

Bighorn sheep

You know how crazy I am about animals, so tonight a critter shot.  We spent the day hiking at Zion Nat'l Park.  It was a great day with wonderful views and interesting rock formations.  We haven't seen many animals, so we enjoyed finding this cute bighorn sheep by the road just outside the park.

Desert walk

This morning we took a nice hike around the mesas on the property of our hotel.  The day was perfect and the scenery was wonderful.  I still find it so hard to capture the beauty of a landscape in my photography.  I don't know why landscapes are so hard for me, but they are.  I just can't quite get the composition.  Anyway, I felt compelled to channel my inner-Ansel Adams so these are posted in B&W.

Kanab, Utah

We've had a very long, but good day.  We flew to Las Vegas, rented a car and drove 6 hours to a place near Lake Powell in Utah.  On the way we visited Zion National Park and I got some nice shots of southwestern landscapes, but since I'm sure I'll get more of those, I thought I'd post some fun photos that I took as we rode through the little town of Kanab, Utah.  We were there just after dusk and these wonderful neon motel lights were just coming on around town.  It reminded me of taking trips as a kid and staying in these types of motels.  I love neon and these old signs are just fabulous.