Having great success with my recent excursion to Antarctica, my desire to photograph reached a high level and I felt compelled to pursue my photo work even further. After a few days of thought, I decided that two areas that I had not visited much were some of the beautiful areas around Las Vegas, namely Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park, and Bryce Canyon. This seemed to be a very doable trip for about a week, so I went ahead and booked it.
The trip started well. Conditions at both Red Rock and Valley of Fire were as fine as I might have hoped for, perhaps a bit more sun than I would have wanted, but one can’t complain too much about good weather! Valley of Fire, in particular, is an extraordinary place, and if it were a bit larger in size, it might qualify to be a national park with its unique variety of rock formations that are all extremely interesting and photographic. I think that I barely scratched the surface there on tis trip and it is definitely a place to return to and visit again. I then proceeded to Bryce Canyon, where the weather conditions at both sunrise and sunset were perfect. A bit chilly in the mornings, it nonetheless warmed up quickly and could not have been better, but with one downfall. Much of the park was closed because of snowfall earlier in the year, but several of the major viewpoints were still open and with the residual snow, were more beautiful and spectacular than ever. So the first three days there, my camera seemed to be firing away nonstop. I then decided that for an afternoon hike to go to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, where the canyons always seemed to be perfect for hiking. I found a perfect hike, Bighorn Canyon, which went up a canyon wash, ending in some slot canyons. What more could one ask for? Well, I made several beginner mistakes. One, because I was out in Bryce early, I got a somewhat late start on the hike. By the time I went out, it was pretty sunny and there was both no shade at all in this canyon and the wash was very sandy, making each footstep that much more difficult. Finally, I didn’t pay as much attention as I should have to my GPS, so I stupidly got lost and wound up walking much further than I should have under less than ideal circumstances. As a result, I overdid it and knocked myself out. I really felt it that night, but hoped that a good night sleep would be all that was necessary. What I had not counted on, however, was either the food poisoning or the virus that hit me mid-morning the next day! I could keep nothing down and then could later hold nothing in. I became so dehydrated that I needed to haul myself to the local ER, 20 miles away, to get 2 liters of IV fluids, the only time that this has ever happened to me. The ER staff were terrific and did a great job, but all of this pretty much ended my photography for this trip as lifting a camera was no longer a consideration.
So I managed to get some rest after being rehydrated and planned to head back to Las Vegas to fly home the next day. What I did not count on was the blizzard that appeared or the winds of 30-40 mph that I had to drive through a good part of the way back to Vegas. But I finally made it and looked forward to getting home the next day. I checked my flight early in the AM, listed as On Time. When I get to the airport, however, the flight is cancelled! Fortunately, thanks to two great desk attendants at American Airlines, they managed to rebook me and covered all possible bases to get me home the same day. I am very grateful to them.
So this trip was a real plus/minus. Several great days, a bunch of lousy ones, but some photos that I am very pleased with.
Bryce Canyon Sunrise With Snow
Rock Forms, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada