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This was my second visit to The Grand Canyon, and by far the most memorable and enjoyable. We stayed at the famous Angel’s Landing, a cliff side resort located on the south rim (near the famed peak to peak hike, Angel’s crossing), for two absolutely amazing and memorable days. We arrived at The Grand Canyon around mid afternoon and we knew the best lighting conditions would soon be upon us so we made cycling the rim a priority. Before heading out however I noticed how few cars there were in the very large parking lot, and so I recognized and counted my blessings! As we cycled, we continually stopped to take photos; I was in my glory, the views were fantastic! That evening we walked over to a neighboring restaurant (The El Tovar) and were blessed with each others company, fireside seating, a wonderful dinner and great bottle of wine too! The next morning we headed towards Hermit’s Rest (the west rim) and although we didn’t cycle it we spent the morning stopping to take photos (while the morning light was perfect). Later, we went back to the El Tovar for lunch and sat window-side, over-looking the canyon! Again, I recognized the many reasons to be thankful. Next, we then headed to the east rim and although we couldn’t go to the eastern entrance (Watchman’s tower) because it was closed, we were okay with that because we had been there before. We cycled, hiked and photographed the entire afternoon away; yet another glorious day cycling The Grand Canyon! We went into Tusayan (a community just south of the rim) for a fantastic authentic Mexican dinner and then retired early, tired and very appreciative of the two fantastic days we had at the Grand Canyon!
I am at the Grand Canyon! I had the pleasure of visiting the canyon last winter too however I lost all (yes ALL), of my photos when my hard-drive crashed; a valuable lesson... use more than one hard drive! Now that the days are getting shorter and the cold weather is keeping you inside, I'll post photos more often and "report in", for those whom are following my travels :-) I often come across a scene that just takes my breath away, and I ask myself "Does anyone else see what I see?". I guess that's why I enjoy sharing my photos with you so much, in hopes that they'll take your breath away too. I cycled the south rim and got a few fantastic shots, what fun! I had such a grand time at the Grand Canyon. that I named this photo "A Grand Life".
Finding and planning photographic locations takes time and physical effort but the rewards often yield the best photographs. It never does however seem like a chore when I’m engulfed in my passions (early morning starts, cycling, hiking and photography), it’s then that I’m in my “happy place”! What could possibly be more fun than searching for spectacular locations and then later have a prize photograph. That said however, weather does play a big roll, and even with all the efforts I’ve made, sometimes sudden weather changes have worked against my plans or rewarded me well. This photograph has such a story. I found this location on a previous morning bike ride, and I made a mental note to return. What I loved about this particular location was the combination of darks and lights (the shadows and highlights), often referred to as the darkest darks and the brightest whites, which are complimentary in any photograph or painting. We planned the night before to be on the bike path before sunrise and then cycle out to this location. Our goal was to be there for golden hour, when the early morning rays of sun make the desert cacti come alive. That said however, the weather didn’t cooperate and even though it was an overcast day the sun did poke through occasionally; just enough to get this shot.
