Virus-Shortened Roadtrip

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Virus-Shortened Roadtrip

Virus-Shortened Roadtrip

In early March, Martha and I headed out in Starr for 1-1/2 weeks of visiting folks in Santa Fe and Tucson. She was then to fly home while I would continue on for another 2+ weeks of photographic explorations in the SW. And we had a fabulous time catching up with Berkeley & Marie & Santa Fe's art scene, followed by a lovely time with family & friends in Tucson. But the covid-19 pandemic worsened the entire time – so, when it came time to separate, we instead decided to drive straight back to Bend. Obviously that was the right decision!

We did visit a few great locations on the various legs of the trip:

Canyonlands' Island in the Sky – Martha hadn't visited this area and I was excited to show her around, & possibly capture some new images. This Canyonlands District has but one small campground, so we were fully prepared to disperse camp just outside the national park boundary. But, unbelievably we scored the last campsite on a Friday afternoon! With this great base camp, we visited all the major viewpoints and hiked to Mesa Arch & Aztec Butte over an afternoon & morning. My cameras remained mostly in my pack since the weather and seasonal sun positions weren't very photogenic (some earlier images: 2005 Mesa Arch image and 2009 gallery).
Canyon de Chelley – This canyon has long been on my to-do-list and was a relatively easy detour on the way to Santa Fe. We camped at a commercial campsite at the canyon's mouth and were able to watch a beautiful sunset and sunrise from the Spider Rock viewpoint on the canyon's south rim. I found it one of the most beautiful spots I've experienced and am itching to spend more time there, including hiring a Navajo guide so that I can explore the canyon's floor.
Gila Cliff Dwellings – On the way to Tucson, we camped at and explored this National Monument. I always enjoy experiencing ancient ruins & rock art in the Southwest, including thinking about what motivated these Ancestral Puebloans to build these defensive structures and why they were so quickly abandoned (rapid climate change, over population, pandemic, or ?).
Ha Ho No Geh Canyon – Our last major scenic stop was on the way home, at this canyon north of Flagstaff. We camped at the end of a primitive ranch road and experienced a sunset & sunrise at this seldom-visited canyon...beautiful!

We also hoped to hike Page's Lower Antelope Canyon (2014 gallery), but the Navajo Nation had closed it due to covid-19. We then drove up Utah's rough-but-scenic Cottonwood Road to Bryce National Park so Martha could briefly experience it – as always, it was beautiful, especially with some snow on the ground.

And I brought home the following select images:

Panoramas – Tap/click on a pano's thumbnail to show an interactive, moving panorama; use the on-screen control bar or your finger/mouse to move around:

Canyon de Chelley Sunset from Spider Rock Viewpoint: