Arizona, New Mexico & the Grand Canyon Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Aaron Anderson [55]
There’s only one place for a sit-down meal between Flagstaff and Page, Cameron Trading Post – a historic trading center with its own little post office. It’s worth a look, hungry or not.
The town of Page feels like a metropolis after the drive here through sparse landscape straight from a Western movie. Just south of Lake Powell, a massive artificial reservoir set mainly in Utah but whose fingers tickle the northern tip of Arizona, Page is the place for trips to nearby Antelope Canyon.
Freshen up in the spacious suites at Debbie’s Hideaway, where the terraced back patio begs for long gab fests under the stars. There’s a wheel-barrow full of wood for guests to build a fire in the free-standing fireplace and it’s perfectly normal to spin stories around the fire with traveling companions and other guests well into the evening.
Nearby Fiesta Mexicana specializes in huge plates of food for hungry travelers. Its margaritas sneak up on you fast, so beware. Over-indulgers should be consoled by the fact that pretty soon they’ll again be on alcohol-free Navajo Nation land. If a visitor wants to sample the nightlife, Page style, check out Gunsmoke Saloon, which boasts Northern Arizona’s longest bar and flashy electronic lights to complement the Western-themed decor.
Set up a tour to Upper Antelope Canyon for tomorrow and get ready to snap away. A handful of companies offer tours to Upper Antelope Canyon, but Antelope Slot Canyon Tours, owned by Chief Tsotsie, delivers. The company also offers tours to lesser-known Cathedral Canyon. Some of the other tour companies run operations that feel more like cattle calls than guided tours. Ask locals for their recommendations, or, better yet, check out a company in person to see if the general mood is rushed or relaxed.
Antelope Canyon is divided into two sections. Almost all of the tours go to Upper Antelope Canyon and the flat, sandy bottom makes it navigable for people of all ages and physical conditions. The more strenuous Lower Antelope Canyon sees much smaller crowds. Each section of the canyon is less than a city block long (about a quarter mile), and the shapes and textures bring photographers from around the world.
Since the harsh light of noon usually scrubs away the texture from outdoor shots, it’s a surprise that, just like in the movies, high noon is the best time to shoot – photos, that is. Noon is the right time because sunlight can get into the narrow slots of the canyon roofs – as the sun passes overhead the rock changes from grey to pink to red.
Noon is also the time when Upper Antelope Canyon gets so packed with people it’s hard to walk. Photographers who set up their tripod before the sightseeing tours show up are best off taking a break. Otherwise, expect people walking through the shots and even bumping into the tripod.
The guides here advise to not use a flash – a tripod or at least a monopod holds the camera steady during the long exposure times. The flash gives the rock an odd white spark that looks like a mistake. Metering is a challenge because of the extremes of light and dark. Some snappers like to overexpose their images here to get the detail of the rock and then digitally darken the shot. A “fast” (large aperture) wide-angle lens comes in handy.
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ASK A LOCAL
“It’s important to balance just simply ‘being there’ versus trying to make good photos. Those really good poster-quality shots require hours of preparation and perfect timing. This is especially important when traveling with a companion, because when I’m trying to get a shot, I’m really in my own world and sometimes it’s more important to simply experience a lovely view with my partner than attempt to capture it on a sensor.”
Jonathan Steele, Tempe resident and serious shutterbug
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