More from Devils Bridge

Sandstone mount across from the bridge.

Sandstone steps

From the top of the bridge.

Along the trail

Bark of an aligator juniper.

Bark from another type of juniper. A little like sycamore pattern.

This is from another juniper. A lot of juniper along the trail.

Pine seedling.

Lots of birds along the way, we also saw a coyote, but I wasn't fast enough to get a shot of him/her.

Devil's Bridge

Devil's Bridge. This is a moderate hike, but it does take you to a pretty neat looking arch at the end. The hardest part is getting close to the trail head in your car. Many people just parked their car and walk the 2 mile distance to get to the trail head, then hike up to the arch/bridge. You need a high clearance vehicle to get on this forest road, there're a couple of places that I thought our Honda Pilot would have a problem. We did see a couple of cars made it all the way to the end of the forest road, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think they were rentals, :).

From the bottom looking up.

I only brought my 35mm f1.8 Nikon lens, so it's not a wide angle lens to shoot this arch, but this one turned out ok.

My wife being brave, I stayed clear from the middle of the bridge.

This one shows the scale of the arch. Some people posed for me.

Lower Antelope Canyon

Just now find some time to upload additional pictures from the Page visit.

We've been to the Upper Antelope Canyon before, that's the trip where you have to go with a guided tour, and the guide will take you there on a 4x4 across the dry, sandy creek bed to your destination. The visit was an hour, but the main issue was the crowd. This time, we decided to visit the Lower Antelope Canyon. The cost is $26 per person, and if you bring a tripd that is longer than 1.5 feet, you can get a photographer's pass, and you can stay for around 4 hours. If you don't have a tripod, a guide will take you through the canyon, and you can only visit for an hour and then you are out. I don't know why, but the place is not well marked. I sort of remember how to get to it from the Upper Antelope Canyon visit, it was luck that I found the place. I am sure someone in town can give you good direction.

Here's the entrance to the Lower Antelope Canyon. I just had my camera and tripod, no bags or anything, which I am glad I didn't have that on my back. It is fairly narrow, but manageable.

While we were there, there is a group of photographers who signed up for a photo work shop. The instructor came from Sedona area, but I didn't ask for his name. This lady here was shooting a Canon 5D and a big, wide L series lens, various people have fancy gears, expensive carbon tripod, etc. What recession, right? :)

Unlike the Upper Antelope section, there are some fairly narrow spots in this canyon. It wasn't too windy this time, so we were not showered with sand like the last time. I don't think I got any sand/dust on the sensor, but the camera was covered with sand from the first trip.

Hiking Around Snow Bowl

Side trail.

Young aspens

The day started off with clear sky, by noon time, the cloud loomed over the peaks, there were actually patches of ice/snow on top of the mountain. There were quite a bit of people up there, taking the lift to go up to the peaks. Been there, don't want to do it again since dangling high up on a ski lift is just not for me, :)

Fay Canyon Hike

Going up to the arch.



Fay Canyon is a fairly easy hike, unless you want to reach the arch. It was fairly rough path up to the arch, but we're glad we did it.

The trail is very shady in the afternoon, and the temperature difference is quite noticeable.

To get there:
South on 89A (from Flagstaff direction), turn right on Dry Creek Rd.
Turn Left on 152C
Turn Left on Boynton Pass Rd.
The first parking lot on the left is for Fay Canyon. If you go a little further, 1/4mile maybe, you will see the parking for Doe Mountain trail, which we visited last week.

Camera - Olympus E500.

Inside West Fork- more pics.

If you get a chance to go to Sedona, make sure to visit West Fork. From Sedona, head north on 89A (towards Flagstaff). The charge is $8 per car. Make sure to go early, since parking is limited. We hiked for 4 hours round trip, and that included stopping for snapshots. we crossed 13 creek crossings. I wore sandals, so I waded through the water, no the makeshift bridge (usually fallen tree trunks, rocks).

Mossy creek side.

Deep into the canyon.

..

West Fork

A month ago, Oak Creek was flooded with snow melt, and much of West Fork was still covered in snow/ice. We turned around on the third creek crossing. Today, we crossed 13 creek crossings, almost to the end of the West Fork. The creek water was clear, and not very deep, cold, yes, but refreshing.

Spring is definitely here at this elevation. A lot of birds and butterflies, and we even heard a hummingbird flying by with their distinct sound they make.

Not sure about these, but I think they are apple blossoms.

We spent 4 hours hiking the 3.5 miles of trail. Tired, but fun. Had a great dinner at Salsa Brava, and enjoyed a couple margaritas, you know, we had to replenish the salt, :).

One tank adventure - GC

A quick day trip to Grand Canyon, again, :), can't get tired of the place. Our original goal was to hike the Kaibab trail, but it was a little too icy to continue too far, so we walked to the Yaki point, and then walked around the south rim trail a little. Here is a picture of the Kaibab trail, close to the trail head, some crazy switchback. Because it is mostly in the shade, portions of the trail is still iced over. I believe park ranger has put saw dust on the ice, but we'll wait until it has thawed.

This shot is along the rim trail from Kaibab trail to Yaki point. You can not drive to Yaki point, only shuttle or walk.

This shot was taken west of Mather point, on the rim trail. If you are wondering why over 200 + people get hurt each year, here's a good example. She is in blue, sitting on top of the ledge. Last year, a 4 year old fell to her death after her parents wanted her to stand close to the edge to get a good picture. She lost her footing and fell 250 feet. This ledge here has a shear drop off of maybe over a thousand feet, straight down.

Hey! Stay on the trail! South Rim.