It’s a Navajo Indian term meaning “too many washes”. That it has. I wasn’t able to get too close to the canyon from Coal Mine Canyon, but I used my 400 mm telephoto lens and a 2x extender to get these two shots from about 3 miles away. I did try hiking along the rim of Coal Mine Canyon to get closer but encountered thick mud and side canyons. I’ve since learned that there is a dirt road that can get you pretty close to Ha Ho No Geh Canyon in Northern Arizona.
There is no paved parking lot. No signs. No shuttle buses. No entrance booth. No park rangers. No rails along the canyon rim. No guides. No hot dog stands. No mules to take you into the canyon. No Visitor Center. No visitors! Edward Abbey would approve of this place. In fact, it’s hard to find Coal Mine Canyon listed on any map. You’re suppose to look for the windmill near a farmhouse and water tank south of Tuba City. And that’s the way it should be.
Coal Mine Canyon could easily be its own National Park. It is in a remote part of Northern Arizona on the border of the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations. There are remnants of coal deposits in the canyon that the Hopis mined in the past. But hues of orange, magenta, gold, cyan and yellow dominate the canyon walls. Abstract shapes, patterns, and warped lines grab your attention.
My next post will be of the canyon next door to Coal Mine, Ha Ho No Geh Canyon. These images and more are available as downloadable files or signed prints at Dawn2Dawn Photography
I was at Monument Valley yesterday and was disappointed that the road through Monument Valley was closed due to snow and mud. But, a full moon was rising and the snow added an element that you don’t see here too much.
Time Lapse Video shot on Saturday in the Page Arizona area. Music by Beth Orton who covers JJ Cale’s Call Me The Breeze. Watch in HD at Full Screen.
Scene 1 is of Horseshoe Bend, Scene 2 is the Bad Navajo Coal-Fired Power Plant and Scene 3 is a Lake Powell Sunset!