Toroweep Point
One of the most beautiful and intriguing places that I’ve photographed is Toroweep Point, located on the north rim of the western Grand Canyon. To reach Toroweep Point, named by John Wesley Powell to describe the fault, formation and point, requires a 2.5 hour, 60 mile drive on a dirt washboard road without any services, facilities or human habitation. However, to endure the hot and dusty trip takes one to the very edge of the Grand Canyon that offers a view that can only be described as a Cathedral in the Sky.
Upon arriving at road’s end, and departing the vehicle, my first impression is of openness so vast it feels as if I am no longer attached to the earth. Next, the landscape comes in to sight: a magnificent scene where sheer cliffs drop 3000 feet to the green Colorado River flowing below.
As I walk toward the unfenced overlook for a closer glimpse, I get an uneasy feeling, almost a vertigo that I am standing on the edge of the world. Once my senses begin to stabilize, I become aware of the profound silence that is interrupted only by the lonely drone of an occasional tour plane, or the faint scurry of tiny feet traveling through the cover of dry Bunch grass.
After locating a rock shelf that is sturdy enough to allow me to set up a shot that will frame the cliff’s wall extending out on the left, nearest to the viewfinder, and also include the Grand Canyon gorge with the Colorado flowing lazily below, I set the aperture at f/11, then expose the AGFA 50 ISO film at 1/60 a second.
I feel that this view of ubiquitous beauty deserves the quality of my Hassleblad camera and Ziess 40mm wide angles lens. No other equipment can portray the sharp detail and graphic design of the canyon in its entirety. From the crème-colored Kaibab limestone rim, to the Redwall limestone cliffs that extend down 600 feet to eventually give way to Bright Angel green shale slopes, ending with the dark brown Sandstone of the Inner Gorge just above the Colorado River.
As pleased as I am with the quality and detail of my photographic reproduction, it still can give only a two dimensional impression of Toroweep point. To fully experience Toroweep Point in its entirety and through all the senses as it deserves, one must make the rough solitary 60 mile drive, dodging cattle, bumping over rocks, and creeping through mud filled washes.
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What
an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love
it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get
treated to new experiences.
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Photography places me in the moment where I can share that
moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my
interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and
strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the
viewer on a spiritual level.
"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"
No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download.
All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text,
design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be
copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the
express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald.
For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please
submit a written request.
