Grand Canyon Weather (9 Images)

[abraxas]

Thanks for the tip! I wouldn't have thought the temperatures would dip down that far.

Plan your shooting for points east of the village. The Hermit's road appears to be closed until November. Incredible scenery, both canyon and plateau forest can be found along the 'paved hiking' trail from Pipe Creek Vista, to Mather Point, to Yavapai Observation Station, and onward to the Village. Take plenty of water and a snack if you do all or parts of the trail.

If you stay in Tusayan(?), go out early in the morning, elk frequently roam through town.

& sunblock and a floppy hat will help ward off that crispy sunburn at the higher alttitudes.

 

[icassell]

Plan your shooting for points east of the village. The Hermit's road appears to be closed until November. Incredible scenery, both canyon and plateau forest can be found along the 'paved hiking' trail from Pipe Creek Vista, to Mather Point, to Yavapai Observation Station, and onward to the Village. Take plenty of water and a snack if you do all or parts of the trail.

If you stay in Tusayan(?), go out early in the morning, elk frequently roam through town.

Yes. Road to Hermit's point is closed. We drove east along rim road to Colter's Watchtower and beyond (out of the park). Stopped at every lookout along the way (my sunrise shots were taken the one morning it was clear -- from Yavapai point). My daughter and I strolled a ways down the Bright Angel Trail -- far enough to get some pictures of the Petroglyphs. Lots of wildlife, but we saw no elk. I saw zillions of ravens and vultures, a Calif. Condor (from a great distance -- although my daughter went on a fossil hike and they saw one up close), coyotes, bluebirds, mule deer, squirrels a'plenty, etc.

I have a collection of shots I call my "Dodo Pix" of idiots standing very close to the edge trying to show-off. When my kids applied for their Junior Ranger badges, the ranger asked them what wildlife they had seen. They told him "Dodos". He said that dodos were extinct, and they explained why ('yeah, cuz they stand next to the edge of a cliff to get the perfect shot')

Interestingly, I found very little use for my UWA (Sigma 10-20), although I thought it would be my prime optic for the trip. I only took a few images with it. It was too wide and there was no perspective --- most of the time, there was nothing at the edge to put in the foreground.

 

[abraxas]

Yes. Road to Hermit's point is closed. We drove east along rim road to Colter's Watchtower and beyond (out of the park). Stopped at every lookout along the way (my sunrise shots were taken the one morning it was clear -- from Yavapai point). My daughter and I strolled a ways down the Bright Angel Trail -- far enough to get some pictures of the Petroglyphs. Lots of wildlife, but we saw no elk. I saw zillions of ravens and vultures, a Calif. Condor (from a great distance -- although my daughter went on a fossil hike and they saw one up close), coyotes, bluebirds, mule deer, squirrels a'plenty, etc.

I have a collection of shots I call my "Dodo Pix" of idiots standing very close to the edge trying to show-off. When my kids applied for their Junior Ranger badges, the ranger asked them what wildlife they had seen. They told him "Dodos". He said that dodos were extinct, and they explained why ('yeah, cuz they stand next to the edge of a cliff to get the perfect shot')

Interestingly, I found very little use for my UWA (Sigma 10-20), although I thought it would be my prime optic for the trip. I only took a few images with it. It was too wide and there was no perspective --- most of the time, there was nothing at the edge to put in the foreground.

Tusayan is south of the park a few miles past the entrance. Elk like the grass and shrubs in the motel/hotel greens and come out of the surrounding forest to graze. My grandaughter and I went out just after sunrise and snapped some shots. Memorable.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126257

My wife was saying that most people that get themselves dead at the canyon do so by the photographer telling their subjects to move back a step, and another, and,... heheh,... shouldn't laugh I guess,... heheh. I try not to waste valuable electrons on my storage cards with pictures of people that make me queasy. I do get asked to take shots of them every now and again with their camera though. If I like their camera I go for it and say, "Take another step back please- One more please,... " Someday I may get one of those G9s, or maybe a nice Leica that way.

I mostly used my 18-55mm with a polarizer my last trip. I put my 18-135mm on my backup for wildlife.

I've only seen one California Condor in California. Cracks me up to have to had to go to the GC to get shots of them. They'd come in to roost in the cliffs near the village just before sunset. I guess they move around pretty good. I saw them during mid-June a few years ago.

I'm trying as we speak, to get my weight down for a mule ride down to the Phantom Ranch. I have a plan for an adventure!

 

[icassell]

I got asked several times to take pix last weekend: "oh, you have a big fancy camera, you must know what you're doing"

It didn't occur to me that this might have been my opportunity to snag a nice P & S

Interestingly, there was little English spoken up there -- the USA is for sale at the moment at bargain-basement prices to overseas tourists.

 

[abraxas]

...
Interestingly, there was little English spoken up there -- ...

Being bound to the region economically, I look at national parks as my opportunity to meet people from other countries and cultures. I've met wonderful people from Holland and Germany in Death Valley, great folks from England and France in Joshua Tree, some friendly Japanese folks in the Valley of Fire, and many other people from other countries in our national and state parks. Chances for me ever leaving the country to visit my short list of countries and exotic locations are becoming smaller everyday, and I've noticed this for years now, but I try to use the situation to learn about the people in the world I only see on the TV or read about. I like hearing their impression of what they experience in our country as well as provide them with an ambiguous, fragmented, meandering conversation with a crazy-ass American out in the middle of nowhere.

My favorite was taking a picture of a couple from Japan on top of a local mountain several years ago- I shot them with their arms around each other, then when I was done, the girl whispered something into her boyfriend's ear. He came up to me smiling and said she wanted one of me and her in the same pose. She was so pretty, how could I refuse?

 

[bigalbest]

Great job Ian, I really love 6, 7, 8, and 9.

 

[MissMia]

Yep! I leave in 9 days and am soooo excited about seeing the Canyon for the first time!!!

Woohoo Anty! I can't wait either. :mrgreen:

Nice series Ian.

 

[icassell]

Great job Ian, I really love 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Thanks, Alex! I'd love to do an AZ Meetup at the canyon some day

 

[icassell]

She was so pretty, how could I refuse?

Of course you couldn't!

 

[icassell]

Woohoo Anty! I can't wait either. :mrgreen:

Nice series Ian.

Thanks, MissMia. I wish I could join you folks! I'll be interested to see if you can find good subjects for your 10-20. I really thought it would be "THE" lens for the canyon, but wound up shooting most everything between 20 and 50 (with a very few wider and some wildlife longer). I'm glad I got my 17-50 back in time for the trip!

 

[Fox Paw]

Several of these are stunning. I've only been there on bluebird days and you've made me realize what I missed. Thanks for posting these.

 

[icassell]

Several of these are stunning. I've only been there on bluebird days and you've made me realize what I missed. Thanks for posting these.

Thanks! I was upset when I heard that we were going to get rain -- on the other hand, it was wonderful with the clouds (and, if you look at my wildlife pix, I got a bluebird pic too )

 

[jv17]

for me ill go for the 6th one..

 

[icassell]

for me ill go for the 6th one..

Thanks.