The first new photograph I want to introduce wasn't taken at the Grand Canyon, but was taken at Wupatki National Monument just outside of Flagstaff on my way up to the Grand Canyon. It was nearing sunset and so I decided to pull into Wupatki and see what I could capture, and I drove to Lomaki Pueblo, which is part of a cluster of pueblos several miles from the entrance.

It was overcast and I could see rain due north, and questioned to myself if there would even be any light or if it would just be flat, common with overcast skies. As I walked towards Lomaki Pueblo from the parking lot, I began to see signs of golden light peaking through the clouds, and felt that perhaps my decision to pull into Wupatki might have been a good one. I setup and was able to capture several photographs of the pueblo bathed in this beautiful golden light, and my favorite is this one I simply call Lomaki Pueblo.

Shortly after taking this photograph, the light faded, and so it was time to push on to the Grand Canyon. I was still about 4 hours drive to the north rim, and figured I wouldn't get there until around 11pm. And so I packed up, and drove on through the early night.

The next day, I visited various locations on the north rim, and took some shots, but nothing special. The north rim is only visited by 15% of all the visitors to the Grand Canyon, so you are pretty much alone often at the various overlooks. There are no buses, no crowds. It makes for some wonderful experiences as you gather in the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon and not feel rushed to move on the next view point. You can take your time and explore and just simply drink in the vastness of the Canyon.

The following day, I was able to capture some good photographs. I took a hike out to Cape Final, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. But it was nice to hike in an alpine forest, much different than the desert scrub of the south rim. The views from along the rim we just simply spectacular and with the passing clouds casting shadows upon the landscape, provided a beautiful balance to the depth of the canyon views. This photograph, Cape Final Overlook, gives a sense of the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. The photograph also shows the elevation differences between the north rim and the south rim, and you can see the horizon tilting downwards as your eye moves from left to right in the photograph. I was able to use the larger mass of trees as a frame on the right side of the photograph to provide some balance to the photograph even with the sloping horizon.

And I was able to make back to Cape Royal for sunset. I got there too late from my hike to Cape Final to capture Wotan's Throne or Vishu Temple in the light of the setting sun. With few people present, I was able to find an unoccupied spot along the west facing side of Cape Royal to capture this stunning sunset. Although the clouds didn't really light up, the views were stunning and the golden light provided enough warmth to light up the rock face of the canyon walls. The sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon never really disappoints as it helps you realize just how insignificant we all are in the general scheme of things! You look upon something that took millions of years to develop and begin to realize that our short existence on this planet is just a passing of just a brief period of time in the scope of millions of years. But the beauty of those millions of years provides some measure of solace as you contemplate the beauty that surrounds you. And on this sunset, I was in awe of the beauty that was laid out before me.

And here are some other photographs I took during this trip. Many of these are offered for sale here on my website, just click on the photograph and you will be brought to the sales page for that photograph!

Thanks!