After the decision to make my way to Page Arizona from Williams I drove to Flagstaff and hung a left on Highway 89. I’d read in a booklet that I picked up at the Visitors Center in Williams that there was a “Volcanic Crater” about 10 miles in from Flagstaff so I decided to check that out. The Sunset Crater is really much to write home about. It looks like hill and since you’re not allowed to hike up to it and look down inside the crater it’s kind of pointless. I’m finding a lot of the tourist areas around here are restricted, keeping you on the path which from a eco-conscious photographer’s point of view is a real pain. I’m careful of all living things when I walk, even plants so when I can’t even venture off the trail into the desert a little bit to get a wider shot or different angle I become less than jovial. Add in “some” ignorant tourists who have no regard for anything and I know why there’s trails and markers stating we must stay on them. It’s a shame. I won’t get into my rant on tourists tonight. I’m in too good of a mood.
Anyway, after the numb response my creative grey matter got from the Sunset Crater I decided to follow along the loop road and check out the ruins that were also shown on the map. For the rest of the afternoon and into the setting sun I shot some incredible Pueblo ruins in an area known as the Wupatki National Monument.
First up was the Wukoki Puelblo, then the Wapatki Pueblo which was once a massive structure with over 100 rooms. Then I arrived at the Lomaki ruins and the nearby Box Canyon Dwellings. I had them almost all to myself and got some really nice late afternoon light at these ones. A nice finish after waiting around a lot during the day for the clouds to break and or tourists to get out of the way.
After hooking back up with the 89 I simply drove the rest of the way into Page. I’ve researched the best time to shoot the Horseshoe Bend and looked into the Antelope Canyon. An area I really want to shoot but it seems you have to pay for permits and tour guides as you can’t enter these with one. I also found out that the shafts of light that people capture in photos only happen during the summer months. Due to the cloudy/raining forecast, my limited budget and the fact that I can’t wander and take my time, and the wrong time of year I may opt out of this stop as much as it pains me to.
