OK, 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.
I 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.
But 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.
Photo 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.
I 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.
I was surprised to actually see the red glow from the Boundary Fire burning on Kendrick Peak not far north of Flagstaff.
After 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.
A 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.
Slowly, the red ball of fiery sun slowly rose above the distant Echo Cliffs creating a soft glow on the wisps of clouds.
More light revealed the layers of plateaus across the canyon.
Until finally the glow was almost too bright to look at.
So I moved to the west side of the point for the soft glow of first light on Wotan’s Throne and the canyon walls.
Then took a slow drive home with a stop along the way at Roosevelt Point.
Plus a geranium lined invitation to the Ken Patrick trail along the Cape Royal Road.
And one of the few places to see Colorado Columbine in bloom along the Cape Royal Road.
First stop, Golden Canyon, considered the most popular hike in the park. A moderate 3 mile round trip trail with some easy rock scrambling ending at a canyon headwall. Or make the hike longer on the Gower Gulch Loop or head to Zabriskie Point.
