Arizona, Photography

Waiting for the Sun to Set

by Ingrid

I had a fabulous week boondocking in the Kaibab National Forest. After spending four months in a RV Resort in Prescott, Arizona, it felt fantastic to get the RV rolling, and camp by ourselves in a forest of soaring pine trees. We found a lovely slice of land to call home, and it was only fifteen minutes down the road from the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

sunset at the Grand Canyon
me waiting for the sun to set at the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon camping
Our ‘home’ for the week. Aaahhh, can you smell the fresh scent of pine?

Although it did take a little effort on my part to leave the solitude of my beautiful campsite, I did venture up to the Grand Canyon a few times for photo ops. Most of the time, Al chose to stay at camp. He’s not a fan of the Grand Canyon nor of the hoards of tourists. I never mind venturing off on my own especially when hubby has a roaring campfire waiting for me upon my return.

sunset at the Grand Canyon
Lots of tourists from around the world waiting for the sun to set at the Grand Canyon – a storm is brewing
south rim of the Grand Canyon
south rim of the Grand Canyon

While I, along with hundreds of other people, waited for the sun to set at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, a storm started brewing. I could hear thunder in the distance and see an occasional flash of lightening.

south rim of the Grand Canyon

The approaching storm along with some lingering smoke haze from forest fires in the west made for a very interesting sky.

stormy sky at the Grand Canyon
stormy sky at the Grand Canyon

stormy sunset at the Grand Canyon

The sunset was definitely worth waiting around for, and the stormy sky added a touch of drama. I’m glad I pulled myself away from camp to experience the beauty of the Grand Canyon at sunset as a storm approaches. Yep, worth the wait!

sunset at Kaibab National Forest
This was the sky back at camp!

 

78 thoughts on “Waiting for the Sun to Set”

  5. The storm adds so much drama to the sky Ingrid. Definitely well worth waiting for. I will admit the sunset back at your camp is quite remarkable too. Lovely images.

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  7. Beautiful! Sunset is my favorite time to take photos. I often go out exploring on my own, while the hubby holds down the fort as well.

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    1. Thanks! Sunrise is usually pretty spectacular too … providing I get out of bed. I need to work on that more 😄 I love venturing off on my own and zone out with my camera.

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  8. I enjoyed seeing the Grand Canyon sunset with you, Ingrid. I so loved seeing the storm brewing. I appreciated, too, seeing the whole picture, i.e. the tourist chaos. Popular National Parks like the gorgeous GC literally and figuratively have their ups and downs. Wonderful post.

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    1. All to often I find myself sharing photos which look like I have an amazing place all to myself. Thus, I thought I needed to share the reality. Even with all the other folks wandering about that evening, sunset at the Grand Canyon was a spectacular sight.

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    1. Thanks ML. No, all these pics were taken with the FZ200 but I do have a good photo taken with the ZS70 that will be in my next post. It’s a power house of a camera.

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  10. Awesome photos and post Ingrid. Loved that first photo of you, and all those rocky mountains, and nothing and no-one else. Stunning, and so peaceful – I could almost feel the air movement, and could almost hear the atmosphere.

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    1. It was indeed a beautiful sight but don’t be fooled …. I had to take turns with other tourists to have that photo of me taken. I took some shots for a couple and in turn they shot this photo of me for me. Even though there were plenty of other people I needed to share the scenery with, it was still pretty awesome.

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  15. Your photos are lifting my spirits as I wonder if/when we will ever get out in the RV… Getting older, medical issues, can all weigh a girl down.

    Seeing your smoky sunset photos over the Grand Canyon…. You may not have heard this Ingrid, but your photos are fabulous ☺️👌

    Where do you think you and Al will winter this year? Stay safe, girl.

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    1. Awe thank you Holly. I appreciate the kind words. And as much as I’m enjoying my travels, I’m getting more ready every day to find a ‘home base’ and travel part-time. Ah, this winter??? We still have our fingers crossed for finding an option in Texas. The guys aren’t ready to give up duck hunting this winter and our Missouri friends will be heading on down to the Gulf next month to check on their RV in storage there and check out RV parks (our usual park was destroyed thanks to Harvey). If TX won’t work, we’ll meander around the desert southwest.

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  17. Thought about you and MonaLiza yesterday when we saw several whooping cranes on the south end of Clark Canyon Reservoir in Montana. A few were flying…they are huge! 😊

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    1. How exciting! Aren’t they magnificent? Sounds like some may be starting the migration south or perhaps they summered in that area. I’m sure going to miss my annual visit with the whooping cranes in Texas this winter, BUT we’re still working on options 😉

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    1. Thank you! We really lucked out snagging that campsite for the Labor Day weekend. It was a great spot allowing us to get through the holiday weekend.

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  22. Oh, yes, well worth the visit! Amazing photos!!! Just beautiful! Our friend is a ranger at the North Rim and her sunset photos with the monsoon rains this summer have been spectacular, too.

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    1. Gaylene takes some amazing photos. When you spend the entire summer gazing across that canyon, you’re bound to see an array of unique beauty. I’m hoping next summer includes a few more trips to the Grand Canyon.

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  25. Beautiful sunset pictures. Did you get there for any sunrises? Nice to see you enjoying some boondocking, I’m sure it’s been nice after sitting in the sun all summer. See you next month.

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    1. Camping in the pines was exactly what we needed. I was too lazy to drag myself up to the canyon at sunrise … next time 😉 I’d like to go back in Nov. and maybe rent a room and then I’ll capture sunrise. We’ll see. It’s on the wish list at the moment.

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  27. That is one of the best sunset photos I’ve ever seen! Combined with those storm shots I would agree with you that it was definitely worth it to get away from camp!!

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    1. Oh how I wanted to get in just a little hiking but it was too hot for my blood. It was sunny and in the mid to up 80’s along the rim. I’ll wait until fall temps cool it off.

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  30. We haven’t done as much boondocking as we would like. I love your camping spot and the dramatic light show at sunset. Seeing lightning made me a little nervous, especially at the rim of Grand Canyon.

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    1. We hadn’t boondocked in many, many months and it felt great to be back in the boonies. Took us a day to get back in the swing of things – conserving water, etc. but after that, it was biz as usual.
      Once the lightening got closer, I was outta there. I didn’t stick around for the sun to set all the way. I’ve known too many people struck by lightening and no photo is worth that experience.

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  32. Absolutely gorgeous photos! I have yet to visit the Grand Canyon. It will probably be in a few years still as my little one is just about to turn one year old. I’m waiting till she’s old enough to understand what she’s seeing.

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    1. Children at the Grand Canyon make me super nervous… way too dangerous in places where there aren’t barriers. The canyon will still be there when she gets a little older 😃 So many beautiful places to explore.

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  34. A very dramatic sunset, with an even more photogenic backdrop. So nice that you could just jump in the truck and be in the Grand Canyon in 15 minutes. I remember that national forest when Mark and I camped there for free in a tent (with heaps of bugs) over a decade ago for my first and – so far – only visit to the Grand Canyon. What a nice and peaceful camp spot!

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  38. Love your campsite and photos of course! We are hoping to do some boondocking when we are in Moab this October.

    Have been doing a lot of boondocking aka anchoring out on the boat this summer!

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    1. It was wonderful to get in the forest for a little boondocking after being in a RV Park for so many months. You’ll love Moab. We really need to get back up to Moab. We have a couple of favorite spots in the area, but haven’t been in a couple of years.

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    1. Awe, thank you. Surprisingly, the crowds weren’t too bad over the Labor Day weekend. I’ve seen it a lot worse, but still a lot of people to share the scenery. Next time, I plan to explore some less visited areas.

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