Zion National Park

11th and 12th May 2009

It was a last minute dicision to visit Zion National Park. I didn't have much time to visit a National Park but, I had lot of time just to spend it on nothing :) So, I decided to go ... When I reached the park it was later in the day ... Sun was setting ... and in that golden light the gigantic rocky peaks and walls were looking so out of the world ... I was so happy about my dicision ! I kept on smiling to myself. The road here inside the park is so well maintained and it has so many varieties ... it winding uphill and then all downhill you enter so long tunnels ... tunnels have windows ... absolutely beautiful.

I drove around before I could settle for spending a night there. I was so excited to see such beauty around and I wanted to stay longer ... even when it was getting dark I simply drove around till the last ray of light was masked by the darkness of the night ... When I looked for campsite for the night stay, only I could get to see were "FULL" plaques. Then I drove a quarter of a mile out of the park and found a RV resort where I got a place to pitch my tent. It was fully equipped with flush toilets and showers which was a relief. I slept thinking about how to spend those very few hours next day in the park before driving to Las Vegas.

In Zion, we cannot drive to reach the viewpoints, we have to take the free shuttle and from the bus stop take a shot hike. I had time either to take one hike of few miles or take the shuttle ride to all the view points. I chose the later option as I was all worn out by my Grand Canyon hike, driving and so on. The only very short I took was to weeping rock. It was okay something different but I know Zion has mush more exciting places :) I am not posting any pictures :(

I will go back there ... very soon ... I already have plans :)

Wupatki Ruins and Sunset Crater

10th May 2009

Wupatki National Monument wasn't a must see destination in my trip plan. I thought when I had some time between two important places I will check this out ... I exited Grand Canyon National Park from east side and drove down around 100 miles on Hwy 89 to Wupatki Ruins. Along the way it was amazing to see the changing landscapes of Arizona. Unimaginable ! At one place it is all red sand stone mesa, next few miles ashy boiling bubbles, or just red sand all around ...

To enter the National Monument I took a left on Scenic Hwy 545. It is around 39 miles on this scenic hwy which covers both Wupatki and Sunset Crater national monument before joining back to the Hwy 89 again. In Wupatki National Monument, there are three ruins which belong to three different tribes. Lomaki and Nalahiku seem to be smaller and there is hardly anything to see, but Wupatki pueblo is the largest and there is a $5 entrance fees.

When I was hiking at Lomaki ruins I saw a mountain boomer or common collared lizard. It was so sparking fluroscent green and was very swift. I was so exhausted of the heat in that place and my movements were very slow and since the lizard was startled by my presence it moved away in a second and vanished in the near by bush. No luck ... if it were 20 degrees less heat I would go behind it for a shot ... the heat was drying my fluids out and the energy along with it ... I returned feeling fortunate to have seen that colorful creature ...

Then I drove towards Nalahiku ruins. As I went around I saw the strong side winds. These are so unexpected ... I could sense it only with the sound it makes. 'chatt chatt chatt' ... all the bushes and trees on its way swayed at high force and a lot of sand and dust in the air ... rest of the place seemed still and unmoved. It was like an army of ghosts charging at something invisible ... I thought it would be nice to be inside the car than in an open place ... Not sure why did these tribes take all the pain of building something to live there ... such a harsh place with no water, no shade ... I can definitely understand the reason for them to abondon those pueblos and moving though :)

Made my way to the major attraction of the National Monument ... Wupatki pueblo ... surprisingly here there were no sidewinds ... in fact, there was nothing moving ... it felt like making the way through a block of hot dense still air ... after talking to a Ranger Officer at the Visitor Center I explored the ruins ... The booklet I picked up at visitor center explained the history and archeology of the place ...

I wondered the roads are so well maintained here ... and I saw many visitors ... In that unbearable heat people were discussing about the Hopi tribe and trying to understand and guess the reason why Hopi's might have left that big mansion ... I continued my journey towards Sunset Crater National Monument ... It is a protected area and hence we can only see the cinder from the bottom but, cannot hike up to see the crater. At one view point I saw painted dunes far way ... considering the direction, may be it was Painted Desert of New Mexico ... :)


All along the drive through this area I was blessed with the sight of Humphrey range. It is a view to behold. May be the Hopi tribe spent their days of despair watching this view. People who like history and appreciate archeology may like to visit Wupatki Ruins ... I like history and archeology but, sometimes I feel not so strongly ... if you are around this place then you can explore more ... driving 200 miles may not be ... well, this is just my opinion !


I was back on Hwy 89 now ... made my way up to Page ... after driving about 70 some miles ... the sky was becoming deep pink ... sign of setting Sun ... and when I glanced at my left ... I saw a Mustang ... may be there were few more as I could see light dust raising up ... I saw a lone brown mustang standing with the background of pinkish orange sky ... just like in fairy tales ... the tail lightly moving ... it was wonderful ... as if a wish come true ... It was Hwy and I could not stop for a picture ... but the picture of it is caught in the camera of my eye and is saved in my brain forever ... and so I would never forget this trip to Wupatki Ruins ...

Scenic Hwy 89A ...

11th May 2009

After the fantastic photo tour at Upper Antelope Canyon I wanted to drive by myself to Lower Antelope Canyon to get some more pictures. But, I heard that the drive would be on a gravel road which I would never try alone. Now, the change of plan was to drive up to Zion National Park. And I took the Scenic Hwy 89A (alternate) instead of the Hwy 89. This hwy is the route to the North Rim of Grand Canyon.


I started ... I drove over all high rocky cliffs ... and few vehicles around ... Navajo women selling jewelry ... I stopped at the Navajo Bridge to see the mighty Colorado on its way to carve Grand Canyon. Actually Marble Canyon is the starting point of Grand Canyon. I sighted some condors with the help of a Novajo girl who is doing a research on these birds. I visited the NPS visitor center before I continued my journey towards Vermillion Cliffs ...



It was very scenic drive ... the red cliffs all along were so beautiful ... I was thinking ... the world is so beautiful ... notice it ... I was wondering how many cliff dwellers were hidden there ... far away and far up in the cliffs ... would their souls still linger around ? ... and then I reached the Cliff Dwellers ... There was one car and a Navajo man with the jewelry shop and there was another car with a young couple who were tourists ... I took pictures of those weird looking rocks and the abodes ... and the young couple left ... I lingered around still trying to take shots of some more cliffs in different angles ...



Truth of travel is always unexpected ... I started to realize that the Hwy was scenic indeed but it was extremely lonely too ... miles and miles together I didn't see any traffic except that a ruined truck behind me ... it was a bit of concern ... then it was a one lane road so ... with the sheer force of will I continued ... As I entered the Kaibab National Forest I saw few more cars parked at a view point ... may be they were coming back from North Rim. I too stopped at that view point to see the view of the cliffs and the road I drove all the way ... and the truck went away ...


As I drove, I noticed completely different landscape now ... there were no cliffs and there was no barren red anymore ... it was all green trees and black volcanic rocks ... but the loneliness on the road lingered along ... At Jacob Lake I filled gas ... it was nice to see people around for once ... and a hotel ... This is the place where the road forks into North Rim Parkway. I continued with my journey ... drove past Fredonia ... entered Utah ... passed Kanab ... the landscape again changed ... the red in the landscape returned ... the cliffs looked much rocky and much higher and there were bushes around. The presence of green made the earth look much cooler ...

When I had started my road trip, my first and foremost hope was to experience the freedom of travel solo ... and I did ... it was total freedom ... I felt the peace and knowledge i was looking for ... I felt like a new person. With a I sigh of satisfying exhaustion I turned left on to UT-9 towards Zion National Park ...

Antelope Canyon

11th May 2009

More PICTURES :)

My another small wish among those of my millions of little wishes ... to photograph Antelope Canyon with these precious sunrays ... It happened to be very easy I must say ... that's all I can tell you at this moment.

Situated in Arizona, Antelope Canyon is accessible only through the guided tours. The guided tours are available from Page. We cannot explore by ourselves taking our own sweet time. We will have an hour or two hours and half depending on the type of the tour we take ! So, I had booked for a photography tour, morning time and so I had two-and-a-half hours. I had seen this slot canyon in the pictures on Flickr and other image galleries. I was exhaustingly enthusiastic about this photo-tour. My idea of visiting places is to enjoy, feel and be satisfied with my visit there, not to cover so much in one day running around everywhere, clicking some artless photos in a hurry, without enjoying anything in the process. So, I had a very relaxed schedule, right time allotted for photo-shoot.


To reach the mouth of the canyon we have to ride a desert vehicle. It had 8 high rising wheels on that an open truck, with secure railings for us to hold while seated. After all of us boarded the truck roared into life and once we were in the permit area the strange looking truck moved with a considerable speed and force, made its way through the desert of red sand. It was a wonderful ride along the way to see were the red rocks ... We entered the canyon and I was so disappointed to see a canyon filled with people. But, then these guides are clever ... they co-ordinate the groups very well that everybody gets a chance to shoot people free pictures.

So, at every photo-point we set up our camera and people were moved away so that we could take pictures. At the first such point, I set up my camera wondering what is it ? As the faint beam of sunlight entered and slowly grew stronger, I was so excited, after few minutes it fainted away. Words in black and white cannot explain my emotion at that time, I was so happy that I witnesed it. I took pictures over and over and each picture looked more beautiful. I was the only one in that group of professional photographers (which I am not) who is short and had a super wide angle lens. I was always placed in the front row and it made me feel good.


I took some time to feel the place, I looked so small in the whole setting, I walked in the narrow slots with the canyon walls raising so high beside me, seeing it at all angles, I felt really attached to this place. The place is so photogenic ... so cool ... and I wished I had more time to spend here ... In two-and-a-half hours I barely got the taste of it … it was time to go back … I had a last sight of it and were heading back on that strange looking truck … the 10 minutes of desert safari was fun … got some free suntan also … I will go back there very soon …

Horseshoe bend

10th May 2009

I have many little wishes ... one of them was to photograph this bend ... wonderful nature huh ? or amazing River Colorado ? The Colorado river winds much more than thousand miles (1,450 miles) while carving mysterious canyons and takes this magnificent bend ... This is another coolest creation of Mother Earth ! It looks so neat that River Colorado was determined to create a piece of art, with so much of precision she has carved this bend ... it almost looks like a circle !


When I was photographing this bend I had to stand on a red rock keeping my tripod on the tip of it, over the sheer cliff ... a thought passed my head ... that somebody mentioned ... Camera destroys your life !! I know camera makes you poor ... but when I was standing there, completely sunburnt skin, swollen lips due to sun burn, tired and looking shabby, on the edge of life and death, I realized what that someone meant ... if you analyze a bit more there is much deeper meaning to it ...

Lands of Canyons

7th May to 10th May 2009

More pictures ...

It is my lifetime wish to go on road trips ... months and years ... like a nomad ... and till now it never happened ... not sure it will ever happen ... and so I went for just 6 days ... felt good ... had adventures and misadventures ... am sure I will go for many more ...

I had only 6 days of vacation as I mentioned earlier, from work including a weekend. Now-a-days we are forced to work on weekends and so weekend also seems to be a vacation :) The thought of going on a roadtrip itself was very exciting, though it was short. When I was sitting in the cab to San Jose airport I was smiling to myself ear-to-ear. The short flight to Las Vegas was okay. I saw the aerial view of snow capped Sierra-Nevada range and the Mono Lake beside. After that it was all barren lands of Nevada before I saw the Vegas Strip. When I was walking towards baggage claim I was looking at the picture showing a line of muscular men with pierced nipples and thought I will be long away from the insanity of very popular Vegas.

Okay, I started my roadtrip in a rented economy car ... I was so eager to reach the Grand Canyon and so drove fast. You know what happens if you drive fast huh ? You get an expensive speeding ticket. If you drive verrrrry fast then you get verrrrry expensive one ! So expensive that it is much more than the cost of the whole trip itself. Anyways, then the cop will say 'Drive safe' !

Then I was there at Grand Canyon National Park ... the magnificent work of art, of the rocks, the river and the time ... The Mather campground is good, like a small community. Except for that you are sleeping in the tent it almost feels like a village downtown. I didn't need a flash light to pitch the tent, the next day was full moon. Moon provided all the illumination ... Slept peacefuly pushing away the thought of speeding ticket ... I could see the cool moonlight through the tent.

I was eager to see the canyon and also had to hike down ... my plan was to go down to Plateau Point and back. I did it ... going down was very fast ... When I stood at the tip of the Plateau point my legs were shaking. The view down was good, I could see the mighty Colorado river which carved this amazing canyon and then diminished itself at the bottom of the canyon. Sun was burning me relentlessly as if he was on a mission to bake me like a potato in the furnace called Grand Canyon. Coming back up was a lot of effort. Every step I climbed I drank a sip of water. Backpack felt so heavy initially, later even clothes felt heavy. Sad part was ... that there were all old couples hiking along and were much faster than me. After reaching the trailhead I relaxed for some time eating pita chips with sea salt. My feet were in so much pain that I doubted my shoes were secretly and slowly eating my feet away. My skin looked like a black leather bag.

I waited to take few shots of sunset at Hopi point. People were lined up at the fence and I happened to sqeeze myself in and then opened up my tripod pushing people aside very gently, anyway there is something called 'excuse me' ... :) Everyone was clicking and clicking ... pictures of sunset, of sunset over the canyon, of their picture with sunset over canyon, with the sun and without the sun, with canyon without the canyon, solo, with family, with friends, hugging each other and not hugging, and so on ... I too did ... I wondered among those thousands of clicks what percent of the pictures were really good ? The haze of the Sun was over the canyon all the time from dawn to dusk. Now with Sun going down haze had made friends with darkness, whatever visible of canyon was not visible now. But still everyone clicked pictures. I felt funny when some tall guy (anybody stands beside me is tall) standing beside me with massive tripod mounted with Canon EOS-1D Mark (i or ii or iii) was complaining about his 24-105mm L lens that it is not performing well, he said "its all hazy". I silently said "Thanks for the new information".

I was so happy to be back at the campsite. Hot Madras Lentils (ready to eat packed Indian style curry from Tasty Bite) tasted divine. The ginger cookies were heavenly. I gave myself a foot massage. My feet were happy about it but instantly my back and arms protested. Well, I remember the soft moonlight through the tent before I was alseep in an instant thinking about the sunrise tomorrow. I slept like there is no more of a night to come !

Took the shuttle to Yavapai point early before dawn. As the Sun rose from horizon the golden light was partially illuminating the rocks. It was a sight to behold just like yesterday's sunset. But there were not many people around. If you have observed, always people prefer to watch a sunset than a sunrise. You can guess 'why?'. If you can't then you are a NERD. Sunset and sunrise looked the same ... only difference was the sun was on the east now. After few shots of sunrise and then taking few pictures for couples with their camera I returned to the campground for a shower and breakfast.


Today's plan was to visit every point mentioned on the map. I took red route first and then blue route points. I hopped in and hopped out of the shuttle. Looked around the gift shops selling Navajo tribal jewelry and artifacts. And then I reached the Bright Angel Point from where I had started my hike previous day. I thought I will be back here again and will backpack to Phantom Ranch soon. I walked up to the Lookout studio there and perched on a rock looking at the canyon. The shade of the wall was cool. Sitting there a little higher than the lookout fence gave me a great view of the canyon as well as people. It was a wonderful experience to be able to look at the canyon and also the tourists.

Far away I could see a temple not sure if it were of Brahma or of Buddha. I wondered if the ancient Navajo souls lived on these peaks ... just wondered if any soul is sitting on top of one of those numerous temples and watching us ... wondered what that good soul might be thinking looking at us ... will it be amused or angry ? ... Is it watching all of us tourists crazily taking pictures ? ... If it is watching then for how long ? ... I was sitting there for 2 hrs watching the canyon slowly sipping on the cold Starbucks coffee, little worried about 300 calories it contained and also munching on pita chips ... I watched the people ... there were all types ... in fact, tourists are crazy ... I don't think tourists are not the same people how they are in everyday life ... they behave a bit different ... since there is no one who knows them around ... As I sat there and watched, people took pictures of themselves with canyon in the background. The same routine with different faces ... in software world the canyon was a constant and faces were variables ...

Then I saw a condor flying. It perched on a small protruded rock on the face of a deep cliff. That magnificent bird looked so small in the hugeness of the canyon. It was free to fly from rim to rim or end to end of the canyon effortlessly. It sat there for a long time immersed in a deep thinking. It was a wonderful sight as it was my first sighting of this bird.


Today's sunset point was Mather Point ... again there were a lot of people ... more than the sunset, I was looking for the wonderful moonrise ... the time management today went a little wrong and I didn't have time to get back to my car to fetch my fleece jacket. It was getting cold ... the wind was blowing now ... the zoooooom buzz of the wind was soothing but the chill it brought along wasn't that pleasant ... the sunset crowd cleared ... it was completely dark ... I sat there curled up hugging my folded legs ... stomach was growling ... I sat there saying to myself 'few more mins' ... and after 30 mins the moon showed up ... I was so excited ... but none of the pictures seemed the way I wanted ... It showed my inexperience in night photography ... the harvest moon was rising up and up ... all disappointed I looked down and saw the telephoto lens sleeping in the bag ... and took a shot ... and it made me happy ... the yellowish moon with scars looked great and I asked Moon 'are you worth all this effort ?' ... not sure Moon heard me or could I hear his answer ...

Tonight Madras Lentils tasted okay. I slept looking at the moonlight through my tent ... planning the activities for t'row.

Today sunrise was at Yaki Point and a brief stop at Mather point. After a brief breakfast in the morning and packing, I drove along the desert view drive and then left the Grand Canyon National Park ... with the promise that I will return to camp at Phantom Ranch ... Till then ...

When someone leaves ...

Many times we have heard this and also most of the times we wonder why is this ? ... Why do bad things happen to good people for no reason ? ... Why is life so uncertain ? ...

Today I received an email from the company I once worked for. It was a broadcasted email to convey the sad news of my ex-colleague's demise. I could not believe it for a moment ... after being in constant denial I had to accept it with damp eyes. He was a good person not at all old to die, who loved his little daughters. He would only help others through out his life with a smile. He is gone.

May his soul rest in peace ...