My November 2018 Photo of the Month is MC1, taken at sunset of the Colorado River’s Marble Canyon in Arizona.
MC1 Background
November is an important month to me. Career, parenting, and other concerns of life keep me at home or the office through much of the year. Thanksgiving weekend is at this stage in my life the longest time I have to enjoy the travel and photography I love to do.
Instead of turkey and Black Friday, I have been planning a 4-day roadtrip over the last few years. The last 2 years, I focused primarily on different parts of Arizona. This year, I saw several parts of Northern Arizona.
MC1 was not my intended result. I was driving to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, with the intent of catching a sunset. The North Rim is usually closed during the first snowstorm of November, or on December 1. As it turned out, the first snowstorm happened while I was driving on Arizona Highway 67 and close to the gate into the park. At one point, I was at 8,800 feet and snow was falling fast, with winds that were shaking my Ford Escape. Being in a 2-wheel drive vehicle with no snow chains, it was pretty apparent I needed to turn back.
Disappointed, I was headed down Route 89A heading back to Flagstaff. I passed the twin bridges of Marble Canyon heading to the Grand Canyon. As it turned out, this would be fortuitous as I now had time to stop. In this photo, I am standing 466 feet above the river on the 1929 Navajo Bridge (the 1995 bridge only supports vehicular traffic). Looking North, you can see the beauty and majesty of Marble Canyon, as well as how it’s easily differentiated from Glen Canyon up river, and the Grand Canyon down river.
I had a lot of other fun on the trip. There was a guided tour of the upper cliff dwelling in Tonto National Monument. I did make a sunrise visit to the South Rim of Grand Canyon. Another great thing I did was hike in the Hualapai Mountains South of Kingman, site of Camp Levi Levi where I attended my first Summer Camp in 1989. And in continuation of my Area 4 History project for Scouting, I got to meet a great guy named Karl Hartmetz who was a Cahuilla Lodge Chief in 1974.
On To December
December brings other opportunities. Beyond 2 weeks with my daughter for the Holidays and a trip to Colorado to see my parents (her Grandparents), the Christmas and New Year’s holidays should bring a couple additional road trips with some wonderful opportunities. Can’t wait for it. After, there will be no more 2018….where did the year go?
As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the image.
Further Viewing
Photos of the Month Portfolio Gallery
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.
It’s a lovely image and reminds to me spend more time in northern Arizona.
Thanks Joe! Happy Holidays to you and your family.