Grand Canyon and Return by Train

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Okay, so I wasn’t very good at framing photos here in early 2000. We arrived yesterday afternoon but are stingy about taking photos as there are only so many images you can store on a floppy disk. This curse of not having unlimited storage would haunt me well into the end of this year and, to some degree, the following, too. After Caroline and I got married back on January 12, 1994, we came here to the Grand Canyon National Park and stayed in the President’s Suite at the El Tovar Hotel. Six years later, it’s still magic.

John Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Seems that Caroline, too, can work on her composition skills. Who knows, maybe we were on drugs? We were probably on drugs.

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Caroline, before she tragically fell into the Grand Canyon, and I collected a ton of insurance money. No, seriously…she had a twin sister named Caroline who I live with until this day.

John Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

This was a pretty short visit to the Canyon, maybe one that will have been the shortest ever. We probably traveled with that suitcase for close to 20 years before it was retired.

Train back to Williams from the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Short of cash, we rode on top of the train all the way back to Williams, Arizona. It was cold up here. Just kidding, this is the view from the Observation Dome.

Train to the Grand Canyon

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise on the train to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

This was our first trip on the Grand Canyon Railroad to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We had already been to the South Rim half a dozen times and figured taking the train up would add a different angle to the journey; it was well worth the investment. We had reservations for the Observation Dome Car and stayed overnight at the El Tovar Hotel on the rim; this is where we stayed on our honeymoon back in January of 1994. This is a luxury.

What wasn’t a luxury was the camera. It was a Sony Mavica MVC-FD83 0.8MP Digital with 3x Optical Zoom. We opted for this model because it was only $799 compared to the 1.3MP FD88 which cost $999. Besides, the price was a staggering quality difference; while the FD83 only had 1024×768 resolution, the FD88 was shooting 1280×960 with both cameras saving their images to a floppy disk. And yes, Caroline has blue hair in this photo.

Thanksgiving to Roswell – Day 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

John Wise, Caroline Wise, and Mark Shimer at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Human bats entering the cave. We are at Carlsbad Caverns National Park and are about to enter the bowels of the Earth.

Robert Bell at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Better be careful about my metaphors else someone might think I was talking of a friend’s bowels or their full bladders.

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Okay, so the photos down here will leave a lot to desire regarding image quality, but they are the best I have to offer.

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Yay, more poor-quality cave photos are just what everybody wants and needs, right?

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Okay, how about stacks of generic lunches that are just as uninspired as their packaging?

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

Speaking of those bowels of the Earth here after lunch.

John Wise, Caroline Wise, and Mark Shimer at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico

We have emerged back on the surface and will go north in search of dinner and aliens.

Robert Bell in Roswell, New Mexico

Robert found the aliens right where you’d expect to find them. Welcome to your anal probe at Walmart.

Arizona to Utah – Day 3

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Bryce National Park in Utah

From Zion, it’s a short drive to Bryce Canyon National Park.

Caroline Wise and John Wise in Bryce National Park in Utah

We are on our way to a particular hike further into the park.

Caroline Wise in Bryce National Park in Utah

From Sunset Point, we went out for a short hike on the Navajo Loop Trail through Wall Street.

Caroline Wise and John Wise in Bryce National Park in Utah

The 1.4-mile easy trail takes you to the canyon floor and connects to several other trails, including the Under-the-Rim trail that stretches nearly 23 miles through the park.

Robert Bell in Utah

Like a dog hanging out the window.

Arizona to Utah – Day 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Antelope Slot Canyon near Page, Arizona

Spent the night in Page up next to Lake Powell, making visiting Antelope Slot Canyon as easy as pie.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Antelope Slot Canyon near Page, Arizona

The Slot Canyon is not an easy place to take photographs. While the eye easily adapts to the available light and the swirls in the sandstone take on the most sensuous of curves and colors, our little Sony Mavica struggles to capture enough light and detail.

Robert Bell at Antelope Slot Canyon near Page, Arizona

I don’t think I’ve shared this before, but Caroline and I first met Robert in the summer of 1995, just a few months after we moved from Frankfurt, Germany, to Arizona. At the time, we were the owner/operators of the Congo Internet Cafe in Scottsdale. Robert came in to check out the place, and we struck up a conversation that has lasted for four years now. The guy has a great sense of curiosity and art appreciation that resonates with us.

Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona

Seeing we are in the area and don’t have a hard schedule to conform to, we took the opportunity to visit Glen Canyon Dam and went on a guided tour to see how the place operates.

Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona

There’s something intimidating about being at the foot of the dam and seeing so much water leaking out of the rock down here. While the dam itself hasn’t sprung a leak, there are a ton of places in the sandstone in front of the dam where water is escaping. Being a layperson and not an engineer, I can only marvel in disbelief that the pressure of the Colorado River dammed up behind this giant concrete wall hasn’t made those leaks pop a cork and start a cascade of events that would catastrophically drain Lake Powell to our left.

Turn off to Pariah Movie Set in Pariah, Utah

Stop to take a photo as a reminder that this old movie set might be interesting to visit one day.

Alien in Zion National Park, Utah

The aliens have arrived in Zion National Park here in southern Utah. We are on the lookout for cows to abduct for BBQ experiments or for others who are on the same quest.

Caroline Wise who is a Resident Alien in Zion National Park, Utah

I married an especially beautiful and smart woman who makes me smile almost every time I see this face, even in photographs.

Arizona to Utah – Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Flagstaff, Arizona

It’s Friday afternoon when we get underway for a quick getaway up north into southern Utah. Robert Bell is accompanying us, so this is an Alienzoo crew kind of thing. You might guess from the trees in the background that we’ve already left Phoenix; we are, in fact, already in Flagstaff.

Flagstaff, Arizona

On rare occasions, this little camera gets some rather good results, but only on occasion.

John Wise and Caroline Wise at Wupatki National Monument in Arizona

We had to stop at Sunset Crater National Monument and then here at Wupatki National Monument because they are both beautiful places that should always be stopped at in case we see something we’ve never seen before.