May 14, 2010
Annette and I were up before dawn again today. We quickly threw on our clothes and rushed to catch the shuttle bus.
We made it! We were 8 minutes early for the bus. So I set up my camera on the tripod and aimed it down into the canyon. But there wasn't enough light for the camera to focus. So, I look through the viewfinder and find that the view doesn't have enough light for me to see to focus. So I just manually set the focus for infinity (and beyond) and make a 20 second exposure. The pictures looked well exposed but a little blue on the back of the camera.
I would love to show you the picture, but we have a little problem. We spent some time before the trip cleaning up the hard drive on Annette's laptop. We had 60 gigs free. But now there is less than 5 gigs and the computer is running slow.
I will not be able to load pictures for 5/14/10 and later onto the laptop. I will have to take the cards home and put the files onto my desktop computer. We have to figure out something else.
I got the one long exposure made and the bus was coming, so I had to quickly tear down the tripod and camera and go catch the bus. This was the 5:00 bus! It was the driver's first stop!
The general consensus of the people in the park is that Hopi Point is great for both sunset and sunrise, so we got off the bus at Hopi Point.
Hopi Point is not that far out the bus route so we arrived before the sun came over the horizon. We were early enough that only one other person was at the spot besides us.
We were able pick our vantage point in the early dawn's light. We watched the sun come up and slowly begin to light up the features in the canyon. It was beautiful to watch the light grow on the peaks and cliff's in the canyon. We rushed back and forth shooting pictures.
We shot so long and kept finding great shots. We were there so long that at one pint everyone else left and we were there by ourselves! What a great time!
We met a family on the shuttle bus between Hopi Point and the stop before Hermit's Rest. The mother had just completed a working photography program at Austin Community College in Texas. We compared notes on Lightroom, Photoshop, Photovision and photographers that we liked. I love talking photography!
And this was all before breakfast.
For Sunset, we made our way out to the Desert View Watchtower. Another beautiful spot, but a little bit different.
There is a beautiful cliff that runs north and south, which means that as the sun sets in the west if fully lights up the cliff wall. Beautiful.
They are working on the Watchtower and guess what they are using to position themselves up the sides! Two JLG boom lifts! I had to get pictures of the lifts!
The 1350SJP was parked close to the edge of the cliff. I got what I hope are some great pictures.
More tomorrow!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sedona to the Grand Canyon
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Annette and I drug ourselves out of bed very early again this morning. We wanted to get the sunrise on the red rocks.
We chose to go out a path behind the swimming pool at the school.
The view on the path was a great view of the coffee pot formation. It is called this because it looks like an old-fashioned coffee pot that you would see in the cowboys' camp in the old Westerns movies. Can you see the coffee pot?
After this we went back to the motel and got Mom and we went to the Coffee Pot Restaurant for lunch. they have 101 omelets!!!
From Sedona we traveled to the Grand Canyon. Aftger checking in we grabbed a bus headed for Hermits' Rest. The bus driver told us that the most popular spot for both Sunrise and Sunset is Hopi Point, but that Powell Point was also good.
So we got off of the bus at Powell Point and walked out past the monument.
Mom was funny. She did not want to go near the edge. In fact she said she got queasy when she saw other people go near the edge.
There was one photographer that was going to a place I wouldn't go to get the picture. he climbe out past the edge of the path out to the edge of the point. If you look closely in the picture, you can see him.
From Powell Point we got back on the bus. The sky had been cloudy. The light was not that great. However, when the bus pulled in to Hopi Point, the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the canyon. I jumped out of the bus and left Ammette and Mom on the bus. I had to get the shot.
It was beautiful. The sun lit up the sky and shown down on several points in the canyon.
I heard one guy tell his wife that he had just gotten the shot of the trip!!! No. It wasn't me saying that.
We headed back to our room to drop off our gear. Then we got supper in the Maswik cafeteria. It actually wasn't half bad.
Annette and I drug ourselves out of bed very early again this morning. We wanted to get the sunrise on the red rocks.
We chose to go out a path behind the swimming pool at the school.
The view on the path was a great view of the coffee pot formation. It is called this because it looks like an old-fashioned coffee pot that you would see in the cowboys' camp in the old Westerns movies. Can you see the coffee pot?
After this we went back to the motel and got Mom and we went to the Coffee Pot Restaurant for lunch. they have 101 omelets!!!
From Sedona we traveled to the Grand Canyon. Aftger checking in we grabbed a bus headed for Hermits' Rest. The bus driver told us that the most popular spot for both Sunrise and Sunset is Hopi Point, but that Powell Point was also good.
So we got off of the bus at Powell Point and walked out past the monument.
Mom was funny. She did not want to go near the edge. In fact she said she got queasy when she saw other people go near the edge.
There was one photographer that was going to a place I wouldn't go to get the picture. he climbe out past the edge of the path out to the edge of the point. If you look closely in the picture, you can see him.
From Powell Point we got back on the bus. The sky had been cloudy. The light was not that great. However, when the bus pulled in to Hopi Point, the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the canyon. I jumped out of the bus and left Ammette and Mom on the bus. I had to get the shot.
It was beautiful. The sun lit up the sky and shown down on several points in the canyon.
I heard one guy tell his wife that he had just gotten the shot of the trip!!! No. It wasn't me saying that.
We headed back to our room to drop off our gear. Then we got supper in the Maswik cafeteria. It actually wasn't half bad.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A day in Sedona
Good Morning, from high in the sky just west of Sedona, AZ!!!
We had to get up way, way before breakfast for this adventure! But we were excited to do it.
We were picked up at 4:55 a.m.(!!!) and driven to the set up zone. those guys have this balloon thing down to a science! They worked together as a team to get the balloon in the air pretty quickly!
Yesterday, I wrote about a dust storm that closed I-40. The balloon pilot said that they did not go out yesterday because of high winds.
Today was a different story. Our balloon was the first one off of the ground. We went up and up, but 15 minutes later we were still almost over the same spot where we lifted off! There just wasn't any wind to push us.
We were paired up with a couple from Florida, Joy and Tony. They were very helpful and respectful with Mom.
I was worried about getting an 82 year old lady into the basket with some semblance of grace and dignity. I didn't know how we were going to do it. Well some things you just dive in and do. Mom put here foot in the step hole in the side of the basket and threw her first leg in. She was straddling the basket wall. Then we pushed her in and pushed her other leg with her. It was done! She was in the basket. Let's go.
Mom said she didn't have any fear at all during the ride. I wish I could say that! When we were going up, there was a minute or so where I was tightly grasping the railing! But it was so smooth that we both relaxed.
Mom made small talk with Joy and Tony and looked out at the view. I think she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I think that the pilot did not want to jostle Mom too much so he set the balloon down so softly that you hardly knew we stopped moving.
Once we were packed we went to look for the last balloon. We found it on 89A, which at that point is a 65 mph four lane highway! We stopped and all of the balloon crew helped them get the balloon down and deflated.
in the afternoon, we drove up Oak Creek Canyon. The views were spectacular! I loved the switchbacks. We checked out the Indian wares in a couple of places.
We found a place to take pictures late in the day and before you know it, the day was gone.
Still it was a good day, an adventurous day!
We had to get up way, way before breakfast for this adventure! But we were excited to do it.
We were picked up at 4:55 a.m.(!!!) and driven to the set up zone. those guys have this balloon thing down to a science! They worked together as a team to get the balloon in the air pretty quickly!
Yesterday, I wrote about a dust storm that closed I-40. The balloon pilot said that they did not go out yesterday because of high winds.Today was a different story. Our balloon was the first one off of the ground. We went up and up, but 15 minutes later we were still almost over the same spot where we lifted off! There just wasn't any wind to push us.
We were paired up with a couple from Florida, Joy and Tony. They were very helpful and respectful with Mom.
I was worried about getting an 82 year old lady into the basket with some semblance of grace and dignity. I didn't know how we were going to do it. Well some things you just dive in and do. Mom put here foot in the step hole in the side of the basket and threw her first leg in. She was straddling the basket wall. Then we pushed her in and pushed her other leg with her. It was done! She was in the basket. Let's go.
Mom said she didn't have any fear at all during the ride. I wish I could say that! When we were going up, there was a minute or so where I was tightly grasping the railing! But it was so smooth that we both relaxed.
Mom made small talk with Joy and Tony and looked out at the view. I think she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I think that the pilot did not want to jostle Mom too much so he set the balloon down so softly that you hardly knew we stopped moving.
Once we were packed we went to look for the last balloon. We found it on 89A, which at that point is a 65 mph four lane highway! We stopped and all of the balloon crew helped them get the balloon down and deflated.
in the afternoon, we drove up Oak Creek Canyon. The views were spectacular! I loved the switchbacks. We checked out the Indian wares in a couple of places.
We found a place to take pictures late in the day and before you know it, the day was gone.
Still it was a good day, an adventurous day!
Dust Storm
May 11, 2010 (Yes, I know I am a day late!)
Those are not clouds in the sky! That is not fog in the air! That is a genuine, honest-to-goodness dust storm! A new experience for Annette, Mom and me!Look how the vehicle is appearing out of the dust! Look how the dust is being blown across the road! I've seen snow blown across the road like that, but never dust!
When we got off of I-40 in Winslow, AZ, the on ramp was blocked. We could not get back on the highway in the westerly direction! I-40 was closed from Winslow to Flagstaff!You can see the dust in the sky. Notice that it goes from one edge of the horizon to the other!
We Stopped to get gas in Winslow, (You can see the gas station canopy.) and Annette got out and took the picture here.The clerk in the store said that I-40 would most likely be closed until 7:00. It was only 2:00. We did not want to sit in Winslow for 5 hours, so we headed south on 87. It was a longer route to Sedona, but it was better than sitting still waiting on the road to open.
We made it to Sedona just after 4:00. Hip Hip Hooray!
We caught the Chapel of the Cross before it closed at 5:00. It was so funny to see Mom so afraid of the edge of the 20 foot cliff. How is she going to handle the Hot Air Balloon tomorrow.
We did not make it to the airport in time for sunset, but as we drove up there, all of the sunset admirers were leaving. It was almost like a traffic jam!
Oh, Well. Let's get to bed early. We have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to meet our ride to the Balloon site!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Painted Desert and Canyon De Chelly
May 10, 2010
Sometimes being in the wrong time zone can help. We all woke up before 5:30 and we were at the entrance to the Painted Desert by 7:15, which is only 15 minutes after the gates opened.
We got some great light on the badlands of the painted desert. The colors were beautiful.
Speaking of colors...It was amazing to see what a few hours did to the colors. We went in through the Painted Desert and then down through the Petrified Forest. Then we turned around and came back out the same way. The difference in time was only 2-3 hours, yet the difference in colors in the Painted Desert was phenomenal. The colors were much deeper hues early in the morning. There were completely different reds when we made our way out.
We got some great shots in the Petrified Forest. I tried to put the petrified wood in the foreground with a large formation in the background. I think it worked. I'll know for sure when I see them on the computer screen.
From there we rushed up to Chinle to meet the jeep tour. We were 45 minutes early.
It's difficult to keep track of the time here! The state of Arizona does not use Daylight Savings Time. The Navajo Nation does use DST. So when we left the Painted Desert, we were in one time zone. When we arrived in Chinle we were in another.
Annette had called the jeep tour company three times from home, but we were still not expected. We got a substitute guide. She told us a lot of good information about the cliff dwellings and rock formations, but chit chat was not her strong suit.
The jeep ride was still way more than we expected. We drove right up the river in Canyon De Chelly! it was great. We got lots of great pictures from the floor of the canyon. Tomorrow we will drive the roads at the top of the canyon and see if we can get any more pictures.
There were Indians selling jewelry down in the canyon. We looked at their stuff. Some of it was very nice. Some of it was expensive. I wished I had bought a piece down in there. It would be great to tell people that the piece was purchased down on the floor of Canyon De Chelly!
Until tomorrow...
Sometimes being in the wrong time zone can help. We all woke up before 5:30 and we were at the entrance to the Painted Desert by 7:15, which is only 15 minutes after the gates opened.
We got some great light on the badlands of the painted desert. The colors were beautiful.
Speaking of colors...It was amazing to see what a few hours did to the colors. We went in through the Painted Desert and then down through the Petrified Forest. Then we turned around and came back out the same way. The difference in time was only 2-3 hours, yet the difference in colors in the Painted Desert was phenomenal. The colors were much deeper hues early in the morning. There were completely different reds when we made our way out.
We got some great shots in the Petrified Forest. I tried to put the petrified wood in the foreground with a large formation in the background. I think it worked. I'll know for sure when I see them on the computer screen.
From there we rushed up to Chinle to meet the jeep tour. We were 45 minutes early.
It's difficult to keep track of the time here! The state of Arizona does not use Daylight Savings Time. The Navajo Nation does use DST. So when we left the Painted Desert, we were in one time zone. When we arrived in Chinle we were in another.
Annette had called the jeep tour company three times from home, but we were still not expected. We got a substitute guide. She told us a lot of good information about the cliff dwellings and rock formations, but chit chat was not her strong suit.
The jeep ride was still way more than we expected. We drove right up the river in Canyon De Chelly! it was great. We got lots of great pictures from the floor of the canyon. Tomorrow we will drive the roads at the top of the canyon and see if we can get any more pictures.
There were Indians selling jewelry down in the canyon. We looked at their stuff. Some of it was very nice. Some of it was expensive. I wished I had bought a piece down in there. It would be great to tell people that the piece was purchased down on the floor of Canyon De Chelly!
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Transitions
Good Evening! Another successful day vacationing!
We started out this morning by going to Walmart for a memory card reader because we forgot ours. We also got Annette some clip on sunglasses. Boy are they sexy!
From there we went to Albertson's Grocery to get things for lunches.
OK! Ready to go. We drove to Apache Junction and found the Superstition Mountains Museum. The woman behind the counter was from around Warren, PA. pretty close to home, don't you think?
From there we took the Apache Trail. What an experience!
The first few miles were paved and there were switchbacks and narrow spots.
In Totilla Flat, we went into a restaurant with hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollar bills stapled to the wall. Each one was signed by someone who had visited.
Shortly after Tortilla Flat, the road turned to dirt. Twenty-two miles of dirt! Then the real fun began!
The road was rough, a washboard for several miles. There were several, no, many blind curves in the road. In many spots the rod was barely side enough for one car.
At one point there were several cars and an ambulance coming from the other direction. I pulled to the side and the ambulance squeezed by. But there were three other vehicles behind me and the wide sot in the road was not large enough for all of us. Finally once the last car going the other way got beside me, I started forward. It was hairy!!
There were several places to pull over and admire the view. We stopped at three or four. It was very warm but there was always a breeze. It was beautiful.
The mountains were great. Nothing like anything you can see east of the Mississippi.
Another great aspect of the trip was that we started in mountains and as we drove north, the vegetation changed and then the terrain changed until as we approached Holbrook this evening, the area was pretty flat. So flat that we measured a straight stretch, that we could see from end to end and it was 4 miles long!
We started out this morning by going to Walmart for a memory card reader because we forgot ours. We also got Annette some clip on sunglasses. Boy are they sexy!
From there we went to Albertson's Grocery to get things for lunches.
OK! Ready to go. We drove to Apache Junction and found the Superstition Mountains Museum. The woman behind the counter was from around Warren, PA. pretty close to home, don't you think?
From there we took the Apache Trail. What an experience!
The first few miles were paved and there were switchbacks and narrow spots.
In Totilla Flat, we went into a restaurant with hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollar bills stapled to the wall. Each one was signed by someone who had visited.
Shortly after Tortilla Flat, the road turned to dirt. Twenty-two miles of dirt! Then the real fun began!
The road was rough, a washboard for several miles. There were several, no, many blind curves in the road. In many spots the rod was barely side enough for one car.
At one point there were several cars and an ambulance coming from the other direction. I pulled to the side and the ambulance squeezed by. But there were three other vehicles behind me and the wide sot in the road was not large enough for all of us. Finally once the last car going the other way got beside me, I started forward. It was hairy!!
There were several places to pull over and admire the view. We stopped at three or four. It was very warm but there was always a breeze. It was beautiful.
The mountains were great. Nothing like anything you can see east of the Mississippi.
Another great aspect of the trip was that we started in mountains and as we drove north, the vegetation changed and then the terrain changed until as we approached Holbrook this evening, the area was pretty flat. So flat that we measured a straight stretch, that we could see from end to end and it was 4 miles long!
We're on our way!
This is a picture that Annette took with my phone.
Obviously we are flying. Obviously we are on a Southwest Plane.
Not so obvious is that we are on our way to Arizona with my Mom.
The flight was smooth most of the way except for the screaming kid at the beginning of the flight. He definitely did not want to be in the seat belt and he was letting everyone know!
The trip went well. We didn't have to wait in lines.
-Not for a bus at the parking lot.
-Not to drop off the luggage. Ok, there was one group ahead of us.
-Not to buy a muffin.
-Not to buy a book.
-Not to get on the bus to the rental car counter. In fact we were the only ones on the bus!
-Not at the rental car counter.
-Not at the hotel.
We did have to wait in line to get through security, but the line kept moving.
We did have to wait in line to board the plane, but the line kept moving.
When we rented a car, we wanted something larger for the suitcases and in case we wanted to drive with Sandy and Dave or with Becky. So the guy at the rental car counter talked us into a Buick Enclave. It's big; third row seating. And it's fancy; leather seats, burled wood on the dash board, back up camera, captain's chairs in the second row, etc. The only bad part will be the gas mileage. Oh well, we only have it for a week.
This evening we went to Sandy and Dave's house in Phoenix and then out to dinner at Marie Calendar's (sp). We had a good time. Sandy and Annette were laughing like young school girls. Sandy said my mothere was a beautiful lady. All in all a very good visit.
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