Slots of Fun
“Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.”
Most people come to Page, Arizona for Lake Powell boating. We came for the slot canyons.
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon located in the Navajo Nation east of Page. The two most popular slots are known as Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon. They are both protected by the Navajo Parks and Recreation, which means that only authorized tour companies can take visitors to the canyon. You can’t hike the canyon on your own.
The Navajo Nation got hit particularly hard with the pandemic. Tours of Antelope Canyon - in fact tourists of any kind in Navajo Nation - were suspended for over a year. These tours must be booked far in advance as there’s only limited space in those narrow slots.
I’d been keeping an eye on the reopening of the canyon month over month over the past 9 months. Unfortunately, about a month ago - disappointed that the canyon and Navajo Nation was still closed - I lost track of checking for the reopening. Of course, about a week after I stopped checking, they reopened. When I finally got back to it, all the tours were booked. Oh well.
But then while browsing social media, Lisa and I noticed that our nephew’s fiancé posted pictures from a tour of something called Antelope Canyon X. We had never heard of it, but decided to attempt to book a tour … and we got lucky at the last minute!
Not only that, but we were able to book the photography tour, which allowed us to each bring a camera, a backpack and a tripod. The regular tour does not allow backpacks or tripods and packs the tourists in like sardines. On our tour, however, there was only one other couple and we were able to take our time over the course of 2 hours traversing the slots and chasing the light.
At every turn, we were treated to a new view, a new formation and a new expression of light.
The colors were consistent in each, but there were subtle differences in temperature and tints.
Very slight changes in camera position provided vastly different results.
We were constantly in awe at how the rain over the millennia have carved these formations out of the Navajo sandstone.
Iron has been carried by the sand and deposited on the walls - effectively rusting - and turning various shades of red and orange.
The best time to tour is around midday with the sun overhead, sometimes catching a ray of light.
I spent a bunch of time playing with the shadows.
And sought out the bright Arizona sun working it’s way through the slots …
Even capturing a noontime “sunrise”.
And a light beam or two …
Satisfied with our tour of Antelope Canyon X, we eagerly planned our next day starting with a 4:00 AM wakeup call, a drive to Horseshoe Bend and a hike to capture an iconic view. What a beautiful country!
