MainFrame

Leaving Bryce Canyon, I traveled west, then south.

I have passed some thirty-odd "welcome to [insert state name here] signs. This is the only one I felt compelled to photograph. I was coming home, but I still had a lot to see in the final passage.

I crossed into Arizona about 1:30 in the afternoon, near Fredonia. Arizona north of the Grand Canyon is known as the Arizona Strip. It is lonely, expansive, high red desert, very remote and a long way away from population centers. It is the home of ranchers, Navaho and Hopi Indians, and some remaining polygamist sects of the Mormon church (the legal handling of which is the subject of some controversy in the current Arizona gubernatorial campaigns). Although I have lived in Arizona for over 21 years, this northernmost reach of the state is a place I have never seen before.

This is known as the Vermilion Cliffs, many miles of purple-red precipice running for miles and miles, extending from southern Utah into northern Arizona - if it weren't for the sparse green vegetation and the blue of the sky, this could be Mars.

In October, the temperatures are mild in the day, and chilly at night. In the summer, the daytime sun can be brutal. In the winter, snow frequently covers the area and the nights can be frigid. Spring and Fall are probably the best times to travel through here.

Next Page ...