Hi all,
Giles wrote:
>You have probably gone and wont get to read this but I will stick my oar
>in anyway.
>
>You have a 90/2 macro, IMO you do not also need to take the 85/2 or 50/3.5
>macro.
You're a minimalist then? :-) As it turns out, you were right. I never
used the 85 or the 50 macro, but the 90 was used only sparingly. This was
not a trip for macro. It turns out that for hikes I couldn't stand to be
without the zooms, so I took the 35-105 and all my wide primes in a hip
pack and the 85-250 separately in my backpack. Pressed for time, we hiked
Guadalupe Peak in Guadalupe National Park in W. Texas in 2 hours carrying
this kit plus the Bogen. It's not that high (though it's the highest point
in Texas) at about 8750 ft (or is it 8950?), but the rise is 4000 feet over
4 miles, so we were out of gas at the summit but recovered as the light got
good over the backside of El Capitan in the "foreground".
Recommendation: Always take a flashlight when there is even a CHANCE that
you might be out after sundown. We broke from the summit at the last
possible moment and got back to the parking lot with about 5 minutes to
spare before total darkness would have left us flailing through brush and
who knows what to make for the nearest lights. Not a good feeling; quite a
stupid feeling, actually.
RonS asked about arrangements to go into Antelope Canyon. We followed Dave
Bulger's advice from about a year ago and contacted Roger Ekis (Antelope
Canyon Tours) in Page AZ. Antelope is on Navajo land. There are Navajo
tour guides. The non-Navajo guides are required actually to accompany the
tour group and give a tour. The Navajo don't have to do this. Roger was
out with a broken leg. His assistant Bob gave us a helpful tour and then
got out of the way. I talked with Roger by phone and I'm sure asked
questions he'd heard for the millionth time and got his well-honed standard
answers ("Will I need a lens longer than 100mm?" "Don't cut yourself
short, Joel. Take everything you've got.") So, yes, I even took the
300/4.5 into the slots, and though I didn't use it, I did use the 85-250
occasionally. Otherwise, 35mm and 24mm were my main lenses. Uhmm, 2-series
screens are really helpful ...
To get back to your question, Ron. March is not yet prime season for
Antelope Canyon. I gather it becomes more of a zoo in a month or so. I'm
expecting a casino to pop up any day now. ;-) We had a reservation Tuesday
but the light wasn't great, so we just rescheduled for Wednesday. This may
not be as easy in a month or so. If we do this again next year, we may
just roll into Page and take our chances. One good thing about Roger's
business is that it caters specifically to photographers.
Other than the first day or so in New Mexico at White Sands NM, Guadalupe,
and then the slot country, we chased the light through all five national
parks in Utah, and though we got snowed on in Capitol Reef, we also had a
good shoot in Cathedral Valley there. Our best weather was in Canyonlands
and I think a shot of Druid Arch may be the closest thing to a slam dunk on
the trip.
Some of the Provia should be coming back from Fuji processing in the next
day or so. I hope there will be something to share down the road (when I'm
done doing all the "honey-do's" required to "pay" for this trip).
It's good to be home, but all in all I wish I could get up tomorrow and
find another canyon to explore, armed with a hip pack, a Bogen, a liter of
water, and a couple granola bars. Roar. (And a flashlight.)
Joel Wilcox
Iowa City, Iowa USA
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