Day 5: Oh Deer!*

 *Alternate Title: Hoodoo You Do 

Still in redirection mode, it looked like I was reasonably close to some other hoodoos to the south, so I headed out early while it was still dark to get in as much as I could.  I am always conscious of deer whenever I travel in darkness on two-lane roads, like this morning.  I saw several deer crossing signs along the way, but when I saw the huge automated, construction-type sign warning of deer for the next 40 miles, I knew they were serious.  I backed my speed down 10 mph under the limit and became extra vigilant.  Then I saw one in a small town on the edge of the road, then a little while later I saw several more off the road.  Finally, I saw one standing and staring right in front me!  I don’t know if I blinked for a second, if I came around a turn, or what (memory in traumatic moments is sometimes incomplete), but it seemed like he (she?) suddenly appeared.  I immediately stomped on the breaks (remember, you don’t want to swerve), and the deer quickly leaped away.  Unfortunately, when I hit the brakes, anything inside the van that wasn’t securely anchored lurched forward: my bags on the bed, canned goods, pots & pans, my camera backpack, and a home-built wooden structure that supports the slide-out electric cooler. S__t!!!  (Actually I probably said something else!).  I was shaking a little and now incredibly paranoid.  I wasn’t far from Kanab so planned to stop there and survey the damage.  Along the way I saw three fresh — and I mean fresh — deer kills on the highway.  This area obviously has a ton of deer (or they’re just more cavalier about crossing roads than smart Michigan deer 😜).

 

Construction-type sign warning of deer crossing on Hwy 89 north of Kanab

I took these shots later that day on way back

When I get to Kanab I pulled into a hotel parking lot that had good lighting.  First thing, look at the batteries.  Yep, they had slid forward again but except for the alligator clips, the connections appeared to be secure.  I pulled the batteries back and reattached the alligator clips (with the c-clamp).  I then picked up everything and slid the wooden enclosure back in place.  Some screws had pulled out, but there was nothing I could do about that — it was at lest stable.  But there was another problem: the side sliding door wouldn’t open.  I tried everything but couldn’t get it to budge. I fretted over this the rest of my drive and hoped that it was a simple fix.  I checked it again at my next stop and miraculously it opened easily!  I don’t Know what happened, but I was thanking the door gods for this!

 

With that mishap behind me, I focused on the task ahead of me: photos (no pun intended).  My first stop was the Toadstool Hoodoos, which is a semi-popular hiking/tourist spot.  This was very interesting, and I probably spent an hour or more shooting.  Then I went up the road to a lesser known spot: the Lower Rimrock Hoodoos.  The long hike first required me to open a cattle gate and hike through a grassland pasture.  The hoodoos (actually just one main large hoodoo) weren’t quite as interesting as the Toadstool Hoodoos, but it was a worthy hike nonetheless.

 

Toadstool Hoodoos

Toadstool Hoodoos

At Toadstool Hoodoos

Toadstool Hoodoos

Cool rocks at Lower Rimrock Hoodoos

Lower Rimrock Hoodoos

I was less than an hour from Page, AZ and Horseshoe Bend, which was on my “if time permits” list.  Since I indeed had the time, I headed that way.  While images of Horseshoe Bend are ubiquitous (in magazines, as screen savers, on calendars, etc.) I thought it was still worthy of a stop. And, perhaps I could put a special spin on the scene, despite fact that conditions were not optimal (no clouds, harsh lighting, not at sunset/sunrise, etc.).  There were quite a few people here (many wearing masks), which surprised me a little, but a positive. 

 

Kayakers along the Colorado River

Horseshoe Bend

Along the way to Horseshoe Bend, I made an impromptu stop at the Wahweap Overlook scenic turnout that overlooks Lake Powell.  Beautiful!  The water was ultra-blue and the skies clear (again, some clouds would have been nice).

 

Lake Powell (part of it)

With shooting done for the day, I headed to my campsite, which was on the other side of the road from the Lower Rimrock Hoodoos.  I was hoping the calamities were all behind me now and tat the final stage of my trip would go without a hitch!  Let’s hope!!!