File:Coal Mine Canyon (32937653597).jpg

I cold have returned home from Kingman (no more traffic lights). But I had the thought that it would be nice to see Coal Mine Canyon, which was only a bit out of the way. So I turned north from Flagstaff and stopped at the Navajo Parks and Recreation Center in Cameron and paid $12.00 for a hiking and camping permit.

A few miles past Tuba City, I saw the windmill on the hill and turned off the highway onto a dirt road. About half a mile later I stopped at the picnic area, which is near the rim of the canyon. There was another car parked nearby. A woman was walking around with a camera, but she soon left.

I spent an hour walking along the rim and shooting down into the sunlit canyon. An occasional cloud would pass over, providing some variety to the light. Eventually the sky darkened in the northwest and serious rain squalls began to pass by. I got in the truck and drove to a location at the end of the canyon, which gave a great vantage point to watch the unfolding drama.

I sat in the truck as patches of heavy rain passed through and jumped out to photograph the varying light playing down in the canyon between squalls. The ground quickly became slippery mud. But it was worth it.

Eventually I drove over into the adjacent canyon, which is on Hopi land. The Hopis don’t allow photography anywhere on their reservation without the physical presence of a guide from the tribe. So you won’t see any photos from this beautiful canyon.