on 10/9/02 9:27 AM, Garth Wood at garth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Greetings, everyone.
>
> Being a silly Canadian, I have no knowledge whatsoever of the area known as
> the "Four Corners" in the American Southwest, nor any real idea of the Grand
> Canyon (North or South Rims). The reason I'm talking about this is to solicit
> some advice.
>
> I'll be flying into Denver in early November with the better half plus a
> couple of dear friends (best combination of flight availability from Edmonton,
> flight type [non-stop] and price), spending a while in Santa Fe and then
> heading off to Flagstaff with plans to use it as an exploration base for the
> Grand Canyon and/or any other sights in the vicinity. Of course, I'm bringing
> a minimalist kit (probably the OM-4, a 21/2.0, a 50/1.2 and a Vivitar 2x macro
> focusing teleconverter). I *might* also bring a tripod, but I just find
> myself really chafing under the burden of having one strapped to me all day
> long...
I think it you're going to the Grand Canyon you should take a longer lens
also... maybe a 135/2.8 to use with the 2x converter...
>
>
> Questions:
>
> 1. Is there a pro camera shop in Denver (or, second choice, Santa Fe) where I
> can purchase a brick of Provia or Velvia? Is it open on Sundays? (I'm
> getting tired of doing the "*please* hand-inspect my film" shtick with airport
> security, and post-9/11, I really don't want to raise *any* fuss if I can help
> it -- full-body cavity searches have never been a turn-on for me).
I think a city the size of Denver will have someone selling a wide choice of
films... not sure if they would be open on Sunday. How about checking an
'online yellow pages' site for info?
>
> 2. What's to do around Santa Fe? I've got the guidebooks, but I'd like
> recommendations from any and all who know of good photographic opportunities.
My folks tell me there are some good restaurants...
>
> 3. North Rim or South Rim? The North's a much longer drive, but I'm also told
> it's far superior to the South Rim, with less tourists and better vistas. Is
> early November late enough in the year to get away from the hordes in the
> South, or should I just grit my teeth, get up at 4:00 A.M. in Flagstaff, and
> head to the North Rim for the sunrise?
IIRC, the North Rim is about 200+ miles around from the South Rim. You will
miss the sunrise if you're trying to get there from Flagstaff. The roads are
mostly two-lanes, except for Interstate 40 (?) and there isn't much out
there. Remember too that Flagstaff is a pretty high altitude and you might
get snow in early November, certainly it can be cold... but why am I saying
this to a Canadian...!? Canyon Rim is at ~5000+ feet, I was there once
around Christmas and there was snow on the ground...
>
> 4. Any other suggestions as to where to go? (Obvious good-natured insults get
> sent to /dev/null/).
There are a number of other parks in the Four Corners are, some which are
supposed to be pretty nice. Check into Bryce Canyon NP, Arches NP. You might
try to get to the Indian (Native Americans...) Cliff Dwellings also, I think
there are some that are NP and some that are on reservations in that area.
>
> 5. Hotels/motels that were your favourites?
We didn't stay there, but there is a NP lodge at the South Rim. It looked a
little old, but you couldn't beat the location, especially for sunrise
pictures...
>
>
> Thanks, everyone.
>
> Garth
--
Jim Brokaw
OM-1's, -2's, -4's, (no -3's yet) and no OM-oney...
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