Cindy's Southwest Travels - April 2011

Okay, it has to be said before we even get started! Is the photo above of Monument Valley perfect or what!!! Talk about being at the right place at the right time! The horse rider even has a red shirt on! And, the horse ... perfect pose!

Now, Cindy Wilson has done it again! On a recent tour/trip throughout the Southwest, Cindy captured some gorgeous photos both traditional and creative of a few of this region's gifts such as Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River just south of Page, Arizona as seen in the photo to the left.



Cindy's photos in this entry are in no particular order. Above and to the left are photos she took in Antelope Canyon located just outside of Page. This canyon's tours are controlled by the Navajo Indians and there is an 11:30am tour that Cindy took to capture these images.




Have you ever wondered exactly what Shiprock, New Mexico was all about? Well, Cindy made the trip into the middle of the desert to capture these images of the famed rock mountain. The sky gave full cooperation to her efforts. With the wispy clouds, the photo is complete.




Near Shiprock, there is a park called Bisti Badlands. Cindy pulled off the road into a small parking lot with a small sign indicating the point of interest. With only a little directional help by a local, she hiked into an area full of very interesting rock formations as seen in these photos. The rocks in the photo to the left are called "Cracked Eggs."



Part of Cindy's trip included the Grand Canyon. She captured a beautiful sunset then got up the next morning for the sunrise photo above. Nearby elk raised their heads to salute the sun's appearance ... and maybe Cindy's appearance as well! This must have been taken during the first week of April when the Grand Canyon received a bit of snow on the rim and the temperatures were reaching into the teens overnight.



Above, she captured a sunrise in Farmington, New Mexico. Those colors deserved a whole photo frame, didn't they? To the left, we see the Teepee Hotel in Holbrook, Arizona. The old cars, again, seem to just finish the photo. Cindy drove the old Route 66 to capture these images and below, she found herself "standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona!" Just takin' it easy!



With only minutes to spare before the Petrified Forest National Park closed, Cindy slipped past the gate and drove through the park. She quickly stopped at each turnout looking for interesting photos in the evening light. Staying one step ahead of the park rangers' closing sweep, her quick work provided several nice shots of the rock hardened wood.



These toadstool rocks are found off of Highway 89 travelling between Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah. It requires a small hike into the desert but the area is definitely unusual and interesting. Below, Cindy also visited Zion National Park during the week just previous to the restart of the shuttle buses. The snow run-off was high and this waterfall can be seen during the snow melt season in the area of the Temple of Sinewava. We won't be seeing this waterfall during our club excursion in September. It will be dry.


Thank you so much Cindy for sharing your photographs. And, Brava!