Anyone have an interest in heading towards Farmington next weekend (March 11th & 12th) to photograph at the Bisti/De Ne Zine, Largo Canyon, and/or Chaco?
I'm definately interested, but know that other have expressed interest in Largo Canyon, so I might wait if there is not much interest. It might take me a time or two to find, but I'll find the place. I'd probably car camp somewhere around those parts.
I may be interested in Bisti/De-na-zin et al, but I have to see if I can arrange a travel/recovery day with work. I need a guide out of the parking lot, since I haven't had time to do more than locate it while driving back from a scouting trip through northern NM...
Are you still thinking about doing Bisti/De-Na-Zin this weekend? We are still interested and may head out Friday afternoon. The moon will be nearly full and should provide for some interesting photo opportunities.
Yah, I'm leaning towards doing this. I would also likely leave Friday afternoon and set up camp at Bisti, spend Saturday there, than head to Largo for Sat. night. Or perhaps the opposite (which would be ideal) if there is enough time to find Largo Friday night.
Posted by Adam Schallau on March 5, 2006 at 11:09 PM
What route do you take to get to Bisti and what time are you planning on arriving?
I'm coming from Denver, so I'll be needing some advance notice on where to meet up and when. It's a bit of a haul from here... I think I'll schedule my day off on Friday, and then suffer the long haul back on Sunday night.
Adam, who are you asking about routes, Brian or me?
Well the question of route depends on where I'm going to go. If it's to Bisti/De Na zi, I'd go 550. If I'm shooting for Largo, I'd probably head north and take 64 across. I can't leave work until about 3:00 on Friday, so probably the earliest I would get up there would be 6:00-6:30.
My question would be do you want to light paint in Largo Canyon? If so, I'd lean towards Largo Friday night. While there are some ruins in Crow Canyon, the main thing is the rock art (in two major panels) that can be shot relatively quickly. There are not many dramatic shots to be had during the day, IIRC. Could probably done with Crow by 10ish Saturday morning, then drive over to Bisti for rest of weekend, to include, Saturday midday scout, evening shoot, and Sunday Sunrise.
We would be covering a lot of ground in a short period of time, so I could also just skip Largo/Crow and head to the Bisti area (or go to Chaco, which is one of my favorite places on earth and probably way better than Largo/Crow). I know decision by group is often ineffective, but I'd like some input from both of you with regard to your priorities (particularly from Les since he would be driving the furtherest to get here).. I can do both, or just one or the other, depending on what you all want. But to sum it up, I'll be in the area by 6:30 on Friday. We could meet at either the gas station at the road to Chaco on 550 than drive to our camping location, or meet at the Post Office in the dusty town of Blanco on 64 and drive to Largo/Crow.
I'll be doing the Friday drive thing; I'll meet you wherever you say to meet, and can definitely make it there by 6:30. As far as I'm concerned, I'm along for the ride; I'll go where the knowledgable people are going, and since I haven't been to any of the above for more than an hour in the past I'll be happy to take in any one of them.
Meet at Chaco Canyon Campground Friday evening (it's the easiet site to find and for people to meet up in the area, and thus the best spot for the first night I think).. The camping fee is $10. Camping is first come, first serve, though I suspect on a cold potentially rainy weekend we will not need to worry about sites. There are toilet facilities at Chaco, though I would encourage people to bring water and firewood as needed (there is a fire ring/grill at each site, and as far as I'm aware there are no fire restrictions in place). As I indicated, I'll be in the area hopefully by 6:30, but I think we should meet in the campground after sunset so that instead waiting around for each other around that time of day, we are all out shooting sunset. Although I would encourage people to at least scout the campsite to see if there are options available. Dogs are allowed on a leash in the campground and in backcountry trails at Chaco.
Then we will shoot sunrise Saturday at Chaco and a quick potential back-country hike, leaving after lunch for Bisti. We will camp at Bisti (though Farmington is closer to the Bisti for those that want to stay at a hotel). Scout in the afternoon, than shoot sunset in Bisti, and sunrise the next day.
Be warned: There is a strong likelihood of rain and snow showers this weekend in the Four Corners. Bisti might be a risky proposition in such conditions. First, Bisti is a mud bowl when wet, which can be dangerous in terms of mudholes/getting stuck in the mud while hiking. And second, I believe it's borderline unethical to enter the Bisti when it's really soaked as you will leave a large impact on the place with each footprint in the brittle mud. While I still plan to head up there this weekend, I’m also open to the possibility of postponing until later if either Les or Adam is concerned about potentially not really being able to get into the Bisti with the weather situation.
That sounds great. My time at Chaco consists of one afternoon on the tour drive; an evening/morning there is more than welcome. Any lens suggestions for there? My 80-400 is at Nikon for re-repair and I might need/want to rent as a replacement if I'm shooting from the rim where I was last time.
Where is Largo, though. I searched my Delorme last night and found two Largo Canyons, both way further south than that reason; several Crow Canyons, too, but also none in the area...
PS - what does '40% chance of rain' mean in that area? Typical desert forecast (40% chance that it rains somewhere), or mountain forecast (you'll be rained on 40% of the time)?
The forecast calls for breezy, so if the rain isn't too bad I'm hoping Bisti will air-dry pretty quickly. If we have to cancel out, there's a lot of other opportunities in the area.
Denver snowstorm is settling in pretty good now; hopefully it won't sock me in completely. I haven't been out with the camera in a month.
Les- I can provide you more information about Crow/Largo this weekend, but I'd prefer not to publish it in the open because it's an area that experiences a great deal of vandalism. It's greatest protection is an absence of easy knowledge to find it. I trust you, but I know that other's could use google to quickly find this thread. It's within 20-minutes of Chaco.
40% is fairly significant for at least intermitent showers, with a chance of a real localized gully washer not out of the realm of possibility.
Winds today in NM ranged up to 50mph. Rain and more wind was in the forecast tonight for the weekend. Could get pretty miserable. Then again I'm an old fogie.
Posted by Adam Schallau on March 8, 2006 at 10:48 PM
Anyone look at the forecast lately?
Friday Night: A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.
Saturday Night: A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low near 26. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday: A chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high around 48. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
As far as lens suggestions, something in the 70-200 range should be more than suffice.
I'm still planning on going this weekend. The weather can also be our friend for light. Although the road to Chaco can be a bit dicey in rain-out conditions (I don't expect a rain out), I think if conditions seem quite bad for Bisti, I'll be more than content to just stay at Chaco. There are two backcountry trails I've never done, and that would keep me interested all weekend I think. Chaco's one of my favorite places on earth, and I've not been there for awhile.
Posted by Momo Vuyisich on March 9, 2006 at 10:53 AM
I just wanted to add about our experience on the road to Chaco. The night before we left the park it rained for about 2 hours (heavy summer storm). On the way out of the park the next morning, the road had turned into sticky goo. We had a 4wd, so we made it, but just barely. It was really scary.
Just wanted to second Momo's comment. If it rains anywhere out by Chaco you might want to plan on staying for awhile. It can get really nasty in a short amount of time, even in a 4WD.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 9, 2006 at 12:45 PM
Understand that; I do a lot of Utah photography, and the Bentonite clays out there are at least as bad.
Sally and I are re-evaluating our decision to go/no-go for this weekend. We are both still fighting nasty colds and feel that spending two nights in a tent might not be such a good idea considering the weather we are experiencing and are forecast to have this weekend.
Bill, we spent two days in Bisti and 3 of us covered a huge area, but did not see the arch, or many other features from that album. I suspect they are in the De-Na-Zin area.
Its official, we will not be participating in the outing. We just aren't feeling good enough to go. I even considered driving out early on Saturday. I hope you have a good time and get some killer shots. I would love the opportunity to photograph Chaco in this weather.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 9, 2006 at 10:13 PM
Looking at the latest forecast, I'm wondering if it might not be better to postpone. The nighttime temperatures are getting colder, the cloud cover's increased, and the precipitation chances went up a bit, including some possible snow accumulation both Friday and Saturday.
Let me know what it looks like from down there, but I'm leaning against with the footprint factor at Bisti and all...
Please check your email. I'm also now fairly concerned about the conditions. The forecast has gotten worse. I was also up near the Four Corners area today and it rained/snow all day, potentially already soaking the ground. If we get any more moisture (which is likely) the road conditions will probably limit our ability to do anything.
But I recognize you indicated you were taking time off, so I don't want to leave in a tough spot. Please let me know your thoughts.
Posted by Adam Schallau on March 9, 2006 at 10:19 PM
Les,
I'm now planning on going April 1st and 2nd. We'll have a nice crescent moon then as well, if the weather cooperates.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 9, 2006 at 10:32 PM
Heh. I'm okay; the boss wants me to come in for a "technology review" meeting in the morning anyway.
April 1-2 sounds nice, too; no moonlight to speak of, but hey.
Besides, by then I'll have my telephoto back (isn't that right, Nikon?)
OK, it's official, weather has cancelled the trip this weekend. I would be furious, but we need all the moisture we can get, so I'll just say thank you mother nature!
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on March 10, 2006 at 2:24 AM
Darn, I still can't join you guys is April.
Got a full week trip to Big Bend planned.
Momo, I also suspected De-Na-Zin, however, there are a lot of nooks and crannies in Bisti where these could be hiding. Makes it that much sweeter when you find them.
Posted by Les Barstow on March 27, 2006 at 3:34 PM
Are we still on (again) for this weekend? Took a good swift trip through Capitol Reef this past weekend and it's got me all fired up for more deserts.
Looks like the soggy section of the forecast might be mid-week this time around...
Posted by Les Barstow on March 29, 2006 at 7:14 PM
Soggy is out; mostly dry is in. Sounds like a good weekend; is anyone going to do this with me? The boss wants to know; my wife wants to know. And the camera's ready for a field trip.
Discussion
36 repliesI'm definately interested, but know that other have expressed interest in Largo Canyon, so I might wait if there is not much interest. It might take me a time or two to find, but I'll find the place. I'd probably car camp somewhere around those parts.
Are you still thinking about doing Bisti/De-Na-Zin this weekend? We are still interested and may head out Friday afternoon. The moon will be nearly full and should provide for some interesting photo opportunities.
Adam, who are you asking about routes, Brian or me?
My question would be do you want to light paint in Largo Canyon? If so, I'd lean towards Largo Friday night. While there are some ruins in Crow Canyon, the main thing is the rock art (in two major panels) that can be shot relatively quickly. There are not many dramatic shots to be had during the day, IIRC. Could probably done with Crow by 10ish Saturday morning, then drive over to Bisti for rest of weekend, to include, Saturday midday scout, evening shoot, and Sunday Sunrise.
We would be covering a lot of ground in a short period of time, so I could also just skip Largo/Crow and head to the Bisti area (or go to Chaco, which is one of my favorite places on earth and probably way better than Largo/Crow). I know decision by group is often ineffective, but I'd like some input from both of you with regard to your priorities (particularly from Les since he would be driving the furtherest to get here).. I can do both, or just one or the other, depending on what you all want. But to sum it up, I'll be in the area by 6:30 on Friday. We could meet at either the gas station at the road to Chaco on 550 than drive to our camping location, or meet at the Post Office in the dusty town of Blanco on 64 and drive to Largo/Crow.
More information on Crow/Largo
Brian. Sorry for the confussion.
Meet at Chaco Canyon Campground Friday evening (it's the easiet site to find and for people to meet up in the area, and thus the best spot for the first night I think).. The camping fee is $10. Camping is first come, first serve, though I suspect on a cold potentially rainy weekend we will not need to worry about sites. There are toilet facilities at Chaco, though I would encourage people to bring water and firewood as needed (there is a fire ring/grill at each site, and as far as I'm aware there are no fire restrictions in place). As I indicated, I'll be in the area hopefully by 6:30, but I think we should meet in the campground after sunset so that instead waiting around for each other around that time of day, we are all out shooting sunset. Although I would encourage people to at least scout the campsite to see if there are options available. Dogs are allowed on a leash in the campground and in backcountry trails at Chaco.
Then we will shoot sunrise Saturday at Chaco and a quick potential back-country hike, leaving after lunch for Bisti. We will camp at Bisti (though Farmington is closer to the Bisti for those that want to stay at a hotel). Scout in the afternoon, than shoot sunset in Bisti, and sunrise the next day.
Be warned: There is a strong likelihood of rain and snow showers this weekend in the Four Corners. Bisti might be a risky proposition in such conditions. First, Bisti is a mud bowl when wet, which can be dangerous in terms of mudholes/getting stuck in the mud while hiking. And second, I believe it's borderline unethical to enter the Bisti when it's really soaked as you will leave a large impact on the place with each footprint in the brittle mud. While I still plan to head up there this weekend, I’m also open to the possibility of postponing until later if either Les or Adam is concerned about potentially not really being able to get into the Bisti with the weather situation.
Where is Largo, though. I searched my Delorme last night and found two Largo Canyons, both way further south than that reason; several Crow Canyons, too, but also none in the area...
The forecast calls for breezy, so if the rain isn't too bad I'm hoping Bisti will air-dry pretty quickly. If we have to cancel out, there's a lot of other opportunities in the area.
Denver snowstorm is settling in pretty good now; hopefully it won't sock me in completely. I haven't been out with the camera in a month.
40% is fairly significant for at least intermitent showers, with a chance of a real localized gully washer not out of the realm of possibility.
Friday Night: A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. West wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48.
Saturday Night: A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low near 26. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday: A chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high around 48. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Bisti doesn't look very promising
Brian; dang I've been out of the desert too long. Forgot all about that gully-washer weather. I need a vacation :)
Let me know tomorrow if we're on or off; I might just rent a telephoto and head down to Monte Vista for cranes if it's off.
I'm still planning on going this weekend. The weather can also be our friend for light. Although the road to Chaco can be a bit dicey in rain-out conditions (I don't expect a rain out), I think if conditions seem quite bad for Bisti, I'll be more than content to just stay at Chaco. There are two backcountry trails I've never done, and that would keep me interested all weekend I think. Chaco's one of my favorite places on earth, and I've not been there for awhile.
Sally and I are re-evaluating our decision to go/no-go for this weekend. We are both still fighting nasty colds and feel that spending two nights in a tent might not be such a good idea considering the weather we are experiencing and are forecast to have this weekend.
I’ll make a firm decision later tonight.
Sorry.
Have any of you found this arch, photographed by Linde Widhofer??
Its the first photo in her gallery:
http://www.westerneye.com/pages/portfolios/bisti/bisti_index.html
Its official, we will not be participating in the outing. We just aren't feeling good enough to go. I even considered driving out early on Saturday. I hope you have a good time and get some killer shots. I would love the opportunity to photograph Chaco in this weather.
Let me know what it looks like from down there, but I'm leaning against with the footprint factor at Bisti and all...
Please check your email. I'm also now fairly concerned about the conditions. The forecast has gotten worse. I was also up near the Four Corners area today and it rained/snow all day, potentially already soaking the ground. If we get any more moisture (which is likely) the road conditions will probably limit our ability to do anything.
But I recognize you indicated you were taking time off, so I don't want to leave in a tough spot. Please let me know your thoughts.
I'm now planning on going April 1st and 2nd. We'll have a nice crescent moon then as well, if the weather cooperates.
April 1-2 sounds nice, too; no moonlight to speak of, but hey.
Besides, by then I'll have my telephoto back (isn't that right, Nikon?)
Got a full week trip to Big Bend planned.
Momo, I also suspected De-Na-Zin, however, there are a lot of nooks and crannies in Bisti where these could be hiding. Makes it that much sweeter when you find them.
Looks like the soggy section of the forecast might be mid-week this time around...