Day 52 - Wednesday, March 24

Our big event of today was to sign up for an Antelope Canyon tour given only by the native Navajo people.  A native Navajo, Gerald, was our tour guide today.  We are always leary about these "local" tours that are not cheap, but we went for it.  It was a trip of a lifetime!  What a beautiful tour!  No wonder this place, this canyon, is known worldwide for it's beauty.  One of the most photographed places on earth!  No individual comments follow except for a few - the pictures speak for themselves.  For more detailed information click here ANTELOPE CANYON

Load 'em up

Up the Canyon wash - definitely 4-wheel drive territory

Arrival at the entrance to the "slot"

Our guide giving a few instructions about being "courteous" to all the other groups coming and going.  Not too crowded this time of year, but he said it get's really crazy in season.  As you'll see below, one simply cannot take enough pictures.  And the view changes with the moving sun as the rays find their way into the "slot" at different openings at the top, changing the scene even as you are looking at it.  But there is always another group behind so, while about an hour inside, it seemed just too short.  We took the 10:30am tour (putting us inside the "slot" about 11:00am) which was one of the "prime time" tours due to the sun being more directly overhead.

Looking up (as most of the pictures are) but I quickly learned to not shoot pictures with the sky included.  The brightness of the sky/sun wipe out the vivid colors.

This is just inside the "slot" looking back at the entrance

Sand falling from the desert above and cascading over a rock ledge

Out of the canyon on the top side but going back in for the return, a back track, to our transportation

A beam of sunlight hitting the "slot" floor accentuated by sand that was thrown up into the air by our guide