days17,18

A really early start from Mexican Hat to catch dawn at Monument Valley. Alas, as you can see below there was a mass of cloud cover and it was a disappointment for a coach load of Japanese tourists who had arrived specially for dawn and it looked as though Dawn was just not going to turn up! Then I had a long drive to Page and Antelope Canyon. 333 digital images and 200 miles in the two days

Despite the lack of sunshine penetrating the depths of the slot it was good practice looking for the beautiful shapes and patterns. Exposures with the Dimage 7 were about 1/20 at f5.6 at 200 asa. There were only about 4 others enjoying the beauty of the slot but our visit was cut short by drops of rain hitting the sandy canyon floor. Time to go.

I was more optimistic on the morning of Day 18 as the clouds were more broken. Normally the best time to visit the slots is between 11 and 2 when the sun is overhead but obliviously the time of year is important too.
Incidentally for those who want good processing of prints or trannies while in Page try J and J Photography.
They also have free internet access if you have anything processed

Lower Antelope slot canyon has a very very narrow entrance - see left and below and is only a short distance from the Navajo booking hut. Both upper and lower canyons are only a mile or so from Page on r98 to Kabito. Since the tragedy of a few years ago when a group of tourists were drowned when a flash flood hit the narrow canyon, steel ladders - below - have been fitted to improve the access to the different levels. Always check weather forecasts as even a thunder storm several miles away can cause flash floods. The afternoon I arrived the clouds were overhead but not haven't been since 1998 I couldn't resist going down for an hour or so.

Lower Antelope is very narrow and twists a lot - its sometimes called the 'corkscrew'. There are several drops made a little easier by the ladders.

Below is the plaque in memory to those killed in flash flood in 1997

Later in the afternoon I headed out of Page stopping off to take some images of Lake Powell - the above being two images combined in post processing. Later I got some evening light images a few miles out of Page. The silhouette below right is of some vegetation.