Dream come true

Upper Antelope Canyon Tour

[img:285855:aligncenter:medium:Ground Level Light Beam]

Ever since I discovered Upper Antelope Canyon I have been dying to walk within it's walls. The pictures I have seen of it have been amazing. I couldn't wait to finally capture it's magic through my own lens. The light shows that it offers are absolutely amazing.

[img:378264:alignleft:medium:Upper Antelope Canyon Sandfall]

My wife and I just finished up our travel nursing assignment in Phoenix and made our way towards Page, AZ. Upper Antelope Canyon was the first stop on our 5 day itinerary. This was something we did not want to miss. We booked a photo tour with one of the local Antelope Canyon tour companies located in Page. It seemed a little expensive ($91) but the beauty of this canyon was well worth it. Not to mention you get a good workout if you go on the photo tour. Not from hiking, but from scrambling to get a shot while avoiding the hundreds of other people walking through the canyon. Some people would just walk right in front of the lenses without even caring; even when our guide was literally yelling at them to please get out of the way. I started out the tour almost feeling stressed and a little frustrated. At least this is how the first 30 minutes of the tour were like. After capturing the multiple light beams along the canyon, we had another hour and a half to just enjoy the canyon and the beauty that it offers. Not to mention many of the people present in the canyon started to fizzle out making for some rare solitude.

I took this time to walk back and forth throughout the canyon looking for different angles and lights to photograph, while my wife took the more relaxing route and sat near the entrance at one of the particularly scenic spots and did some sketches of which she plans to paint a little bit further down the road.

So although it was kind of hectic at the beginning, and there were hundreds of people to contend with, this was still an experience I will not soon forget and that I would recommend to anyone at least once. We rode away savoring the memory that will last us a lifetime.

Lower Antelope Canyon Relaxed Self Tour

April 10, 2007

[img:378272:alignleft:medium:Lava flow in Lower Antelope Canyon]

After our hectic Upper Antelope Canyon Tour we attempted to get in on the lottery for "The Wave" but the BLM directions sent us the wrong way so we never made it on time, but our backup plan however was to tour Lower Antelope Canyon.
Which is what we did!
For only a third of what it cost to tour Upper Antelope Canyon we were able to spend up to 4 hours in the depths of Lower Antelope Canyon without the rush and without the hoards and hoards of people that are present in the more popular canyon. I must say that Lower Antelope Canyon was just as fun and just as scenic as Upper Antelope Canyon. About the only thing that Upper offers over Lower is the light beam show.
This tour played out a lot like our tour of Upper Antelope Canyon. I took my time photographing while my wife walked the expanse to find her spot to sketch. I eventually caught up to her, admiring her work for about 10 minutes or so and then I continued onward to the terminus of the canyon. This canyon was a little funner for both of us because it's walls were more compact and there were more up and down sections than are present in Upper Antelope Canyon. We probably spent a good 3 hours in the canyon enjoying the angles, the shadows, the curves, the colors.

If one has an opportunity to visit either of these canyons do not hesitate to. They are both well worth the money to experience at least once in my opinion.

Not to mention now, I think I am hooked on slot canyons.

Light Beam Gallery

Images

View Dream come true Image Gallery - 4 Images