A late season storm brought several inches of snow to Flagstaff a few days ago. Our crab apple tree had just burst forth with blossoms earlier in the week. For just a few hours there was a delightful juxtaposition of colorful blossoms and new snow.
Such is spring in northern Arizona. Warm and sunny days with occasional reminders of the departing winter.
One morning earlier this year bright sunshine followed an overnight snowfall and created an opportunity for interesting photographs. I had been aware of this old gas station on Route 66 in Bellemont, Arizona, for several years and had been looking for the right setup for photographing it. So, shortly after sunrise with long shadows still playing across the landscape and fresh fallen snow I was able to get this image.
For those of you with a sharp eye and great memory, you might recognize this as the gas station that briefly appeared in the movie Easy Rider from 1969. In fact, if you look closely enough at the image, there is a poster from that movie taped to the window of the door.
I”m still in the long process of scanning slide file from the pre-digital era. This week, I scanned some images from a trip to Utah in the spring of 1988. On our first travel day, we stopped at Fisher Towers to spend the night. While eating dinner the sun slowly sank in the western sky. And, then, for just a few minutes the colors on the towers was intense. Quick! Find the camera and fire off a few shots. It didn’t hurt that the moon was in the image to lend some balance.
Winter has arrived in northern Arizona with snow and very cold temperatures. On this morning (09 December), the temperature fell to -9°F in Flagstaff and -23°F at Grand Canyon Airport. That’s getting cold enough for West Fork Oak Creek to start freezing over allowing wintertime travel. It had snowed a few days earlier and with fresh powder this had the potential to be an interesting hike and photo trip.
But the creek wasn’t frozen enough. Where there were rocks or logs crossing the creek was possible — if not easy. But in spots where one had to cross an expanse of ice — well, no, not yet. Nothing quite like stepping out onto the ice and having it crack in spider web fashion under your feet — with knee deep water below. So, we were unable to travel more than about 1 ½ miles upstream before returning.
We ran into only one other group of hikers on the trail. Although from California, they have lived in cold climes before and were not daunted by the cold and snow in the canyon. But they, too, turned around at the icy crossing.
There will be other chances later in the winter when the ice may be safely passable. Or, maybe not. It’s always a bit of a mystery on what we will find when we arrive at West Fork Oak Creek.
We woke up to a foggy morning in Flagstaff and a quick check of satellite data clearly showed widespread fog across northeastern Arizona but not across the remainder of the state. We quickly broke out of the fog and into sunny skies as we drove south of the Mogollon Rim for a trail run with our running group.
Intrigued by the fog, I traveled to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon in hopes of getting some interesting photographs. At Yavapai Point on the South Rim there were few visitors. After all, who wants to see a canyon filled with fog! Visibility was on the order of a hundred meters or less and driving was an interesting challenge.
Leaving Yavapai Point, I drove east on the Rim Drive to the first pullout. Moments later, the fog briefly cleared and I could see the North Rim above the top of the fog. Then, just as quickly, it filled back in. A short while later, this clearing repeated itself. This time I captured an image that shows a vast expanse of fog filling the canyon and the North Rim just barely peeking above the fog.
Then it was time for some fun. I set the camera to take long exposures and shot a photo every time a car drove by. The red streaks of the vehicle tail lights and the fog being illuminated by the lights created interesting images.
