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You can bathe in Flagstaff.....but it'll cost ya!

Entry

This sign greets you as you enter the Navajo Reservation on Leupp Road east of Flagstaff.

Peek-a-Boo

A closeup shot of the trunk of a ponderosa pine tree with Humphrys Peak seen in the background. Click the photo to view it larger and get a better view of the texture of the bark.

Jump!

During a hike to Bell Rock in Sedona, I caught this "action shot" of my wife. She loves to have me take pictures of her jumping in the air and after 8 years together I have quite the collection.

At Work

This is me at work photographing the scenery around Bell Rock in Sedona, AZ. A walk on Bell Rock Pathway, a trail just outside of town, gives you great views of the surrounding Red Rock Country. Cathedral Rock can be seen in the background, one of the most famous rock formations in the Sedona area.

Little Colorado River

Grand Falls 1625a, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

This is the Little Colorado River, just downstream from Grand Falls. You can see how the river got its name, "colorado" in Spanish means 'colored' or 'reddened'.

Navajo Reservation

Navajo Reservation 1530aa, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

I think this really represents the openness and isolation of the Navajo Reservation. On the Res it's possible to drive for hours and not see another human being. It's amazing and beautiful country.

Navajo Reservation 1650a

Navajo Reservation 1650a, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

Part of the road bed on Navajo Rout 70 on the way to Grand Falls.

Pine cone on cinders

Pine cone on cinders, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

I found this field of fallen pine cones while out shooting at Sunset Crater Volcano and I liked the randomness of their arrangement on the cinders. The contrast of the reddish brown cones and black cinders is also nice. I was able to get some nice bokeh in the background too with a large aperture size.

Warming Up

Warming Up, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

I caught this little guy sunning himself on a rock in Canyon de Chelly near Chinle, AZ. If any one knows what type of lizard it is, I'd love to know

Grand Falls 1624a

Grand Falls 1624a, originally uploaded by dustinjblodgett.

Here's a photo from the base of Grand Falls and a little downstream. I still can't believe how the color of the water almost perfectly matches the color of the surround rock. I read a stat somewhere that the Falls are made up of approximately 50% water and 50% silt. Amazing!

From the East

This photo was taken from an overpass of I-40 about 15 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona. The snow-covered mountains you see in the background are the San Francisco Peaks, an extinct volcanic mountain.

Sedona Panorama

A panoramic view of the Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is the second most visited place in the state of Arizona; the Grand Canyon being the first. Click here to see a larger version of this photo at Flickr.com.

Feet Over the Edge

My feet in front of Grand Falls on the Navajo Reservation.

Agave

The spiny leaves of an agave plant in Sedona, Arizona.

Bell Rock Pathway

Wow, I have really been slacking lately with posting photos everyday. I apologize to all my daily visitors. I promise to be better in the future.

My wife and I went down to Sedona the other day to visit some friends and while there we, of course, couldn't resist going for a hike to enjoy the warm Sedona weather. We hiked the Bell Rock Pathway, one of Sedona's easiest and most beautiful trails. The trail switchbacks up much of the side of Bell Rock and allows for some pretty awesome views. Please consider this hike if you are planning a future trip to Sedona. The photo above was taken halfway up the side of Bell Rock looking north toward Sedona.

Canyon Wall

This is the canyon wall above the White House Ruins in Canyon de Chelly near Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. If you look closely, you can see a couple of ravens circling in the upper right hand corner.

Middle of Nowhere

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Grand Falls is essentially in the middle of nowhere. This is pretty well represented by the above photo of my Escape, which I took from a hillside on the way to Grand Falls. The Navajo Reservation is a vast area of approximately 26,000 square miles of mostly undeveloped and uninhabited land. In my opinion, the Navajo Reservation is home to some of the most rugged and beautiful landscapes in the United States.

Grand Falls

At 185 ft high, Grand Falls is actually higher than Niagara Falls (167 ft), however, nearly no one knows about them. Located on the Navajo Reservation, about 45 miles northeast of Flagstaff, the Falls are part of the Little Colorado River, a tributary of the Colorado River which carved out the Grand Canyon. Also called Chocolate Falls because of its dark brownish color, the Falls carry tons of silt over its edge every minute.

It was very difficult to capture the real size of Grand Falls in my photographs, but in this one cars can be seen parked at the top of the Falls in the top right of the photograph. This gives you some idea of the immensity of Grand Falls. Unfortunately, the Falls aren't always running. Only during early Spring, when the snow on the nearby mountains starts to melt and sometimes during the Summer monsoon season is there water passing over the edge of the Falls. So if you plan a trip out there, do your best to time it right so you can enjoy the full effect of Grand Falls.

Now Exiting

This is the entrance and exit to the Navajo Reservation located in northeastern Arizona and is the largest Native American Reservation in the United States covering more than 26,000 square miles. The snow covered mountains in the photo are the San Francisco Peaks, a volcanic mountain range just north of Flagstaff.

Forgotten

I took a little photography field trip out to the Navajo Reservation yesterday to visit Grand Falls. I'll be posting more on the Falls in future posts so stay tuned. Anyway, I took the above photo off of Navajo Route 70, a wide, dirt road essentially in the middle of nowhere. You can see where, over the years, passersby have taken pot shots at the old car. I found it eerie, however, how good of a condition the back bumper seems to be in. Weird!

Perfect Way to Start the Day

To me, the best way to start the day is with a warm, comforting cup of coffee. I have one almost every day. I took this shot one morning last week while I was enjoying a nice cup of Joe at one of the local coffee shops in Flagstaff called Late for the Train Coffee. Late for the Train in a favorite of Flagstaff locals and has been serving pastries and coffee drinks as well as selling bags of whole bean coffee for years. If you happen to be in town and are looking for a satisfying cup of quality coffee I definitely recommend you give Late for the Train a try.

The outside of the Late for the Train coffee shop in downtown Flagstaff, Arizona.