Sorting Through Photographs

I've been spending my time back in NY sorting through the thousands of photographs I took over the past three weeks. My brother David took this one of me as I headed into Lake Erie to kayak one morning.

David then biked into Maumee Bay which was about 60 miles!

Oh, by the way, total mile for my trip was 5,778. Thank you Avis for unlimited mileage.

Back Home in New York

After a very long day driving from St. Louis, Missouri yesterday I made it home around 10:00 p.m.

I got this great photo near St. Louis, Missouri last night. The cloud formations were amazing.

I unloaded the kayak and other gear then returned the rental car and promptly fell into bed. I awoke refreshed this morning and after putting away all my gear I started going through my amazing photos of the trip. It's going to be fun to print these out. I took around 50 gigabytes of RAW and JPEGs so it will take a while to get them sorted out, developed and posted.

Jack and I had a first-rate Indian lunch at Haveli's on Second Avenue (shrimp curry!). It's so nice to be back in New York and have some many more food choices than McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, etc.

New York is a very comfortable 79 degrees while I see that Page, Arizona is 96 degrees. Ah, it's good to be home.

Lake Powell During a Heat Wave

I launched around 8 a.m. and the temperature was already 90 degrees. The heat was oppressive in the kayak so I keep the 19-footer going at a pretty good clip. Because the marina did not allow you to tow a kayak I had to squeeze the kayak onto the boat. It took up most of the space.

I stopped around noon and set up my tent at a great beach camp site near river mile marker 26 just to get out of the sun. The scurrying lizards kept getting underfoot but I finally managed to get into my tent and change into my swimsuit. After a freshing swim I was cooled off enough to get a little rest. I napped for awhile then kayaked in the small bay around my campsite.

The gas gauge on the 19-foot boat had not changed from the full position all day and I got a little worried about the amount of fuel I actually had so I head out to Dangling Rope Marina at mile marker 44. The nice young man who refueled my boat told me several other folks had been in earlier complaining that the rental boats' fuel gauges had not been working. I felt relieved to learn that I now had enough fuel to get back to Wahweap Marina.

I passed many houseboats along the way to Dangling Rope Marina.

I zipped back to my campsite and kayaked a bit more then prepared for a fabulous sunset, moonrise and a huge parade of constellations I had never seen before. I could make out the big dipper but didn't know the others, having not seen them for years in New York.

The moon rise and was so bright I had to cover my head to get to sleep. I slept out under the stars on top of my sleeping bags and the lizards and bats didn't bother me. I woke around 6 and started packing up camp. I took a brief swim to cool off then loaded my 16-foot Dagger Meridien-SK onto the 19-foot boat and took off. By 8 a.m. I was so hot I thought I was going to pass out. When I saw that my Chapstick was melted I decided to cut my Lake Powell trip short since the heat wave was definitely getting to be too much for me.

After stowing all my gear, loading up the kayak and returning the 19-foot boat I was so hot and tired I just sat in my air-conditioned car for a while looking at the view of Lake Powell. I think a kayaking trip here should be made anytime other than summer months. I was still glad I did it but was really exhausted by the heat.

I took this photo of the Glen Canyon Dam on the way out of Wahweap. They started building this dam in 1956 and completed it ten years later. It took 17 years for Lake Powell to completely fill for the first time.

My plan had been to drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to hike and camp and photograph there but after my near heat exhaustion I decided to head down to Flagstaff and pick up Route 40 East and head home. I had had a great trip and wanted to see my husband and deliver all my RAW photographs. I drove to Santa Rose, New Mexico, then stayed the night, got up early and drove to St. Louis, Missouri. I rose at 5 a.m. to make sure I could get across the Mississippi River before any more levees broke. I made it across and headed into Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and home.

Antelope Canyon

I started early to beat the heat and drove to Kayenta then picked up Route 160 through the Navajo Reservation to Route 98 and made it to Antelope Canyon outside of Page, Arizona around 10:30 a.m. I was able to get a ticket for the 11:00 a.m. "Photograph's Tour" of Upper Antelope Canyon and stayed there photographing for about an hour before the dust and crowds drove me back to my hot car. I drove across the road to Lower Antelope Canyon and purchased a four-hour photography pass and had the place to myself. There was perfect light flowing into the canyon around this time and I stayed in the canyon photographing until around 4 p.m. I had driven out West to see these spectacular canyons and I was so glad I had made the trip.

I took these last two photos in Lower Antelope Canyon which is much better for photographers than the more crowded Upper Antelope Canyon. The day I visited the perfect light lasted from 2-4 p.m.

I drove over the Lake Powell and had my kayak inspected for Zebra Mussels and got my permit to launch. I decided to rent a 19-foot boat to take me and my kayak out past Warm Creek Bay. It was a great view from the shore.

Four Corners, Utah

Thanks to the nice guys at the Chip's Grand Tires who checked my tire pressure and gave me two free valves, I confidently left Moab early in the morning and drove down Route 191 South. I was able to get a good shot of Wilson Arch from the turnout on the road.

I drove south again to the turn-off for the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park (Route 211, 24 miles northwest of Monticello) and Newspaper Rock. Newspaper Rock is a petroglyph panel etched in sandstone. Etched into the desert varnish are symbols representing the Fremont, Anasazi, Navajo and several other ancient cultures. Newspaper Rock is one of the finest displays of Indian rock art to be found anywhere in the U.S.

I decided to continue on Route 211 through the Manti-La Sal National Forest and took this road up through a very scenic route through mountains and lakes overlooking Canyonlands passing piñon and juniper. I then down on into Adajo Drive in Monticello where I picked up Route 191 South again.

I stopped briefly at Foy Lake in the Manti-La Sal National Forest and rested in the cooler air.

Although it was extremely hot in the sun I stopped briefly at the Edge of the Cedars ancient Pueblo ruins. Edge of the Cedars State Park is the site of a pre-Colombian Pueblo Indian ruin and a modern museum. I stayed inside the nicely air-conditioned museum and saw a wonderful collection of Anasazi pottery and other ancient Indian artifacts.

I drove on Route 94 some 34 miles to Natural Bridges National Monument. Natural Bridges preserves some of the finest examples of natural stone architecture in the southwest. Although it is mid-June the 100-degree afternoon temperature make is difficult to hike down to the bridges so I drink lots of water and try to keep from getting heat exhaustion. I think late Autumn might be a better time to see the Four Corners region. But since I'm here I try to make the best of it.

I keep seeing these "Open Range" signs and do indeed see roving cattle grazing in spots. It's quite unusual for an Easterner.

I drove on to Bluff, Utah and stop in the hot sun for a stroll through the old restored Bluff Fort (1880-1883) and the Barton cabin. As I entered the barn in the old homestead a beautiful hummingbird was there and quickly flew away.

After jumping back into the car's air conditioning to keep from passing out I drove on to Mexican Hat and saw the late afternoon sun on the Mexican Rock. I continued south on Route 163 to Goulding's Trading Post where I had made a reservation for the night and the Navajo Full Moon Tour of Monument Valley.

We left at 8 p.m. on the dot and the young woman Navajo guide drove us through the rough dusty roads of Monument Valley to the Totem Pole monument where we watched for moonrise.

It was amazing to see the glow of the moon rise behind the Totem Pole monument then rise completely to the full moon. Although my camera and tripod got very dusty on this trip it was worth it for the spectacular view.

Waiting for the moon to rise.

Seeing the light start to appear...

Full moon in Monument Valley.

I stopped at this great Navajo gift shop in Monument Valley and got some great souvenirs.

Photographing Arches and Ancient Ruins

Downtown Moab at last! I enjoyed walking around and browsing the the three(!) bookstores. It's great to see that even in an adventure and outdoor town like this there is a great demand for good books (and maps).


Last night during my excellent Mexican meal at Miquel's Baja Grill on Main Street in Moab, I called Jon Fuller of Moab Photo Tours.

I had picked up a postcard of his at Tom Till's gallery in Moab. This was one of the best decisions I made on the trip. While having only one day to see Arches National Park and not quite sure where to go first, I booked a full day (sunrise and sunset session) with Jon and it turned out to be a wonderful learning experience. I would book Jon online ahead of time next time since he's very much in demand and I just got lucky this time.

Jon is extremely patient and kind and took me to several outstanding locations for photography and at the right time for the lighting! I learned more about the area spending that one day with Jon than I would have blundering around on my own, and I've got some great shots that would never have been possible without Jon's help.

Thanks to Jon and his 5 a.m. start time, I photographed sunrise at the Twin Arches and with his assistance scrambled up to the perfect spot to get this sunrise shot near one of the Twin Arches. I also photographed ancient pictographs from ancestral Pueblo sites near Moab.

Look closely and you'll see the lizard against the sandstone.

Last night's sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook was also great to watch, accompanied by lightning flashes.

Jon also helped me understand the strange (to outsiders) naming convention of the gridded streets in Moab. Apparently the Mormons needed to make sure that the streets were wide enough to turn a wagon around in. Center Street is the the center around which everything else is relative, so 200 North is the street with the position 200 north of Center.

Idaho Springs, Colorado to Moab, Utah

I left Idaho Springs, Colorado (elevation 7,524 feet) after a good night's rest at the Heritage Inn with views of the Arco Gold Mining company and Clear Creek. I took a quick stroll down Main Street before gasing up and heading back to I-70. The night before I had walked up to the BeauJo's Colorado Style Pizza and had a great dinner. I noticed all the nice shops but was too exhausted to spend much time looking the night before. Main Street looked pretty good in the early morning light.





There were very interesting signs for rodeos, bike races, Alpine climbing competitions and theatre!

As I walked into the main section of downtown Idaho Springs I saw several rafts filled with excited, but drenched tourists enjoying the extremely narrow and rapid flow of Clear Creek. The Clear Creek Rafting Company offers several daily excursions. I wished that I had time to do a run before leaving this action-packed area of Colorado.

I stopped for breakfast in Frisco, Colorado (elevation 9,042 feet) at the very nice Log Cabin Cafe (oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar and walnuts).

After driving through the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 (elevation 11,013 feet), the highest elevation I've ever driven, I was somewhat relieved to be back in some oxygenated air in Frisco at 9,042 feet. After breakfast I hiked the North Ten Mile Creek trail whose trailhead is located at the entrance to Interstate 70. Although it was uphill I managed to do fairly well in this altitude and go some nice photos of Ten Mile Creek running beside the trail.

I was able to stop and take a few shots of the Rocky Mountains along Route 70.

I drove through the magnificent and unexpected splendor of Glenwood Canyon and followed the Colorado River for the first time on this trip. I can't imagine the engineering that went into building the road through this canyon.

Glenwood Canyon is about 150 miles west of Denver and 90 miles east of Grand Junction. The 16 mile-long canyon runs along the Colorado River. I looked it up when I got back to New York and found that this section of I-70 was indeed a huge engineering challenge and didn't even begin until the 1980s and officially opened in 1992. It is an amazing collection of bridges, tunnels and retaining walls that maintained the canyon's appearance. Glenwood Canyon has to be one of the most spectacular stretches of highway I've ever driven on.

There was a great rest area (Exit 121) and a bike path that ran along the Colorado River so I did an easy 20-mile ride even though it was noon and quite hot. I saw two rafts floating down the river as I biked alongside.

The nicely paved bike path followed the Colorado River for some distance with Interstate 70 on the other side and railroad tracks on the other.

I stopped for gas in Grand Junction, Colorado then headed out into the canyonlands for the long drive into Utah. As I entered Utah there was a sign that said "Eagles On Highway." I didn't see any but what an amazing state! I got into Moab, walked on Main Street and visited the three(!) excellent bookstores. I drove out to Dead Horse State Park for the sunset at Dead Horse Point Overlook. I set up both my tripods and then snapped this shot with my Canon.

The moon was almost full and made a great scene with the clouds and sunset. More from Moab tomorrow.

The Mari Sandoz Sandhills Highway

I left Valentine, Nebraska early this morning and drove west on Route 20 headed to Gordon, Nebraska, passing many small towns with populations less than 20 listed on their town signs. I turned south on highway 27, the Mari Sandoz Sandhills Highway.

I also passed several groups of wild turkeys along the highway.

I have read many of the works of Mari Sandoz (1896-1966) and wanted to see the area she describes in her novels. I first read Old Jules, the story of her father and other settlers who came to the upper Niobrara region of Nebraska in the late nineteenth century and became acquainted with the Sandhills through her work. Mari Sandoz was internationally known as a chronicler of the West and as an expert on Indian history.


I caught these two beautiful horses standing by the fence on Route 20 on my way out of Cody, Nebraska. They seemed very curious about my car and kayak and posed as I took their photograph.


I stopped in Merriman, Nebraska to fill up my gas tank and took this photo of the "Cold Pop" sign opposite the gas station. Even though it was very early on a Sunday morning there were several very friendly people inside the station talking to the owner. As I paid for my gasoline the owner (he didn't have pumps that accepted credit cards) proudly showed me that his gasoline pumps, though old, could go up to as high as $9.99. I told him that I hoped that would suffice in the short term.


This is a shot I took on the Mari Sandoz Sandhills Highway heading towards her family's old fruit farm.


About thirty-sevens miles south of Route 20 is this sign for the turnoff to the old Sandoz homestead.


A couple of miles from the turnoff I turned left at the sign for Mari Sandoz's gravesite.


The headstone of Mari Sandoz's gravesite overlooking the Sandhills of Nebraska and the area that used to contain her father's fruit trees.


I thought it was interesting that there was a mailbox in the enclosed grave site along with a green bench for sitting down to enjoy the view.


When I opened up the mailbox I found two notebooks filled with warm wishes from the many visitors who had visited the gravesite. The notebooks bent back to 2002.


I signed the page as the only visitor for June 15, 2008. The last visitor was there June 12. I wanted to photograph some of the pages because the visitors were very interesting and included some of Sandoz's relatives.


As I drove away from the Sandoz farm I spotted this beautiful bird sitting on a post. I was able to grab my camera and get this shot. I looked up the name of this bird in the book of Nebraska birds I bought back in Valentine at the Plains Trading Company bookstore and I'm pretty sure it is a yellow-headed blackbird.


I drove to the end of Route 27 and headed west on Route 2 to Alliance enjoying more sandhills and the long trains hauling coal which paralleled me on the right all along this highway.


I took this last photograph of Nebraska wheat as I drove down to Colorado and on to Denver. I drove down Route 385 to Sterling, then picked up Route 19 to Interstate 76 and on in to Denver. Interstate 76 merged with Interstate 70 in Denver and I headed out over the Rocky Mountains. I stopped for the night at Idaho Springs, Colorado. Idaho Springs is a nice little ski and hiking town. I walked downtown and stretched my legs then stopped in at the visitor's center to pick up maps of the area.