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Sunday
7 June
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Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments
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Monday
8 June
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Wupatki and Monument Valley
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Tuesday
9 June
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Monument Valley
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Wednesday
10 June
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moonument Valley and Page Arizona
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Thursday
11 June
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Exploring a slot canyon near Page
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Friday
12 June
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Page and Canyon de Chelly
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Saturday
13 June
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Canyon de Chelly
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Sunday
14 June
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Canyon de Chelly
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Monday
15 June
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Canyon de Chelly
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Day one
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Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments
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The group met at the Bonito campground within Sunset
Crater National Monument. The campground was located next to
the Bonito lava flows and at the base of two mountains. The
Bonito lava flow presented an otherworldly feel with many hiking
and photo opportunities.
Day one was our meeting day and was set up to be a free day
to get settled into the camp and wonder independently through
the parks. Some people had arrived the previous evening and
others came throughout the day.
During the afternoon several of us drove about two thirds
of the way up the mountain on a dirt road then hiked up and
around to get a spectacular view of the lava flows and the
Sunset crater from above.
Wupatki Pueblo ruins is a second national monument located
very close to Sunset Crater national monument on the same
loop road. Wupatki has a number of pueblo sites located close
to each other.
A number of people visited these ruins during the day and
the group's photographers picked our spots for late afternoon
and sunset pictures.
Afterwards people returned to camp for dinner and talk.
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Day two
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Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments
to Monument Valley
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The groups photographers were up at the first crack
of light to get dawn pictures of pueblo ruins. The group was
to form up at the Northern entrance to Wupatki at 10 AM.
I exposed the last of my loaded 4X5 film then headed for
the assembly point for breakfast and to load film.
From Wupatki, we drove up to Monument Valley where we set
up camp at the Mitten view campground. The photographers among
us spent time taking late afternoon and evening photographs
while the others lounged around camp socializing.
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Day three
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Monument Valley
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Sunrise: 5:02 Sunset: 7:39 Moonrise:
7:15 PM, Moon 100% full
We met our guide and went out as a group into the Monument
Valley park. We were soon off the unguided sections of trail
and happily photographing. We made a stop at an empty Hogen
to photograph it with monuments in the background. We visited
visiting the sand dunes, Totem poll, and a number of arches
before returning to the campground for lunch.
Sand dunes and Totem pole monument
During Lunch
some of the non photographers decided that they have ether
seen enough of the valley or had enough off roading for the
day and wanted to settle into a quiet afternoon at camp.
The rest of the group met our guide and headed off to Mystery
valley. Here we got lots of deep sand driving practice. We
visited a number of arches, petroglyphs and Anasazi cliff
dwellings.
Touring Mystery Valley
We climbed up into an arch to discover a small Anasazi dwelling
tucked away in the corner. We encountered several flowering
cactus and tasted sour berries. We arrived back in camp, tired
but with a lot of exposed film.
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Day four
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Wednesday, June 10
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Dawn saw the group photographers out taking sunrise
pictures. Michael and I went to the East of camp to concentrate
on side lit monuments.
Later we had breakfast and broke camp then started the drive
to Page Arizona. We encountered strong head winds which slowed
the series cars considerably.
When we reached Page everyone stopped in town to resupply
the larder then headed off to the Lone Rock campground on
the edge of Lake Powell.
The group set up camp alongside the lake in an area on the
other side of deep sand from the other campers. Most of the
group decided to spend the afternoon socializing and playing
in Lake Powell. Michael and I went exploring in the Buckskin
Gulch area until evening. After a lovely drive on federally
maintained trails and a late afternoon hike along a canyon
we arrived back at camp somewhat after dark.
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Everyone in the group except Michael and I decided
to spend the day relaxing alongside the lake and socializing.
Michael and I spend the morning and early afternoon hours
exploring the Upper Antelope slot canyon (Corkscrew). The
light cooperated with us allowing us to take some spectacular
otherworldly pictures of the red, yellow and orange canyon
walls.
We arrived back at camp in the late afternoon where we spent
a little time cleaning sand out of our camera gear and socialized
into the evening.
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Day six
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Page to Canyon de Chelly
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Day six was set up mainly as a travel day to go from
Page to Canyon de Chelly. The owners of V8 Rovers decided that
they wanted to travel at their own speeds instead of series
speeds so everyone proceeded on their own. I was dealing with
a lack of power and overheating throughout the trip because
of engine problems and quickly found myself alone to make the
trip at my best speed. John Hess encountered generator and electric
fuel pump problems along the way. David Walker was convoying
with John so between the two of them they effectively dwelt
with each problem as it appeared.
Most of the group arrived at the Thunderbird campground at
the base of the canyons. Kelly Howard had injured herself
prior to the trip so the Howard's opted for a motel room where
Kelly could rest her spine in a bed for the night before going
into the canyon. The Washes decided that they had had enough
camping and decided to spend the night in a motel. The rest
of us set up camp in the campgrounds and checked over our
cars prior to going into the canyon for three days and two
nights.
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Day seven
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Canyon de Chelly
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We will met up with our guides for the trip in the
park headquarters parking lot and divided up into two groups
of five cars with one guide per group. We locked hubs and proceeded
up the river into Canyon de Chelly where we stopped frequently
to look at and photograph petrographs, Anasazi ruins and red
canyon walls brightly varnished with mahogany stripes. The guides
provided us with history of the area as we proceeded along the
canyon.
We arrived at the base of Spider Rock in the late afternoon
when the lowering sun was full on the rock. We had ample photo
opportunities as we set up camp.
The Green Rover camped by Spider Rock
After camp was set up near the base of Spider Rock our guide
took us for a tour of his family's hogan.
That night our guides entertained us by singing traditional
Navajo songs around the campfire.
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Day eight
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Canyon de Chelly
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We returned back along Canyon de Chelly to the canyon
'V' then drove up the other side of the 'V' into Canyon Del
Muerto. We took our time making frequent stops for additional
pictures. The AM sun highlighted different canyon walls in Canyon
de Chelly so we made frequent stops heading back to the 'V'
for photo opportunities. We were on a kind of leisurely trip
through the canyons that very few non-Navajo ever get to take.
Everyone with cameras got some very spectacular photographs
and some wonderful memories to take home. We set up camp at
the base of the mummy cave Anasazi ruins. Once again we spent
the night where very few visitors have slept and were treated
to the sights of the last light falling on Indian ruins that
were abandoned before our ancestors set foot on this continent.
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Day nine
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Canyon de Chelly
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This was the official last day of the tour. From here
people were to proceed on their own to ether get back to their
jobs or to visit other places along the way home.
We re-divided our group into those who wanted to get out
of the canyon quickly in order to have plenty of daylight
to proceed to their next destination and to those who wanted
to savor the experience of the canyon for as long as they
can.
The second group made frequent stops on the way back to photograph
the canyon and ruins under different lighting. We got our
of the canyon in the late afternoon.
After saying our good-byes to Michael McKeag, John and Alex
Hess, David and Alexander Walker and I opted to spend the
night at the Thunderbird campground and getting a start the
following morning.
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Stories of The Green Rover
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All and all I thought it was a good trip. It would have been
better for me if I had not spent the travel time dealing with
engine loss of power and overheating. But except for spending
some time off on the side of the road letting the engine cool
down I did OK.
I leaned a LOT about planning and leading a group tour that
will make future tours go more smoothly and be even more enjoyable
for the participants. I learned to better set group expectations
when advertising a tour. The non photographers in the group
had not realized how often photographers like to stop for pictures
nor how long each stop would take.
I also need to figure out how to best convoy series and V8
rigs to keep the V8 crowd happy.
Oh yes, I plan another Red Rock tour. Next time it will be
advertised as a PHOTO safari. The Canyon de Chelly experience
will be repeated, Probably at the beginning of the tour this
time. Monument Valley will be repeated with some variations.
Stay tuned.
