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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Chavez Pass Road
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.
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.
Milky Way
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.
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!
