Day 3, May 15

DAY 3, MAY 15

Today was a stay around Grand Canyon day. Temp was around 36 degrees at night -- stayed zipped up in the sleeping bag all nite. Had to switch camp sites because of the full campground situation. Walked around the Mather Point area in the morning -- lots of construction going on so the pathway was quite a detour getting to the point from the visitor's center. At around 3pm I took the shuttle bus to the El Tovar hotel and then just walked west along the rim to Powell Point where I stayed for a beautiful sunset. At the point I noticed several people with badges taking pictures. I talked to one of them who said there was a photography seminar at Grand Canyon sponsored by Arizona Highways and the instructor wa Colleen M. Sperry who I knew from talks and classes she gave at our Grand Photo Club. I didn't see her around but small world. Then I took the shuttle back to the campground to get ready for another cold night. Up early tomorrow and on to Monument Valley.

May 14 Travel Blog

DAY 2, MAY 14

1. Up at the break of dawn and over to McDonalds for my breakfast, coffee, and internet.

2. Went through Sedona and then north along Oak Creek. Stopped at several spots for the view and to take pics. The morning sun lit up the cliffs and rock formations. Interesting photos along Slide Rock area where the creek flows over the red rocks.

3. Stopped in Flagstaff for gas and of course at Macs again for lunch and the internet.

4. Heading north of Flagstaff, I ran into some rain and temp dipped to 48 degrees. The mountain peaks were snow covered and in the clouds.

5. A little further up the road, I saw 2 horseback riders along with several other pack horses. The riders were grizzled and in buckskin and carryiing old rifles. The pack horses were loaded with extra gear. I asked them if I could take a few pictures. They obliged and said they were on a cross-country journey, started off in El Paso and heading up to Montana. They tried to stay on trails but had to go on roads when necessary. They asked me to email them some of the pics so I got their email addresses. I'll have to see if I can get more details from them on their journey. They said they were heading to the Grand Canyon -- nice if I could run into them again.

6. Stopped at the campground in Grand Canyon. They said all the sites were full but they checked their computer and found one cancellation that they let me have. They also found another cancellation for the next night but I'll have to move to another site. Not too difficult since I'm fully mobile.

7. Campground has nice showers so for $2 I got all freshened up.

8. Took the shuttle bus out to Yaki Point. Very nice views and the sun was in the right direction about 5pm to light up the canyon walls to the east.

9. Got the propane stove going and fixed myself some coffee and canned ravioli for dinner. May get down to the 20's tonite so I'll have to stay cozy in the sleeping bag.

May 13 Travel Blog

DAY 1, MAY 13

1. Got off to the start of the journey at 7:30am. Beautiful day for travelling.

2. First stop at Cliff Castle Casino at 9:45. Had great breakfast there. Lost my $20 gambling money pretty quickly -- but I redeemed cash coupons for $13 so not too bad overall.

3. Next stop at Montezuma's Castle National Park. Quite a few people there including some busloads of students. Took a few pictures of the cliff dwellings.

4. On to Sedona. Weather overcast with temp about 70. Went to the Palatki Ruins. These were cliff dwelliings similar to Montezuma but not as well preserved. There were also pictographs in a cave at the site.

5. Went to Red Rock Crossing with a view of Cathedral Rock and Oak Creek. Very pleasant area. Stayed there for about 3 hours, strolling around and enjoying the view. Weather was still slightly overcast and picture taking was good but not the greatest.

6. Spent the night in Big Red (my sleeping converted minivan) in a parking lot in the National Forest nearby. I was the only one there so spent a quiet night with a low temp about 50.

A New Adventure

After an hiatus of a year, the Tallphotographer decided it was time to get the blog going again.  The occasion this time is a road trip in Big Red (my Ford Windstar minivan) through the Grand Canyon up to Moab, Utah -- with a number of stops in between.  I have my tent along but plan doing most of my overnights in the back end of Big Red -- see photos.  If the weather gets bad or the bones start to ache, I may even relent to trying a motel.  The exact time and itinerary are up in the air but I should be back home within 2 weeks.  I leave the morning of Thursday, May 12 with some sightseeing in Sedona.

 

I have my computer with me and plan on updating my log with notes and photos of the trip.  The frequency depends on the availability of wifi spots along the way -- planning to do a lot of stops at McDonalds and taking advantage of their wifi.

Photos: Australia Day 16 -- May 1 Final Day

Notes; Australia Day 16 -- May 1 -- Final Day

1. Weather terrific today.  Forecast sunny and 21 degrees (70 degrees to all those on the F scale).  Decided to take the bus to town at the Circular Quay and then the ferry to the Taronga Zoo.

 

2. Great scenic ride on the ferry with great views of the opera house and the bridge.

 

3. The zoo was in a very scenic area of the harbour, overlooking the city with great views.  Spent about 5 hours walking around and taking in the seal show.

 

4. Got back to Circular Quay around 3:30 and spent time walking the harbour and the Rocks.  Stayed until dark to get a good view of the opera house and city lights.

 

5. Took the bus back to the hostel but there was a big traffic tie-up due to a Sri Lanka demonstration taking place at the Town Hall.  Had to detour and fight the traffic jam so it was slow going -- but still beat walking.

 

6. Packing up my bags for the flight home tomorrow.  It was a great trip but it will be great to get back home.

 

7. So long from Down Under.