Notes To My Mother

The Wave is a very special place located in the north west corner of Arizona.  You can not just go there, you have to enter a lottery and hope you name gets pulled.  They do the drawing every month and I met one lady who has been trying for 6 years.  I've heard of others who waited 10 years.  Three of us went and one, Andy, submitted our names to the lottery and we got selected after only 4 months of trying.  Amazing. Thank yoy Andy! The hike in is about two miles and is rated from easy (seasoned hikers) to hard (people like me).  The trail is easily lost as much of the hike is on sandstone with no visible trail.  Then there is the soft sand part. Very difficult and when you are just about there and tired, you find yourself walking up a steep hill in VERY soft sand. When I got to the top I poured myself onto the hard sandstone that makes up The Wave and rested.  And then I started exploring and what a wonderous place it is.  What you see are ...

There is about a three-quarters full moon with no clouds. Stars are bright. Jan, my wife, is asleep in the motel. I’m standing next to my car, finishing a cup of hotel coffee, in the parking lot of Horseshoe Bend, just down the road from Page, Arizona. I’m the only one here and I love it! I can see pretty good by the light of the moon so I decide to leave my flashlight behind.  Camera gear in my backpack, tripod in hand I start up the sandy slope toward Horseshoe Bend. I scouted it the day before as far as the top of this first hill, so I have an idea of what is ahead. But I have never been down the other side to the Colorado River’s edge. Horseshoe bend is just that, a big horseshoe like bend in the Colorado River, very picturesque and popular with tourists. I love being in these kinds of places when there is no one else around. I’ll have it that way for sure this morning. I take my time, careful not to fall in any holes along the way. Actually it is a pretty g...

I began traveling and photographing in 2008, beginning with a trip to South Africa. Since then I have been to a lot very special places, each with its own unique beauty and intrigue. But a few of these places are extra special for me and hold a very dear place in my memory. Some of these places are extraordinarily beautiful and enchanting, while others have a sacred quality that is simply captivating and sets them apart from the rest. One of these special sacred places is Upper Antelope Canyon. It is both extraordinarily beautiful and sacred. I had seen pictures of this canyon for years and was yearning to visit and photograph it. Finally, in 2010 we made a family trip to Page, Arizona, on the shores of Lake Powell. Antelope Canyon is very near Page and is very easy to access.  Making reservations with a guide in Page, we made straight for the canyon located about three miles out of town. A Deeply Sacred Navajo Indian Canyon Even though visiting is done along with of...