Becky’s September square photo challenge Day 26! She would like us to share photos which embrace ‘pink’ – there could be pink in the photo, the subject or photographer could be ‘tickled pink’*, or indeed looking ‘in the pink’*. A photo that manages to do all three things is the ultimate offering.
tickled pink to frame this reddish-pink balanced rock in Marble Canyon
*‘in the pink’ means in perfect condition, or in good health, and ‘tickled pink’ means delighted.
Paula’s (Lost in Translation) challenge this week is slightly different than usual in that she has provided a list of words from which to pick one to illustrate.
I am going for decrepit: adjective meaning – worn out or ruined because of age or neglect; dilapidated; rickety; run-down; broken-down; ramshackle; worn-out; derelict; falling to pieces; on its last legs
I like photographing old and decrepit things and on a trip around the Canyons a few years ago we came across this abandoned ‘village’ near Marble Canyon, AZ. During the Great Depression, a few white settlers built a small town of wooden structures with shingle roofs that still cling to gigantic boulders in a moon-like setting at the foot of Vermilion Cliffs. They were known as the Cliff Dwellers.
How anyone survived in this desolate landscape I have no idea.
Please pop over to see Paula if you would like to join in.
Sunday dawned cold and grey. But the photo trip was still on and we spent a couple of hours in the company of Charley from Overland Canyon Tours in the Antelope Canyon which is a few miles outside of Page where the slot canyons are majestic narrow passages with just enough space for a small group to walk the sandy floor – and for the occasional shafts of sunlight to shine down from above. [1]
The best time to visit is when the sun is overhead so you get those super shots of sunlight on the sand particles shimmering in the oranges, reds and yellows of the naturally carved sandstone. Unfortunately for us there was no sun, but that did not spoil our enjoyment of this incredible place. Even light flares added an interesting purple hue to the rocks. For those of you who are fitter than us you might like to visit the Lower Antelope Canyon which is reached by a series of ladders. All I can say that climbing the steps up into the cab of the Ute was hard enough!
In the afternoon we took a drive back down to Bitter Springs and turned right on to the 89A across the Navajo Bridge to visit Lees Ferry where you can get down to the edge of the Colorado and watch groups preparing to raft down the river. [2]
(click on an image to enlarge)
Preparing for rafting
At Lees Ferry
Rafts in waiting
Over the ten miles or so south of the Navajo bridge, the Colorado has several fascinating narrow tributary canyons including Seven-mile Draw, Soap Canyon, Jackass Creek and Badger Canyon. The layers of sandstone and shale that form the vermilion cliffs once extended five miles to connect to the same layers in the Echo cliffs. The Colorado River cut a canyon through the Navajo sandstone.
Navajo Bridges (old and new)
Navajo Bridge across the Colorado
We stopped to marvel at the balanced rocks on the way back to Marble Canyon. Thousands of years ago a huge boulder of conglomerate broke from the cliff above and rolled to a stop here. Since then at least 6 feet of this slope has eroded away.
Balanced RocksBalanced Rocks
Ultimately the softer rock, now protected by the umbrella of harder conglomerate will erode, and the boulder will topple to the ground again.
Balanced Rocks
Several fallen boulders at the foot of the desolate Vermilion Cliffs on the Arizona Strip north of the Grand Canyon.
Hard upper layer – Shinarump Conglomerate – forms the cliff top.
At the 89a junction we turned right and drove to the Cliff Dwellers Lodge about nine miles further east to have an early dinner at the diner there.
Cliff Dwellers Lodge
During the Great Depression, a few white settlers built a small town of wooden structures with shingle roofs that still cling to gigantic boulders in a moon-like setting at the foot of Vermilion Cliffs.
Through the window of a cliff dweller’s homeTough living
Returning to Page after a very interesting day we managed to catch the sun setting on Echo Cliffs on the land of the Navajo Nation.
[1] When we did this trip it was OK to have any type of camera but now you need to have a SLR – point and shoot, IPads and IPhones are not accepted, if you have one of these you may find yourself on a normal tour. We had bridge cameras.
[2] There was a landslip in 2013 which meant that this route was not accessible for quite some time. It is advisable to check routes in this region before setting out.
TRAVEL WORDS 