Page, AZ (3/12/2017)

As usual, I was up early and went out for sunrise, heading to Antelope Point in hopes it would provide a good view.  It turned out to be a great spot, not only for sunrise, but also to see the full moon as it set behind the sandstone mesa.

 Driving back to camp, I noticed the sun lighting the smoke and steam coming from the Navajo Generating Station.  I've always thought it sad that this plant produces so much emissions from burning the coal on their reservation.  Now, the EPA has recently ruled it must meet emission standards, which the Navajo say will cost too much to implement.  Therefore, they plan to shut it down at the end of 2019.

Later this day, we went for the Lower Antelope Canyon experience Pam had scheduled.  We learned it has changed a lot since my visits there more than ten years ago, when almost no one was there in March.  Now there are huge crowds, and tripods aren't allowed without a special permit that requires weeks to get and costs an extra $50.  I was reluctant to go without a tripod, but relented and simply bumped the ISO to 1000 (normally 100) and shot hand-held.  This worked surprisingly well and I took many more photos than before (173 keepers).  The crowd was extremely heavy as the tour started, but thinned after a while as people spread out in the canyon.  Overall, it was better than I expected and I'm very glad I went.

Well, I don't want to bore you with too many photos from the slot canyon, so we'll move on to the end of the day at the edge of Lake Powell, near the Glen Canyon Dam.  The golden light from the setting sun really torched the sandstone banks, creating some wonderful color.  After the sun was below the horizon, we got some very nice color in the clouds.  All in all, a lovely evening to top off a fruitful day.

I attempted some video at Lower Antelope Canyon, but haven't edited it.  However, I have edited and posted the Balloon Ride and Road to Coalmine Canyon videos.  They can be seen at Sedona Balloon Ride and Road To Coalmine Canyon.