I caught this scene Friday night with Minnie up at Mormon Lake. Got lucky with the circumstances of heavy clouds stalled to the west.
I mentioned to Minnie in the early evening, “It might be possible to see the Aurora Borealis tonight.” Friday night’s activities were a choice between finding some chicken wings or the same old, same old. Minnie, being the adventurer she is, chose to head north with the camera gear.
It’s all kind of a blur from there as we fight traffic up the I-17. The construction project is taking the night off, but the need for extra lanes heading to Flagstaff is apparent. Minnie and I reminisce about the good ole’ days before the population influx in Arizona. She’s a native of Phoenix and I have lived here long enough to claim this as my home state now.
Red Aurora Borealis and Milky Way in Arizona
Lost in the Smoke
We find the turn-off for Lake Mary and see some LED highway warnings, “Caution! Prescribed Burn Ahead. Heavy Smoke”. The scene suddenly goes from a dark two-lane blacktop cutting through a tall pine forest to thick white smoke.
We slow down and pass an elk standing on the side of the road that suddenly appears from the white smoke. The large beast tries to orient itself after being smoked out from his grassy bed. Wandering down to the highway as an alien in a Toyota with bright lights blinds him. If I rolled down the window I could have pet the majestic elk cow as we drove past.
I provide the navigation to the best view of the Milky Way core. It’s almost perfectly South East in the night sky gently arcing north. Our galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy like the image below taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. I would show a picture of our galaxy, but the Hubble didn’t have a selfie stick long enough, so we’ll have to wait for it to exit our galaxy. Who knows if it will still be working by then.
We continue through the smoke. Sometimes it looks like it’s about to clear then a swath of stale smokey air clouds the path again. The conversation intensifies as we lose sense of direction. I finally get a better view of the map and see a scenic outlook. The smoke and clouds clear as we approach our destination and we have our view of the Milky Way in the South East and the Aurora Borealis to the North.
Aurora Borealis
We set up the camera with a Nikon 35mm lens and take some test shots to get the settings right. I show Minnie how to take a panoramic with multiple panning shots, then lean back and watch her go to town.
We got lucky. The smoke and heavy clouds stall to the west of us encroaching on the Aurora. To the naked eye, the Milky Way and Aurora Borealis are just faint white wispy clouds in the night sky. Through the lens are some of the colors our eyes can’t see. What a wonderful night! A couple lovers enjoying a shared passion as the sun explodes, creating geomagnetic storms that could wipe out all of life as we know it. We are protected by an atmosphere that shields us as the energy is transformed into vibrant pink and red light waves of love.
I decided to knock a couple things off my bucket list this week. For a guy who has lived in Arizona over half his life now, it was time to visit the Grand Canyon. For some reason it’s one of those places I kind of expected to visit with someone special, but no point in waiting.
I was looking into the trip a couple weeks in advance to coincide with dark skies for some Milky Way shots. It was tough making up my mind if I should go to the North or South Rim. I had picked some places that would work for a really long day into the night. A few days before I was thinking the South Rim would be best. There are a few areas to peel off east for camping and great foregrounds for a night shot of the Milky Way.
The day of I just woke up and Googled Grand Canyon. It came up with the Skywalk. The Mitsubishi Outlander was loaded up for a night of photography and I headed out. And once again proper planning was not happening. I just got out of Phoenix when Google Maps directed me to Arizona State Highway 74. I was thinking, “Hmmm that doesn’t seem right…” Then continued anyway thinking it wouldn’t be that big of deal. I needed to kill time until the afternoon casted shadows along the canyon anyway. When I arrived I realized this was more suited for tourism.
Despite what it looks like zoomed out on a digital map the Grand Canyon is pretty large. I ended up turning around to make it to the South Rim before dark. Honestly this is how I like operating anyway. It’s exploration and scouting for future trips. One day I will give it a go again.
Please check with the Navajo Nation Parks for guided tours on sovereign land.
Desert View Watch Tower
So after another 200 something miles I ended up at the Desert View Watch Tower. Along the way I noticed the Slate Fire billowing smoke. The smoke was dissipating over the Navajo Nation along Route 64. It created some interesting filtered light as the afternoon sun shone through. Eventually I was on the other side of the smoke at the Grand Canyon Desert View Watch Tower entrance.
Image taken from Desert View Watch Tower viewing area. Smoke from the Slate fire can be seen in the upper left of the photo.
The crowd was light since it was a week day, but still required some patience to get in position for shots. I have to admit my issues with vertigo kicked in. What was weird though is when looking through the view finder of the camera the feelings went away. Only to come back with a vengeance soon as I pulled the camera away. I was sure I was going to lose balance and bounce off canyon walls to a brutal demise.
View of the desert watch tower over the Grand Canyon with cloudy smoke filled skies
View southwest of the watch tower with the afternoon sun setting
I tested my gut a few more times along the southwest side of the watch tower with no guardrail. I had to squat to keep from feeling wobbly, but still managed to get this photo above.
A crow happened to fly by as I was setting up for a stacked image of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River
Purple Majesty – Composite image with colorization and layer blending
As I was walking back to the parking lot I came across some Apache Plume. And a Tarantula Hawk… Not sure what it is, but seems like I have been seeing a lot of these insects lately. This time I was in a better position to get a great shot of the feather like flowers with the dark shades of the the ominous insect.
Apache Plume close-up
A Tarantula Hawk in Apache Plume with curled antennae
Desert View Drive
It’s funny how quickly the sun sets when you have things to get done in daylight. I continued along Desert View Drive to see more spectacular views of this amazing chasm cutting through the earth. The next stop was Navajo Point, which was a little less crowded.
View form Navajo Point of the Grand Canyon
View of sun over a hazy Grand Canyon from Lipan Point
I continued on to Lipan Point where the wind and sun created a view DaVinci would love with an endless atmospheric perspective. Looking at my map, I knew I didn’t have much time to spare getting the best pictures. I was pleasantly surprised with how well these images stacked for a high definition resolution (HDR) without using a tripod.
Western view of the Grand Canyon from Lipan point.
The sunsets behind the clouds and trees from an unnamed scenic viewpoint
A juniper flower catching the last of the sunlight.
Duck on a Rock scenic Viewpoint of the Grand Canyon
The view of the Duck on a Rock was a quick stop. I noticed along the way people were using drones. The kid flying one here mentioned if it went sideways he would lose it. It makes me wonder how many drones and other objects rest at the bottom of these scenic outlooks of the Grand Canyon.
Unknown viewpoint of the Grand Canyon during the Blue hour
The last picture I took I think gives a better idea of the scope of the Grand Canyon. First of all Evil Knievel ain’t making that with out some wings. This was created by water over millions of years. Millions of years! It makes you think about how brief our lives are in the grand scheme of it all. Also it made me think about how nice it would be to sleep in my bed and I drove back to Phoenix for the night.
Meteor Crater
The next day I woke up and started working on the Grand Canyon images. I was a little miffed about the Slate Fire and clouds. But both were out of my control. I kept taking a look at the evolving weather along Baja, Mexico to see if there was a chance for clear skies that night. I figured it was worth a try and headed North again.
Panoramic view of Meteor Crater
Apollo 11 test capsule
As a kid it was a dream of mine to become an astronaut, when I saw the Apollo 11 test capsule was there I had to go. Meteor Crater is a private facility that was also used to train astronauts for the moon landing. To me it’s an engineering feat that we did so much with so little at that time in history. Notice how this looks like a diving bell, which is a 400 year old invention. The difference between water and the layers of the atmosphere is density along with other gases. So basically this is a really sturdy balloon.
It’s also where scientific advancements were made in determining what a meteor crater looks like in comparison to other similar geological phenomenon. Now think of the crater by the Yucatan Peninsula, yikes! But this is the knowledge we need to develop technology to prevent future catastrophe. As pessimistic as I am at times, I believe humanity will transcend all the politics and grievances we have with each other to survive millions of years.
View from the top of Meteor Crater of Humphrey’s Peak and the Slate Fire smoke
Chavez Pass Road
Sunset through Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) and dust along Chavez Pass
Along the way in to Meteor Crater I saw a nicely grated road heading south. Part of my visit was to see how a shot of the Milky Way might work out. I had called earlier in the day to see about staying late, but was informed I would have to wait for the next event still being planned for this fall.
I asked the person in the ticket booth about the road and was told it goes to Highway 87. He warned me I would need a 4×4 to get through the river, but I gave it a try anyway. There are cattle and the land on both sides of the road is posted private property in most parts until the road gets rough.
I made it through some pretty rugged areas and once again had to turn back when the going was too much for my front wheel drive vehicle. For the most part it had the clearance, but getting up hills with loose dirt and rocks was beyond it’s capabilities. There was a couple times I had a white flash of fear run through me thinking I might be spending the night out there.
Sun setting on Chavez Pass Road
After turning back I stopped a couple times to capture the setting sun. This area is also grounds to a herd of elk and by the smell of it a mountain lion.
South of Meteor Crater Panoramic Sunset with Humphrey’s Peak in the distance
Milky Way Core with clouds and light pollution from Payson, AZ
I planned on using the road to get to Jacks Canyon or a place I could be without being disturbed in some dark skies. I stayed up until about midnight getting my shots in before taking a nap. The dark skies were amazing. I could see the Milky Way like it was a ring around Earth. But that’s not actually what it is. That would be like saying the sun revolves around Earth. Our Solar System is just one of millions of stars floating in the Milky Way Galaxy.
I woke up around 1:30 in the morning and started to take more photos. I’m still learning how to adjust my equipment to line up shots. Basically, it’s like taking a vertical panoramic photo from the inside of an orb. Like an artist translating a 3D object into a 2D canvas from inside it.
I was using a 50mm for this final image, which later I stacked three images each to reduce camera noise and a final panoramic of three images for this result. The Milky Way continues 180 degrees and I knew then it would get a bit confusing in production since I wasn’t meticulously keeping shot notes.
Milky Way at 10:30 PM PST Jacks Canyon June 8th, 2021
Sunrise through junipers in the high desert of Arizona
I wasn’t getting the best of sleep that night, but I was grateful to wake up to the rising sun. The trip was successful in my opinion. When I go out like this, I just want to come home with at least one good image. I achieved what I set out to do with this time. Despite the folly and physical and mental pain. This is about doing things I didn’t have an opportunity to do before. And mostly for the challenge of living life outside of the bubble, I live in Phoenix. Get out for some sunsets and Milky Way photos.
Please check with the Navajo Nation Parks for guided tours on sovereign land.
Check out Grand Canyon West, where you can walk over the Grand Canyon on a glass bridge!
Fall is a great time for a hike in the Aspen forest of Northern Arizona. I saw a post from on Instagram and decided to see it for myself before the weekend crowds arrived. New camera and more time to devote to goals as the time arises. Why not? I grabbed my gear and left for a day trip.
Of course I would have to pass through Sedona and Oak Creek, which is gorgeous anytime of the year. Their autumn is still sparse yellows and reds among a sea of green cottonwoods. I was on a mission though. I need fall colors for stock photo submissions. Briefly stopping and saying to myself I need abundance of color.
Once I reached the higher elevations of Flagstaff it felt like an arctic blast at 45° F. At least for this Phoenician. I loved it! A quick stop to supply myself with snacks and more liquids I was off to Snowbowl. Along the way a wreck impeded traffic as I drove by slowly checking people involved for signs they were ok. I could see people gathering documents and moving around which is always good to see after an accident.
There were a few stopping points up the winding road, but I had a mission to get to the top. My goal was abundance of fall colors. I pulled into the first lot available and looped around to see the jack pot. Literally acres of aspen shimmering like gold coins blowing in the frosty wind of the mid morning sun light.
Loaded up with a camera and a lens bag I started the roughly two mile journey. The photos tell the rest of the story. A beautiful panoramic is available in the shop from this hike in the Aspen forest.
