sunset crespuscular rays Wedding site Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaOK, so my summer solstice actually began with sunset and the milky way on the 20th then I actually set the alarm for the solstice sunrise.

sunset crespuscular rays Wedding site Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaI met a friend and fellow photographer at Cape Royal in the afternoon as we’d planned to shoot the milky way.  Using the app PhotoPills, she was able to get an idea where the milky way would be at various different times.  This is an app I plan to download onto my phone in the future.

http://www.photopills.com/

sunset crespuscular rays Wedding site Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaBut first the sunset.  We found a nice bunch of rocks at the rim by the Wedding site and settled in to mostly watched the show.  I did however get out the tripod and made a few shots as the sun set behind trees on the horizon.

Gaelyn Cape Royal sunset North Rim Grand Canyon National Park Arizona by Rebecca WilksPhoto curtesy of Rebecca Wilks

Then before the milky way would rise we enjoyed a grand dinner of strawberries on brownies, angel food cake for me with heavy cream.  Very fortifying.  I mean, how can one go wrong with fruit and chocolate.

stars Angels Window Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaI am rather new to night photography so had to take a few test shots to determine what I was pointing at.  Auto focus is impossible after dark and I have difficulty using manual focus.  But with the ISO at 1600, a 20 second exposure, f-stop as wide as possible at 3.5 with my 18-200mm lens, tripod, and 2-second delay I managed to get a few shots.

stars milky way Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaI was surprised to actually see the red glow from the Boundary Fire burning on Kendrick Peak not far north of Flagstaff.

crescent moon Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaAfter being awake until almost 11pm I wasn’t sure I’d make it in the morning for the solstice sunrise.  When the alarm went off at 4am I reset it for an extra 25 minutes, then got up, made coffee, grabbed gear, and headed down the Cape Royal trail for the solstice sunrise.  I was surprised to see a small crescent of the moon as the sun lit the smoke on the horizon.

sunrise Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaA few other photographers were already out, including my friend who I didn’t see until later.  And of course, first one up gets the premier location.  I moved down the trail to find my own view.

sunrise Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park Arizona

sunrise Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaSlowly, the red ball of fiery sun slowly rose above the distant Echo Cliffs creating a soft glow on the wisps of clouds.

soltice sunrise Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaMore light revealed the layers of plateaus across the canyon.

solstice sunrise Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park Arizona

solstice sunrise Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaUntil finally the glow was almost too bright to look at.

first light Wotans Throne Cape Royal North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaSo I moved to the west side of the point for the soft glow of first light on Wotan’s Throne and the canyon walls.

crepuscular rays Brady Peak Mount Hayden Saddle Mountain from Roosevelt Point North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaThen took a slow drive home with a stop along the way at Roosevelt Point.

Geraniums Ken Patrick trail Cape Royal Road North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaPlus a geranium lined invitation to the Ken Patrick trail along the Cape Royal Road.

Colorado columbine Cape Royal Road North Rim Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaAnd one of the few places to see Colorado Columbine in bloom along the Cape Royal Road.

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