WHAT’S ON YOUR TRAVEL “BUCKET LIST?” We have been everywhere from Antartica to Zimbabwe so ours is more of a “been there, done that” list, filled with tick marks and a few scribbles of final additions in the margins. This weekend we crossed off one that’s been in the margin for several years—Antelope Canyon AZ.
Golden Aspens on Vail Pass
Mexican Hat
Monument Valley
Our 600-mile road trip to Antelope Canyon took us over Vail Pass, through Utah’s Canyonlands and Mexican Hat, through Monument Valley, the backdrop to several John Ford/John Wayne westerns, all the way to controversial Glen Canyon Dam on the much-shrunken Lake Powell in Page AZ.
God damned Glen Canyon Dam and dwindling Lake Powell
Antelope Canyon, Tsé bighánílíní in Navajo or “The place where water runs through rocks,” is one of many slot canyons in the area. It was formed from water seeping its way into fissures of the sandstone and thousands of years of flash flooding wearing away the Navajo sandstone rock-face before emptying into the Colorado River. During the long periods of drought, windblown sand polished the narrow slot walls into a striated, swirling finish.
The Way Down
Original Navajo Stairs
Lower Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is on land belonging to the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation and is considered sacred to the Navajo way of life. As such it has been a Navajo Tribal Park since 1997 and is accessible only by permit and guided tours. Five Navajo-owned companies serve Upper Antelope and only one was operating in the Lower Canyon this weekend. We decided to do both the Lower the better known Upper Antelope Canyon on the same day.
Lower Antelope Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon
A Ray of Sunlight
John—being John—mistakenly booked a trip to Ligai Si’Anii slot canyons instead of Upper Antelope. It turned out OK—Lower Antelope is the more exciting of the two. After a quarter-mile walk, it begins with a steep descent into the canyon and more than a 400 yards of corkscrewing narrows while the more touristed Lower Canyon is a mere 100 yards long.
Ligai Si’Anii
Ligai Si’Anii Slot Canyon
I was the only one on tour with a “real” camera and my 10-18mm wide-angle lens did a great job. I took “only” 100 photos and Connie took her share with her iPhone. Even with digital technology photos just don’t do justice. The pinks and purples, textures and striations, twists and turns really have to be seen in person. Highly recommended!
