I was too sleepy last night to do Antelope Canyon justice. After the only day I’ll get to sleep in on this whole trip, I’m much better! And yes, visiting Antelope Canyon is a highlight of my life so far.
It was really hot and sunny, but I handled it fine. It was a bit harder on Lee, yet he also had fun. It’s just a lot of climbing if you aren’t in good shape.
So, this is a slot canyon formed by flooding and wind, so there are beautiful patterns in the sandstone. There are also incredible shadows made by holes in the canyon. It’s simply breathtaking. Please enjoy and click to see the whole images. These are from both me and Lee.
We had a sweet young Navajo guide named Canyon (how convenient). I enjoyed talking to him about livestock and our traditions as we walked around.
He did interesting demonstrations of how canyons form and of dust falling, too.
Mostly, though, we all walked around holding our breaths at the surreal scenery. People keep saying my photos look fake or are a Microsoft Windows screen background. But they are real, with different colors appearing with different sun angles.
Don’t worry, I spent a lot of time just looking and not photographing. You have to sear the sights into your synapses. Here are a bunch of pictures of us looking around. Thanks, Lee.
Of course I found a lizard or two. I heard a couple of birds but didn’t see any. This part of the Navajo Nation is very stark.
However, there are other parts of the Navajo Nation I’d happily live in, even with the lack of services in some areas. I’m enthralled by areas with the dark volcanic soil and mountain views. I was surprised to see as many hogans as I did. Some have more traditional rooms attached to them.
I ended up climbing the equivalent of 41 flights of stairs yesterday. All worth it.
The Hermits' Rest 