canyon de chelly

[h2oman]

It looks like I'll be at Canyon de Chelly in early November, and am interested in taking a jeep tour of the canyon bottom. There are a number of services that offer this - does anyone have any recommendations?

[Greg Y]

H2, I can't suggest a company..... but I can say from having spent several days in the valley. Bring lots of film & a green filter. Canyon de Chelly is a magical place.

[h2oman]

Thanks - I wouldn't have thought of the green filter! We'll be on the road a long time and was just going to bring my digital camera (space concerns), but now I'm thinking I'll throw in the Mamiya 7.

[Alan Klein]

I've never been at Chelley but did stay nearby at Monument Valley 100 miles away for two nights. Both areas are owned by the Navajo Indians and require Indian guides in the backcountry. Google search for them.

Maybe you can make a twofer. Monument Valley has a motel called The View owned by the Navajo. Right in the Valley better than Gouldings. Great rooms and food overlooking the valley where you can tour yourself but require guides for backcountry, not necessary in my opinion. See some of my digital shots on Flickr taken from the motel balcony of my room overlooking the valley and from my drive through the valley in my rental car.
https://www.flickr.com/search/?sort=date-taken-desc&safe_search=1&tags=monument&user_id=55760757%40N05&view_all=1

[Alan Klein]

Note: All those pictures were taken from my hotel room except the one with the guy on a horse. That was taken during the 13-mile self-guided tour of the valley which will give you plenty of shots to keep you happy. There's no charge for the tour if you stay at their motel. I think it's around $20 otherwise. Breakfast is very good there and they had a nice dinner too. No alcoholic beverages on Navajo land including Gouldings. I bought a really nice Navajo-made vase. They have a really nice momento store.

[Alan Klein]

PS the picture with the guy on the horse is something you can do yourself. The guy in the red shirt is an Indian taking a picture of the tourist on the Indian's horse. If I recall, it was only a few bucks to "rent" the horse and get a picture, something I did't do, unfortunately.

[h2oman]

Thanks, Alan - good info! I won't be able to fit it this trip, but I'll keep that in mind. I'll probably get to the southwest every year or two, and will fit that in sometime! I'm putting The View in my list of places to stay.

[Alan Klein]

Have a great time in Chelley. Post your pictures here when you get back.

[Drew Wiley]

Haven't been there for quite awhile. Don't forget to take the rim drive with its overlooks, to see the same things form an entirely different vantage point. It's a stunning place. I sure wouldn't want to be without a serious film camera capable of a degree of real detail. The M7 sounds practical for quickie work.
There are limited accommodations nearby, but you'd want to check well in advance. The Navajo nation has been hit especially hard by the pandemic, so don't expect things to be normal. The time of year, early Nov, sounds ideal in terms of fall color and crisp lighting.

[h2oman]

OK, you all have me pretty excited to go there! We plan (hope) to camp there at Cottonwood Campground. We'll get there early enough to allow the south rim drive in the afternoon/evening, tour of the canyon the next day, north rim drive the morning of the third day before leaving?

I'd love to take my view camera, but there will be two of us traveling and camping in a van, with two bicycles. We're starting in K Falls, OR, will eventually get to Williamsburg, VA, then back by a somewhat southerly route. My marriage is more likely to remain intact if I don't take the 4x5!

[Greg Y]

h2o, Cottonwood Campground is a beautiful spot. & yes by all means bring your Mamiya 7 & at least a monopod. Films like FP4+ shine there. The canyon floor visit & the view from the rim down onto Spider Rock are magical. It is well worth reading about the history of the Navajo people in the canyon & about the 'long walk.'

[Drew Wiley]

I have a view camera "vacation pre-nup" verbal contract with my wife. She like to go to Maui for the snorkeling. I ask permission for just two 4x5 stop breaks on the road. But in return, I pay dearly, and for each 4x5 incident, she get a shopping afternoon in Lahaina (never spends much, thankfully). But at the water edge condo, I can walk out and take as many view camera shots as I wish if she's napping or cooking. Out on a drive, it's pre-arranged. Medium format cameras are quick to shoot, so she doesn't have any problem with them, and might be shooting her little camera at the same time, which is actually an underwater Nikon I gave her for snorkeling; but it works reasonably well on land too.

About 25 years ago, we did take a long October road trip through the SW together, alternating camping nights and motel ones. I only shot 4x5 at the time, but she was a lot more patient with it back then.

If you take your M7, it would be helpful to have both a standard or slightly WA lens and the 150 if you own one of those. That would allow you to home in on White House ruin or Spider rock from their respective overlooks in the morning a little better. There are a lot of interesting rock patterns visible from above. If you shoot BW film, don't forget a med deep green filter. If you use a yellow, orange, or red instead, that reddish Navajo sandstone will come out awfully bleached looking. But you'll need a token selection of those too, for sake of other scenarios, like fall color enhancement in b&w.

[h2oman]

All I have for the Mamiya are 65mm and 150mm, so I always go a little wide, or a little long! Got green, red, orange and polarizing filters, and will have a full on tripod. I think my cousin is arranging a jeep tour with a guy who wants to know if people have special interests, so I told her to say photography! I figure the guide can regale her and my wife while I get a little time to photograph. I think we'll go for a 5 hour tour (as opposed to the standard 3).

I just shot 35mm slides at the time that pre-nup would have been made. :)

[Drew Wiley]

You should do fine with those two lenses. The canyon gets progressively deeper as you go further in, hence taller walls. You can't correct verticals with the 65 like a view camera, but you no doubt know how to use the limitation to the best advantage. From the top, the longer lens will be valuable. At one spot you can plainly see the footholds they carved in the rock face get them up the cliff - must have been really fun commuting several times a day carrying pots of water or baskets of corn, when a single slip would be it.

The light that time of year is wonderful. But snowstorms can occur anytime, and nights are surprisingly cold, so make sure that in your main vehicle you have extra food and water, and warm sleeping bags along if you're driving all the way there. That can spell the difference between having fun and death if you get stalled somewhere en route due to bad weather.

[Chauncey Walden]

Nearby Navajo National Monument is well worth a visit.

[rdenney]

My distant recollection is that the jeep tours all start and end at one spot, and there isn’t much to distinguish them.

Be careful on the rim with how you lock up. Theft is a common problem, unfortunately.

Rick “been too long” Denney

[h2oman]

Nearby Navajo National Monument is well worth a visit.

Already planned in!

[h2oman]

My distant recollection is that the jeep tours all start and end at one spot, and there isn’t much to distinguish them.

Be careful in the rim with how you lock up. Theft is a common problem, unfortunately.

Rick “been too long” Denney

Yeah, I'd believe there isn't much difference. We got a recommendation for one, though.

Will be as careful about theft as possible...

[Greg Y]

You should do fine with those two lenses. The canyon gets progressively deeper as you go further in, hence taller walls. You can't correct verticals with the 65 like a view camera, but you no doubt know how to use the limitation to the best advantage. From the top, the longer lens will be valuable. At one spot you can plainly see the footholds they carved in the rock face get them up the cliff - must have been really fun commuting several times a day carrying pots of water or baskets of corn, when a single slip would be it.

The light that time of year is wonderful. But snowstorms can occur anytime, and nights are surprisingly cold, so make sure that in your main vehicle you have extra food and water, and warm sleeping bags along if you're driving all the way there. That can spell the difference between having fun and death if you get stalled somewhere en route due to bad weather.

Drew, Since you mentioned it, I've been down and up that way (chipped footholds). The one time i visited Canyon de Chelly, by chance we arrived the day before the celebration of the end of the 'Long Walk' (June 18). A young Navajo ranger led a small group of us on a 'hike' down into the canyon (& back) by the traditional slabs with their chipped out holds. You nailed it exactly "a single slip would be it. I've made my living as professional rock & mountain climbing guide. The route was more complicated and difficult than some of the low 5th class (roped climbing) slab climbs in Tuolumne Meadows.....& definitely 'no fall' terrain.

[Drew Wiley]

Sandstone isn't my cup of tea when it gets wet. I've only visited Canyon DeChelly on my way back from other places, and never explored there much on foot, much less scrambled there. I prefer granite climbing, though I never was a real climber in the current sense - more of a naive hillbilly kid who managed to get up some nasty routes unroped, and darn near pissed my pants doing so. Getting back down is always worse, of course. My nephew turned out to be a world class big wall and extreme conditions climber, but had all the right gear. I do clearly remember negotiating some very narrow sandstone ledges in Zion wearing a big pack full of Sinar gear. Up in the high Sierra, an 85 lb pack on class 3 pitches or ice was routine for me. Not any more! I'm 72 now, and already have enough to fear from my upcoming visit to the dentist, which I suspect will involve some jackhammer usage, or at least a rock drill and similar bolts!

[otto.f]

Thanks - I wouldn't have thought of the green filter! We'll be on the road a long time and was just going to bring my digital camera (space concerns), but now I'm thinking I'll throw in the Mamiya 7.

My original plan for a hike through Patagonia was bringing my Chamonix f2 but I found it a bit too much, not so much the weight but the time it consumes to make the photo. So I took the Mamiya 7 and this 6x7 format keeps on surprising me of the resolution it offers, seems a whole lot more than 6x6. I now have beautiful 20x24” prints from it on the wall with lots of detail. Probably, the Mamiya lenses add to this joy. I found the 65mm ideal for landscape.

[John Layton]

Same here with regards to 6x7 - has "saved" me on many occasions where weight, weather, and/or logistics of LF have simply proved untenable. Also many photo-forays choosing MF over LF for its own strengths. Two Fuji/Voigtlanders in my case - and yes, way better for my particular needs than 6x6 (especially with those 20x24's)...with blads ending up more or less sitting there until I finally sold them. Cannot knock the blads...as they helped me build a business, house, and family way back when - but now with increasing age and decrepitude...

Oh...and how I do remember, also way back when - I was camping in the desert with a group of my students when one of them rocked my world by saying "hey, ya gotta try a green filter with these red rocks!" And me...who thought I knew everything about filters!

[Greg Y]

I absolutely agree with you John. I used my Rolleiflex, and a handful of different Texas-sized Fuji 6x7,6x8,6x9....& have settled on the Plaubel Makina 670 for kicking around in the mountains. The slim folded size takes up almost no place in my pack and the Nikkor 80 is a superb lens. Especially with Agfa 25 or TMax 100 the resulting prints are very fine. Many fine photographs are the result of being in a place, rather than going there with a LF camera & photography as the purpose of the trip.

[Drew Wiley]

When I have to go light, I really prefer the extended rectangle of 6x9, and get excellent performance with the Fuji RF's. If I need tele, I go to the P67, though that ends up weighing just as much as my 4X5 folder plus goodies. I plan in advance. If I need to home in on distant crags and so forth, roll film backs for the 4x5 and a small selection of lenses do the trick best. If wide-normal shots are acceptable and I need to work fast in potentially bad weather, then the Texas Leica concept is excellent. But I rely mainly on a heavier 4x5, the Norma monorail, for day use. It does it all, and is heavy enough with Ries wooden tripod to give a decent workout.

More than the covid thing, the persistence of severe forest fire smoke these past two years have really intercepted my normal conditioning and planned backpacking, and at a time in life when it's especially important to keep in routine shape. I do get out at least once a week with some kind of pack, involving anything from 8x10 clear down to 6x7. But overall, I've gained some weight and don't walk as many miles as I used to per outing. Maybe age is getting to me - 72 now. But I'm getting good shots anyway.

[Don12x20x]

Monument Valley -- Stay in "The View". Regardless, you will have to pay $20 per day to even access the hotel. Access is not included in hotel price. As of this past Saturday, they were limiting 25 cars in Monument Valley at a time. You will need to line up and be sure to have the day's entrance pass from the entry kiosk with you or you will be turned away. You will fill out a form, get checked in and you have to return the form when you leave the valley -- that's how they control the 25. 7 am to 4:30pm entry, and all cars must be out by 7 pm. The View Hotel's restaurant is closed until further notice - you can go to Bluff (the better restaurant , Twin Rocks, was closed Thursdays and Sundays due to a shortage of staff), Gouldings (small menu for lunch/dinner - just amounts to salads and burgers), or Kayenta. The View provides a sack breakfast and coffee in the gift shop to people staying there. Canyon de Chelly - plenty of good motels. The campground was flooded by rain last week. There were no campers, and tours were nonexistent due to flooding in the canyon (including the mouth which is the entry point right at the campground). When it floods the river is impassible. Watch the police in town - they get lots of revenue from their speed trap. White house overlook and trail is closed permanently -- too may breakins. Watch your valuables in the other overlooks, particularly those with long walks to reach the overlook (Spider Rock, Sliding house, Antelope and Mummy Cave. - there have been breakins to cars there as well (plenty of auto window glass in some areas)).

[Don12x20x]

Canyon De Chelly - most overlooks look east into the canyon and the features are on the east wall (so afternoons)
Exceptions are in Canyon del Muerto -- Antelop ruin you will look down and to the Southwest. Mornings. Similarly Yucca Cave is almost due west looking down into the canyon so mornings.
At Antelope Overlook - you will go down the cement path with railings to the end, but then look down west and see the actual overlook that is NOT wheelchair accessible over a marked trail (its rocked in at the edge). So don't be fooled by the railing overlook that is wheelchair accessible -- you cannot see the ruins from there
Massacre cave is similar -- look for the rock wall at the edge to view the ruins. You will leave the paved path to get there.

[Jim Andrada]

Now that I drive a wheelchair this sounds unfortunate. Oh well.

[Drew Wiley]

As I recall, the White House Ruin is visible from the parking lot railing above, and might be wheelchair accessible. But that was a long time ago, and things might have changed, perhaps in a positive manner in that respect due to ADA requirements. But this is officially a Tribal park, so might differ. Simply call or e-mail to Tribal office in advance and inquire.

Regardless, there are numerous turnouts, each with a wonderful view.

[Don12x20x]

White House overlook is closed -- blocked off at the main road. So not accessible.
But seriously, there are several overlooks with really great wheelchair accessible cement walks, complete with pipe railing the entire way. Spider Rock is one such overlook. Even Antelop House overlook has a long cement walkway with pipe railing down to the canyon edge (you have great views of the canyon but no antelop house without on-foot mobility. The path beyond the cement walkway is really not passable for wheelchair.

from north to south:
Canyon de chelly- Spider Rock - nice wheelchair route to viewpoint
Face Rock - nice wheelchair route (eg ADA)
Sliding House - rough hiking route to overlook (Not ADA)
White House overlook - completely closed at main road. Not accessible.
Junction Overlook - ADA
Tsegi Overlook - you are there. ADA
Tunnel Canyon Overlook - you are there, ADA
Visitor Center - ADA
Northward into Canyon Del Muerto:
Antelope House - rough trail to first overlook (NOT ADA), then rougher down to two more overlooks (NOT ADA). Only the southernmost lower overlook gives a good view of Antelope House.
Mummy Cave overlook - ADA to good overlook.
Massacre Cave overlook - ADA down to a canyon overview, but rough rock trail(NOT ADA) down to a lower viewing area with a rock wall -- where you can see the cliff dwellings
--> So there is still plenty to see if you are in a wheel chair!. And I don't have any idea about the in-canyon trips being ADA on the trucks they use. Inquire at the visitor center, and also at the Thunderbird Lodge/trading post.

[Don12x20x]

Also the road from Lukachuki to Shiprock is now paved! I have not taken this road since 1987 and then it was a rough dirt road. At that time I only saw 3 Native American Trucks - all very friendly and each stopped to talk to make sure we were not lost on the primitive dirt road. This October, we took it again. Now its a Navajo raceway in the morning - several hundred trucks passed going about 20-30 mph over the speed limit. Maybe going to a job in Shiprock? None stopped to talk while we were stopped to make images of the stunning aspens that were changing. Times do change!
Don

[Pat Kearns]

About 10-12 years ago my wife and I went to Canyon de Chelly and we stayed at the Holiday Inn just outside the park. I had contacted John Sexton beforehand because he used to do workshop tours there. John told us the entire canyon unpaved loose sand roads and said to hire a guide. We booked a tour guide thru the hotel. The tour guide picked us up around 6:00 am and we were the only ones on the tour. The guide took his time and gave us as much time needed to take our photographs. He was very personable and his name was Kenneth but told to us to call him "K". The tour was supposed to be about 3-4 hours but K kept us touring until about noon. My wife and I had a great time and tipped K handsomely for the extra long tour. I would suggest checking with the local hotels in Chinle about hiring local guides. The rim road has numerous turnoffs that you can take photographs from the rim but the best time will be on the valley floor.

If you are going to Monument Valley I would suggest you contact Fred Cly Adventure Tours and try to book him. We booked Fred for a morning tour in the middle of the week and again my wife and I were the only ones on the tour. We met him in the parking lot about 4 am. Fred first started us out taking star photographs until first light started. Then Fred took us to some of his favorite areas and challenged our creativity to see out of the box rather than being the "standard tourists". Again being just ourselves, Fred gave us extra time on the tour.

I'm envious now, have a great time.

[h2oman]

Well, I made it to CDC, and here are some impressions.

I usually research fairly well, but I was naive about the setting - how close the canyon is to the town of Chinle, that locals live all around the two drives/canyons, etc. I generally prefer places where I can better escape humanity for the most part. I wasn't prepared for the vendors setting up at the overlooks and in the canyon (just a couple of those at this time of year). At one point I believe that an attempt was made at one of the overlooks to relieve me of my camera and tripod, but I caught wind of that.

Also, the camping wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as some other places, but the campground was quite relaxed. There were enough people there that you felt like someone would spot anything suspicious going on, but it was only about half full, so folks were somewhat spread out. If you read this and are going there with a bicycle, don't ride it in the campground! My wife was on her bike and moved to the side of the road to let a car go by, and immediately had 10-20 goatheads in each tire!

We did a jeep tour with Bobby VanWinkle, and it was fantastic. I don't think I would go to the canyon at all if I wasn't willing to spring for a tour. He took just my wife, cousin and I, and was willing to stop for me wherever I wanted. I don't know how helpful that was, because I was a bit overwhelmed, and could have spent an hour in any 1/2 mile stretch of the canyon, easily! So I had him give my wife and cousin the "standard" tour, and just had him stop in a few other places that he wouldn't ordinarily. At several of the standard stops I took a bit of extra time, and he was happy to educate and entertain the other two at those times.

Photographically I decided at the last minute to live dangerously, and shot entirely with ortho film, which I'd never used before, no filtration. That seemed to work out fine for all but one shot. Like I said, it was hard for me to determine what to photograph with such a limited visit. My best image was made by finding Timothy O'Sullivan's tripod holes at the White House Ruin (deepened by Ansel), the first image below. I think the general composition is a no-brainer that I could have stumbled into on my own. :cool: I shot it on the way in and on the way out, and this one (on the way in) seemed to have better shadows. The second image is the other icon of the canyon, Spider Rock. When I get more images posted at my web page, I'll post here again for those who would care to look.

221623 221624

[Vaughn]

Glad to hear that you had a good adventure. I also find it difficult to photograph a new type of light/landscape...especially under less-than-perfect conditions such as limited time and having to worry about safety. One tends to end up getting a few of the icons on film on the first visit or two, then that experience with the light and forms allows one to make one's own icons. YMMD. Looking forward to seeing what else you did!

I was there for an afternoon in 1984. But back then, and still now, I have reservations about photographing on native land. A personal thing, not something I am for or against others doing...just plenty of light for me elsewhere. Somewhere there are 4x5 negs in my files of Spider Rock. I was traveling with a lovely Aussie gal who got very frustrated in Chinle because the store clerk could not understand her. I think he just got lost listening to her accent, and the meaning of the words no longer mattered.

[Michael R]

I like how he ortho worked out. Looks nice.


Well, I made it to CDC, and here are some impressions.

I usually research fairly well, but I was naive about the setting - how close the canyon is to the town of Chinle, that locals live all around the two drives/canyons, etc. I generally prefer places where I can better escape humanity for the most part. I wasn't prepared for the vendors setting up at the overlooks and in the canyon (just a couple of those at this time of year). At one point I believe that an attempt was made at one of the overlooks to relieve me of my camera and tripod, but I caught wind of that.

Also, the camping wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as some other places, but the campground was quite relaxed. There were enough people there that you felt like someone would spot anything suspicious going on, but it was only about half full, so folks were somewhat spread out. If you read this and are going there with a bicycle, don't ride it in the campground! My wife was on her bike and moved to the side of the road to let a car go by, and immediately had 10-20 goatheads in each tire!

We did a jeep tour with Bobby VanWinkle, and it was fantastic. I don't think I would go to the canyon at all if I wasn't willing to spring for a tour. He took just my wife, cousin and I, and was willing to stop for me wherever I wanted. I don't know how helpful that was, because I was a bit overwhelmed, and could have spent an hour in any 1/2 mile stretch of the canyon, easily! So I had him give my wife and cousin the "standard" tour, and just had him stop in a few other places that he wouldn't ordinarily. At several of the standard stops I took a bit of extra time, and he was happy to educate and entertain the other two at those times.

Photographically I decided at the last minute to live dangerously, and shot entirely with ortho film, which I'd never used before, no filtration. That seemed to work out fine for all but one shot. Like I said, it was hard for me to determine what to photograph with such a limited visit. My best image was made by finding Timothy O'Sullivan's tripod holes at the White House Ruin (deepened by Ansel), the first image below. I think the general composition is a no-brainer that I could have stumbled into on my own. :cool: I shot it on the way in and on the way out, and this one (on the way in) seemed to have better shadows. The second image is the other icon of the canyon, Spider Rock. When I get more images posted at my web page, I'll post here again for those who would care to look.

221623 221624

[rdenney]

Posole (note spelling). Hominy marinated in hot red chile for a day or so, and delicious. A staple of New Mexican cuisine.

Rick “hadn’t had good posole since Mexican Carryout Kitchen closed” Denney

[Drew Wiley]

My stomach is too sensitive to hot spices now, but the best Mex Tex food I ever ate was in a mobile home on the Navajo reservation converted into a tiny little breakfast diner. I was the only non-Navajo at the time in there. You just follow the pickups. They might not lead you to a fancy tourist restaurant, but do know where they are going, and why!

[h2oman]

I have finally managed to get some images from my visit to Canyon de Chelly up at my web page. If you think it might be in your future (or are just interested), you can take a look to see some of the types of opportunities that it offers. https://www.greggwaterman.com/canyon-de-chelly I've had a little trouble getting the web images to match my vision - I can successfully get the prints to look the way I want, but am struggling a bit with the digital versions.

If I had more time I would have tried to get some more "intimate" sorts of images. All were made with either a 65mm or 150mm lens, no filters, on a Mamiya 7, Ilford Ortho Plus film developed in two-solution D-23.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eef209_ba9acc492b754edeb26eecb78b77199c~mv2.jpg

[David Schaller]

That one is very nice ^^

[Drew Wiley]

Yes, very good timing for the shadow outlining the structure, plus the general shadow vs open are contrast. But it's also a face with two eyes!

[abruzzi]

Yes, very good timing for the shadow outlining the structure, plus the general shadow vs open are contrast. But it's also a face with two eyes!

I love pareidolia.

[Drew Wiley]

Well, I never know when I'm stepping on toes by pointing it out. I don't think there ever was a picture I gave my parents where my dad din't see some king of animal face somewhere in it. But when one spends numerous moments daily looking for cows trying to sneak through some breach in the barbed wire fences trying to get into the gardens, not to mention all the deer and possums and so forth, I guess it comes instinctively.

[h2oman]

Yes, very good timing for the shadow outlining the structure, plus the general shadow vs open are contrast. But it's also a face with two eyes!

There's actually a kind of funny story behind that! I'm a pretty big fan of Jay Dusard's landscapes (I love his book Open Country). I also have copies of View Camera and Arizona Highways with features about him, with photos. Before I left on our trip, I looked at Ansel's photo of the White House ruin, and O'Sullivan's version, but nothing else. When I made the posted photo, I wasn't even sure what ruin it was. When I came home I was paging through the Arizona Highways, and Jay had a photo of those ruins from the canyon floor, in even lighting. He mentioned that he saw the two caves as eyes. When I looked at my version, the eyes jumped out, but the shadow also made a nose! I hadn't noticed that at all when photographing - I was simply waiting for the shadow to move far enough that the central tower was fully lit. I really need to work on seeing shadows as a graphic part of an image. I DID see the shadow for the one below, envisioning it as kind of a black hole like this image of Merg's, but with detail in it: http://www.mergross.com/pictures/broken_window2.html I managed to get the shadow area darker in the print, so that it has a bit more graphic impact. An interesting feature of this photo is that the buttress is called Face Rock, and we see its frontal portrait, but we can also see its profile in the shadow. It is not at all obvious (at least to me) from the front that there is a small spire at the top of the buttress.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eef209_3cd760e08b904339800b78c31159452e~mv2.jpg

[Drew Wiley]

Well, the rim drive can certainly be fun and rewarding to take pics from. But the last time I was there, there were maybe only one or two houses in the vicinity up there anywhere, and no trinket stands yet. I remember a "new model hogan" sign, with plastic streamer flags just like some new stucco box in subdivision, but actually octagonal log construction with a hole in the roof. Somewhere else, near Tuba City, stopping to buy a trinket (actually, a cheap turquoise necklace made in Taiwan!) from an old Navajo woman got me and my new bride invited by her grandson for a free hike way out on their ranch to see tyrannosaur tracks all along a lengthy sandstone ledge, plus some huge sauropod tracks, perhaps the prey. Memorable.

The picture just previously posted impresses me even more than the one with the ruin and the "eyes". You've managed to capture two "angel wings" - light on one side of the statuesque column, dark the other side. I'm not necessary implying anything Freudian, but not not necessarily implying it either. Ambiguous pictures are often the best. A fine landscape shot regardless. If it were me I'd probably accentuate the difference even further with glycin development and split toning on MGWT to make the angelic side have a softly warm glow, and the dark devilish side somewhat cold blue-blackish. But to each his own. Lots of print possibilities in that image.

[Alan Klein]

Yes, very good timing for the shadow outlining the structure, plus the general shadow vs open are contrast. But it's also a face with two eyes!

That's the first thing I saw too. Nice shot.

[Alan Klein]

Speaking of seeing things, when my wife and I drove across Kauai, this gorilla and crocodile was pointed out to us. I think I also see a turtle on the left or a hippo somewhere? (Sorry for the digital photo).222609

[Drew Wiley]

Alan - in the right light you can kinda see a gorilla face on that hill, at least if one is inebriated enough, I guess. We were staying in an adjacent town when a huge rainstorm hit and caused a lot of damage further north, and someone got swept to their death over a waterfall trying to cross a flash-flooded creek along the trail at the end of the road. Interesting how easily a sudden downpour can get you in a lot of trouble whether in the arid Southwest or the lush side of a Hawaiian island.

[Alan Klein]

Alan - in the right light you can kinda see a gorilla face on that hill, at least if one is inebriated enough, I guess. We were staying in an adjacent town when a huge rainstorm hit and caused a lot of damage further north, and someone got swept to their death over a waterfall trying to cross a flash-flooded creek along the trail at the end of the road. Interesting how easily a sudden downpour can get you in a lot of trouble whether in the arid Southwest or the lush side of a Hawaiian island.

I swear. I wasn't drinking. It was a big ape. I swear. :rolleyes:

[Drew Wiley]

Maybe Kauai was the actual island King Kong originally came from. Who knows? Did you bring some helpers and a lot of rope, just in case?