42nd Anniversary Trip to the Grand Canyon

Eileen and I have been taking anniversary trips to the Grand Canyon since February, 1970.  When we moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1987 we began going almost every year.  Our anniversary month is February.  That is a great month to visit the Canyon!  Cheaper room rates are available and you have the ability to drive yourself to more locations along the south rim.

This year I was toting a new wide-angle lens designed to be used on my crop-sensor camera the Canon EOS 50D.  The lens, a Tokina 11-16mm, f2.8, provides the same field of view as a 17 to 26mm lens would provide on a full-frame sensor camera.  This lens is very sharp and is also a great lens to use indoors with a flash.

At the Canyon I was interested to see how the difference in viewpoint would affect my photos.  I purposely shot the same scene at different focal lengths in order to test this idea.  I'll start with a comparison of the focal lengths and then move on to more general scenic photos with explanations.

Here is a photo taken with my Canon 28-70  lens set at 28mm.

Here is a photo of the same area taken with the Tokina set at 11mm.

Finally, here is the same area taken with the Tokina set at 16mm.

Verkamps was a merchandising icon at the Canyon for nearly 100 years.  Last year the family owners sold the building to the National Park Service.  It is now a combined Visitor Center and gift shop.  The family left behind a very large painting of the Canyon and it still graces its wall.

El Tovar is the queen of the Rim hotels at the Canyon.  Over 100 years old, the hotel is famed for its gingerbread architecture and world famous dining room.  Its not a cheap place to stay.  I was quoted a room rate of $250.00 for one night. 

For years Santa Fe railroad served the Grand Canyon from Williams, AZ.  That service was abandoned for several decades but 20 or so years ago service was re-opened by the Grand Canyon Railroad.  Trains leave Williams at about 9am and reach the Grand Canyon before noon.  The train returns to Williams at 3:30.  A simple round-trip ticket costs about $50.00.  Each car has a cabin attendant to watch after your needs.  Some cars are domed, affording excellent views.  There is a snack bar car.  Western entertainment is included along the rails.

Here is an interesting highway sign we saw in the park.  Not only are mountain lions present in the park but they also carry the plague virus.

The view from Hopi Point.

A view of Pre-Cambrian sediments from Moran Point.

I call this view 2 Trees.

The snowy mountains around Flagstaff, AZ.

Dr. Paul L. Bauer

My uncle Paul L. Bauer passed away in late December, 2010.  He was 95 years old.  An osteopathic surgeon, he practiced medicine for 50 years in Oklahoma and Florida.  He began his practice in Binger, OK, delivering babies and providing general care to a mostly rural population.  He received 25 dollars for delivering a baby.  He often received food as a payment in the cash-poor economy. 

In 1952 he moved his family to Lake Worth, FL and opened a practice there.  Working with other osteopathic physicians, he established Columbia Hospital in West Palm Beach, FL.  He retired from practice in 1992.  A kind and generous man, he was revered in the community.  He was greeted by many as I traveled around Palm Beach county with him.

He was an avid snorkeler and SCUBA diver.  He and his wife Marjorie had traveled the world to dive and capture fish for his seawater aquarium.

Paul was one of 3 Bauer brothers.  My dad Howard was the oldest.  Edward was the youngest.  They all grew up in the Houston, Texas area.

Below are some family photographs of Uncle Paul and his family.

 Howard Bauer on the left, Paul Bauer on the right.

 Howard and Paul Bauer at the beach in Galveston, TX.

 Paul Bauer at his Oklahoma office.

 Paul Jr., Marjorie, Carole, and Dr. Paul Bauer.

Dr. Paul Bauer over the years.

Florida December 2010

I recently made a trip to Florida.  I was in the Palm Beach area on the east coast.  The weather ranged from quite chilly for that area to nice warm days.  The ocean itself was a balmy 70 or so degrees.


I was struck by the number of bird species that were there.  Although I had been to Florida many times before, my interest in photographing birds is a recent activity.  Wild parrots (or escapees) were all around.  Shorebirds teemed at the shore and lakes.

Below are some photos of the area and wildlife.
Flung spume on a windy day.

 Banyan trees in Lake Worth, FL.

 Wild parrots.

 A "hairy" lilly.

 Great Blue Heron.

 Relaxing by Lake Worth.

 The shore.  Sea grapes on the slope.

 A gull, container ship, and a sailboat.

 Lifeguard station.

 Ibiss.

 Pelican.

 Surfer dude.

 Traveler palm.

The architecture of the area ranges from palatial to quirky.  Automobiles range from junkers to Rolls.

A plover.

 Fish market in West Palm Beach.

 Yachts and homes in Palm Beach.

 The Breakers resort in Palm Beach.

 Ibis coming in for a landing.

 Ibis.

 Fishing Pier at Lake Worth.

 Marina on Singer Island.

 Bently in Lake Worth.

 Condos on Singer Island.

Toroweap Overlook on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

The Toroweap Overlook area of Grand Canyon National Park is one of the least visited areas of the park. The Toroweap area is one place that does not charge either an entrance fee or a camping fee.

To get there you must drive on a gravel road for 60 miles after leaving pavement.  The best maintained road to Toroweap leaves Arizona Highway 389 about 5 miles west of  Fredonia, Arizona.  The road is suitable even for sedans who will go slow in dry weather.  In wet weather there are portions that will cause even a 4WD vehicle to slip and slide.  The road meanders generally southwest to the park entrance.  The road gets rocky and very slow once inside the park.

There are a few campsites in the Toroweap area.  The campsites have a fire ring and a picnic table.  There are composting toilets available.  There used to be two marvelously located campsites almost literally on the canyon edge.  Those have been converted to day-use-only sites.  There are no other services at Toroweap.  Make sure your tanks are full of gas and you carry sufficient water and food for your trip.

Be warned that there are no guardrails along the canyon edge.  One miss-step and you will be making a 3500 foot plunge.

When you are at Toroweap you are about halfway down the geologic column that you encounter at both the North Rim Lodge or the South Rim Visitor Center area.  When you are standing on the edge of the canyon at Toroweap and look back to the north, the top of the hills you see are where you would be standing if you were at the South Rim.  

The main reason folks come to Toroweap, is the stomach-tingling view over the edge.  The only time I have looked directly down is when I crawled on my belly to the edge and stuck my head over.  It's a dizzying look.  Several tourists have lost their lives by falling over the edge.

The Colorado River, one of the most important waterways in the United States, is cutting its way through theses rocks.  Where rock falls into the canyon, rapids are formed.  If you listen carefully, you can hear the rushing water.

Fire has also played an important role in the development of the Grand Canyon.  Lava flows have blocked the canyon several times.  Lakes were formed which stretched back up the canyon from the dam.  Once the dame was over-topped by the lake, the water wore away the dam.  You can see evidence of the dams just downstream from Toroweap.  Look at the dark rocks on the far side of the canyon in the next photo.  Those are lava flows.

Many of the lava flows come from a volcanic cone called Vulcan's Throne on the north side of the river.

 The area between the Colorado River and the Arizona-Utah state line is called the Arizona Strip.  The Strip was originally settled by Mormon pioneers.  It is one of the largest areas in the country without paved roads.  It is a great place to explore and get away from other people. Here are some photos of the Arizona Strip.

Small volcanic knobs on the Arizona Strip.

Fall Weeds on the Arizona Strip.

Sagebrush and Pinion Pine on the hillside.

Gooey mud from showers.

                                        

Rain on the Arizona Strip.

Mammulus clouds over the Arizona Strip.

Rainbow near Vermilion Cliffs.

Boulders near Vermilion Cliffs.

New and old Navajo bridges over Colorado River.

Colorado River at Navajo Bridge.