We’re in our sixth week of being on the road. We started out heading Down East for our Summertime on the Maine Coast photo workshop, then to New Hampshire for my mother’s service and an annual reunion with childhood buddies and their “spice.” At the end of August, we began our journey westward with a stop in the Chicago area to visit our “kids” and grandkids for several days.

I always love driving cross country. We have traveled to many parts of the world, all of which we love, but we do live in a magnificent part of the world. With the exception of, perhaps, Australia, our country has an incredibly varied landscape with a geological history that well shows the power of nature.

When we do our road trips, we get in the car and drive long stints, taking turns at the wheel. While Arnie was driving, I took the time to catch up on paperwork, my computer plugged into one of those wonderful power converters. From Chicago, we headed southwest down through Illinois to Missouri. Our first stop was in Joplin, almost on the Missouri/Oklahoma border. The next day, we traversed Kansas and its miles of rolling hills planted with various crops, then into Texas, passing wistfully yet again by the sign to Palo Duro, a place that one day I will visit. It seems that my timing is always wrong for a stop there. Perhaps next year…

Gertrude (our GPS) indicated that we were making good time and that Albuquerque was a good place to spend the next night. I love Alburquerque and have made many stops there over the years on my way to different parts of the Southwest, to San Diego, to the desert, etc.

After checking in at our hotel, we headed into Old Town and wandered about. Tourism is definitely down. What is usually a vibrant and bustling part of town was very subdued and quiet. There were no waits at the restaurants, and many of the shops were closed earlier than I remembered from my other visits there. A concert in town may have had something to do with it, but still, there were plenty of parking places, so our economy has had a definite impact on tourism. We wandered around the streets, ducking into this or that small plaza. In one, we found this unusual fountain. What made it for me, was the combination of eerie light and shadow.

Alburquerque is always a feast for the eyes. We returned the next morning to drop off a bracelet of mine for repair at the Santo Domingo Trading Post. I am not a shopper, but I can get into a lot of trouble in a trading post, and this one I visit every time I am in Alburquerque. I love old Indian jewelry. I have pieces that my great grandmother got on her trips to the southwest back in the teens and twenties.

Afterwards, we photographed around the old square. We were both attracted to the strings of peppers that adorn just about anything — eaves, doorways, etc. They are so colorful against the adobe walls.We needed to do some final scouting at Canyon de Chelly, so we headed up through Navajoland. After a quick stop at the historic Hubbell Trading Post, we took a circuitous route to the Canyon on an unpaved road to the painted desert in this area. These moonscapes are always fascinating, and Arnie and I had to tear ourselves away to get to Chinle.

We started with the South Rim and visited a number of the overlooks. As the sun was setting, thunderstorms gathered, and we saw the most incredible sky either of us has ever witnessed, and we have both seen a lot of big skies in our time. The setting sun streamed sideways and behind the walls of rain, making them glow pink and orange.

It started out with subdued colors.Then the riot of colors began. As the sun set, the clouds lit up in places, making a dynamic contrast against the inky black ones.After the sun set, most people left the overlook. Arnie and I stayed, because experience has taught us that the most magnificent skies often are seen a half or three-quarters of an hour after sunset.

And this is where the light changed, minute by minute. Arnie and I were enthralled and drop-jawed at the spectacle. It was unbelievable. As Arnie said, it was something out of the special effects in Star Wars. For me, it was mystical and magical. Even the Navajo who have lived here for centuries said they had never seen skies like this.As you can see, the skies were glorious.

Workshop Updates

There is only one spot left in our Lighthouses of the Outer Banks. Write to us first through the Barefoot Contessa Photo Adventures contact page, however, to make sure it is still available.

As always, if you are contemplating one of our workshops, be sure to make room reservations early. There are a number of locations where rooms will go quickly. Remember, you can always cancel later if necessary and not pay any penalty! If “our” inn or hotel is full, or if you prefer to stay elsewhere, we always have links to other choices.

Remember, too, that spouses and SOs are always welcome to join us. In fact, we are welcoming back two today at Canyon de Chelly. We go to some great locations that they may enjoy, even though they aren’t photographers.

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