Thursday, January 20, 2011

The first stop

I leave home heading North. I make a quick lunch stop in Flagstaff to see my buddy Ben. We shoot the breeze for an hour or two, have a sandwich and a coffee. Good times, and a nice farewell before I drive through the indian reservation. The goal is to get to Canyon de Chelly by nightfall. It’s a few hours of easy driving through fairly empty highways and into the more ‘southwestern’ desert area of the state.

 

I arrive to the Canyon and start down the ‘South Rim’ drive just as the sun makes it’s way to the horizon.

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Fairly soon the colors start to hit the sky, they light up the canyon below me as I pop to different overlooks:

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Ah yes, this traveling life does have it’s perks:

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Pretty soon rocks disappear with the light, and I make a treacherous hike back to the truck to catch one last shot of the swirling clouds of dusk:

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I make my way to the free campground in the park, and setup the truck for the first time in a month for sleeping. A little cold, but only compared to the warm beds I’ve gotten used to. I toss and turn, reacquainting myself with the ‘cozy’ quarters. Sunrise comes eventually, and we head to the ‘North Rim of the canyon for some early morning shots.

 

There seem to be fewer pullouts along the north road, so not as many pictures. Or maybe my numb fingers just made it seem like there were fewer opportunities to shoot?

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I did get a glimpse of some ancient home ruins down in the valley, which was neat:

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And then, one last shot before heading north and a bit west.image

 

Destination: Monument Valley.

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