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They can be dangerous too. A year or so ago eleven people were killed at Lower Antelope due to a flash flood. The only survivor Pablo, a tour guide, can be seen being attended to by members of the rescue team. I am indebted to Bob Wombacher for this image from the video he shot at the time. I understand two of the bodies have yet to be found. They are likely to have been washed 3-4 miles into Lake Powell.

Slot canyons are often very narrow,deep and overhanging. Some are less than a yard wide and drop for over a hundred feet from the rim to the canyon floor. Sculptured by wind and water they feature waves and curls and the effect and colour will depend on the position of the sun,time of day and time of year.

Today started with a long drive down to Page in Arizona, stopping briefly at the Coral pink dunes near Kanab. These were very disappointing, the beauty of the dunes having been spoilt by marks left by dune buggies. I arrived in Page early enough to spend the afternoon in one of the Antelope slot canyons. However I did have one major problem. As I was taking the photo gear out of the rental car I accidentally knocked the keys onto the backseat and a gust of wind closed the door locking everything inside. Great!!! However the Indians who run the Slots organised a locksmith from Page and he was there in twenty minutes ! I did get a spare key for my trouble though Alamo rental refusd to refund any money at the end of the rental.

Though interesting , it is not nearly as photogenic as the the slots near Page I would be visiting later. I wanted to get to the petrified forest in Escalente before sunset but the trek back to the car took too long though I did manage a shot or two of the locals and some fall images by the lake near the entrance to the forest.

The main reason for coming down this road was to visit one of the slot canyons in the Dry Fork Coyote Gulch area. A further 14 and a half miles from Devils Garden you turn left down an unmarked rough road. From the parking lot - a further two miles on - there is a strenuous ( for me very strenuous ) hike down to the bed of the Coyote Gulch. Then on the left you'll find the easiest of the slots in the area - Dry Fork. Others are Peek-a-Boo, Spooky, and Brimstone. Below is a typical view down Dry Fork.

Off to Escalente and down the Hole-in- the-Rock road, five miles east of the town. Its a dirt and sometimes rough road and after 12 miles you get to Devils Garden. There are some interesting rock formations and it is definately worth a stop for an hour or so.

As you will see from the above map it was quite a long trip lasting three weeks with quite a few highs and a few lows. The flight via Newark from Manchester ( UK ) to SF was delayed quite a bit so combined with a wait for my hire car I set off to my first motel quite late. Luckily it turned out to be only a block away so my driving skills were not to be tested that first evening. The changeover in Newark was an opportunity for a few pictures and as you can see below you get a view of the New York skyline from Newark airport.