On with the slideshow.....This is one of my favorite places in the US. The beautiful Antelope Slot Canyons near Page, AZ. I've been there twice now and will be going back again in a few months. This photo is from the lower canyon, shot in April of 2004.
You climb down through this crack in the ground and down a series of ladders into this amazing world of red rock formations worn down over time by the wind and water. It is exillarating and spooky at the same time walking through these often tight slots, feeling like you are the only person in the world.
I actually like the lower canyon better. Less crowds and better light. When I was there in 2004, the floor of the upper canyon had dropped over 6 feet due to several flash floods that swept away the sandy canyon floor. This drop made the photos even darker than from my original visit in 2002. However, the upper canyon floor only saw a slight decrease in floor level.
My visit to the lower canyon was cut short, however, due to a nearby rain storm. They take rain storms very seriously here as even storms miles away can produce nasty flash floods that can roar through these canyons. Back in 1997, several visitors ingnored these warning in this very canyon and 11 of them were killed when a wall of water from a rain storm 8 miles away flooded the slots.
So in other words, when they tell you to get out of the canyon.... you get out of the canyon. No sooner had I made the trek back up the canyon, up the ladders, and out of the crack in the ground, the skies opened up with a very heavy rain.
No comments:
Post a Comment