11 Miles Apart, 6 Hrs of Driving

After a great day on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, we woke up extremely early to do the 3 2 1/2 hr drive to Page for our 7:30 am rafting trip. It was early but worth it. We boarded our big blue raft for a lazy morning floating down the Colorado River. After hiking down the Rim, this rafting seemed like the way to go. We even got a chance to see some petroglyphs aswell.

After rafting we finished the drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Even though the camping spots at the North and South Rim are only 11 miles apart, you have to drive around the entire Canyon to get from one to another. Although the South Rim had more to do, the North Rim had some spectacular scenery. After a winding drive, we watched some amazing colours on the Canyon from the sunset.

Tomorrow we do a small hike and head to Bryce Canyon, which I can't wait to see. We see, to be doing very well for the beginning of our trip still.


Our raft trip down the Colorado River


Petroglyphs along the way


Beautiful North Rim of the Grand Canyon

We Made It!!!!

After a early and long day of traveling, Linda and I made it to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We pick up our great little orange car in Phoenix and booted it to the Grand Canyon. It was an early morning and a late night when we got there, so we decided to call it a night and save the canyon for the morning.

After a terrible nights sleep (I bought the wrong size air mattress for the tent), it ended up early morning. So we checked in and headed out on the Bright Angel Trails. There where alot of people on it and alot coming back up the trail looking exhausted. But we made it down to the first rest stop and back again with out keeling over. Not bad for our first hike of the trip. On out way back we saw people urging their kids to get closer to some elk near the lodge, I found peoples complete lack of respect for the animals amazing, but I guess it happens all the time. Luckily a ranger showed up and warned people before anything happened.

After a quick rest and a great supper, we headed off to watch the sunset. It may have been in the company of hundreds of other people, but it was still spectacular. Tomorrow we head off to do some rafting in the canyon and then head to the north rim, a place I have not been yet. Not bad for 2 days in!


Our "Tangerine" Car


Bright Angel Trail, more switch backs then you can shake a stick at!


One of those wildlife interactions that could so easily go bad


Worth the trip on the first day!

A while has passed since I have been on any big trips, but that is about to change. I am returning to the south-western United States for a camping trip which will take me from Phoenix, Arizona to San Francisco.

This will be a trip to explore the National Parks along the way. As can be seen in the map below we will be visiting Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and Yosemite National Parks. The trip will end with some exploration of the California coast and the wines of Napa Valley.

This time I will be living out of a tent rather than a VW van, which may prove to be more or less reliable. I will be posting photos as often as I can, sneaking on to wi-fi where I find it. So here to another adventure and exploring a new area!


View Chris and Linda's American Adventure in a larger map

Great Horned Owl just after landing for a snack
Great Horned Owl making quick work of its meal
Capturing the Owl in flight provided to be tricky


Arizona Is A Hoot

I really need to quite with these cheesy titles, but hey they are fun.

I recently got a chance to go through some of my photos taken from my Arizona trip with my Canon 20D. At the Arizona Desert Museum I was lucky enough to borrow a 200mm lens and 2x converter from Ethan. This let me get some great shots of the free flights they did with their captive birds.

Here are some of the ones that I managed to snap of a Great Horned Owl. I must admit that photography of anything moving is still a learning process for me, but some of these did not turn out too bad.

Sporting the latest in VW Van hair styles

An example of Organ Pipe Cactus, and me sucking my stomach in

A Harris Hawk at the Arizona Senora Desert Museum during a free flight

Becoming the Vagabond

The trip was winding down after I had spent almost two week bolting around the southwestern US. By this point I was right in to the vagabond lifestyle, or at least pretending I was. By this point 5 days with out a shower was not a big deal, berkinstalks where considered appropriate footwear for cactus country and a hat was the "in" hair style for any occasion. Breakfasts of oatmeal or just a pot of bacon where just the meal to give you enough energy to take photos all morning, drive some place new and then nap. By this point of the trip Ethan had relinquished control of the van and grown accustom to the idea of having someone to share the driving with. Taking the wheel of this large heavy tent on wheels was an adventure in itself. One almost has to grow a sixth sense for braking a half mile early to come to a safe stop.

After spending some more time photographing the Ocotillos and Organ Pipe Cancti, we headed back towards civilization, Tucson that is. There we enjoyed some luxuries, shower, wings and a movie. Of course the night was not complete with out an attempted parking lot repair of the van.

The next day we headed to the Arizona Senora Desert Museum. This place was an outstand museum, thought that seems like the wrong word. They have live animals in well-designed natural settings, excellent exhibits and plenty of people to help you learn about the desert. We were there early and first in line, and it paid off for us. In the morning and afternoon we were treated to a birds of prey show. I managed to snap a few photos in the afternoon with my Canon G10. I will soon be posting some of the photos I managed to capture of mountain lions and birds with my Canon 20D. This was a great way to end the journey in the van. However there are still plenty of photos, so keep checking back

Saguaro at Senset at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Finding out how sharp a Barrel Cactus was

Ocotillo, Seaweed of the Desert

Crazy About Cacti

After doing the amazing night shots at Joshua Tree NP, it was time to start heading back towards Phoenix. Ethan and I piled in the van for a long drive Past the Sultan Sea, massive sand dunes and huge RV parks. Eventually we arrived late in the afternoon at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

We left the Joshua Trees behind for all kinds of Cacti. I was amazed at the size and variety stretched out on the landscape before us (most of the cacti I have seen have been in small pots and tend to die in my office). Here there was massive Saguaro and Organ Pipe Cacti. We arrived just in time to watch the sun go down behind a field of these giants; some must have been over 15ft high right beside out site.

We set up the van in a campground, which consisted of over 200 sites in a flat area surrounded by cacti, not the kind of place where you want to stagger around in the dark. We probably ate the food of the trip here with a nice fried steak that night and a Mexican breakfast the next morning.

The next day we headed for a drive through the Ajo Mountain Drive and got some great perspective on the landscape. The one photo below is a result of a little game I liked to call “How sharp is this cactus?”

The last shot is of an Ocotillo, one of my favourite plants on the trip. We caught a few of these in bloom on the trip. They look like a giant seaweed plant growing out of the desert!

Southern States Trip

It’s been a long while, but since I am traveling again, it is time to post some photos. I joined up with a friend of mine, Ethan (www.ethanmeleg.blogspot.com), who is doing a photo road trip across the States. I joined him in Phoenix for a world wind tour of the Southwestern States.

So far the trip has been interesting and certainly there are some stories to tell. After a much delayed flight due to snow in Chicago, I met up with Ethan and we headed out of Phoenix right away. We made out way north to near Sedona. It was late and dark so we just made out way there and crashed for the night. The next morning was my first exploration of the Southwest. We drove around Sedona and stopped at Cathedral rock, and amazing rock formation. The stops where short since we wanted to get to the Grand Canyon as soon as possible.

Though the trip is meant to be VW van vagabond road trip, due to time and the cold temperature, we stayed in hotels for the first couple nights. This was definitely true of the Grand Canyon. The whole area was covered in a foot of snow. Not quite was I was expecting, and chilly when then wind started to blow. At one point Ethan disappeared for a while, I assumed he went over the edge, but turns out he was just getting a killer shot without me. Here are some of the shots I got of the Canyon during sunset and sunrise the next day.

Next we are off to Vegas for one night, Then Death Valley