Meteor Crater, Walnut Canyon National Monument, and Grand Falls
August 26 - 31, 2010

I recently visited Flagstaff and did some sight-seeing. I shot panoramas at Meteor Crater, Walnut Canyon National Monument and Grand Falls on the Little Colorado River. I shot a time lapse movie showing two days of monsoon weather.

Meteor Crater, August 26

Barringer Crater, more popularly known as Meteor Crater, was created by the impact of a meteor about 50,000 years ago.

Stairs lead down from the visitor center to an observation platform and a ramada. A trail leads up to a high point on the rim of the crater.

The Gigapan rig that I use to shoot my giant panoramas.

This is the view from the visitor center on the rim of the crater.

Panorama size: 1008 megapixels (41209 x 24465 pixels)
Input images: 357 (21 columns by 17 rows)
Field of view: 206.5 degrees wide by 122.6 degrees high (top=76.4, bottom=-46.2)

View from the observation platform inside the crater.

Panorama size: 204 megapixels (20153 x 10141 pixels)
Input images: 70 (10 columns by 7 rows)
Field of view: 278.5 degrees wide by 140.2 degrees high (top=89.8, bottom=-50.3)

View from a high point on the rim of the crater.

Panorama size: 179 megapixels (18256 x 9842 pixels)
Input images: 63 (9 columns by 7 rows)
Field of view: 249.9 degrees wide by 134.8 degrees high (top=89.2, bottom=-45.6)

Flagstaff, August 28 -29

While I was visiting Flagstaff, I set up my Nikon D200 to shoot one frame every five seconds. I recorded most of the next two days of monsoon weather blowing past the San Francisco Peaks. The speed of the action has been increased by a factor of 150.

Walnut Canyon National Monument, August 30

Walnut Canyon National Monument is located a short distance southeast of Flagstaff. It is the site of cliff dwellings constructed by the Sinagua about 800 years ago.

Rock walls were constructed under rock overhangs in the limestone of the Kaibab Formation.

Sandstone of the Coconino Formation and limestone of the Kaibab Formation are exposed in the canyon. The Coconino Formation was deposited as sand dunes in a desert environment. Later the area was flooded by a shallow sea and the Kaibab Formation precipitated layers of limestone on top.

There are 185 steps in the trail up to the visitor center.

Downstream, Walnut Creek empties into the Little Colorado River.

The Arizona Trail is a continuous, 800+ mile diverse and scenic trail across Arizona from Mexico to Utah.

A nearby meadow is lush with wildflowers.

Eldon Hills appears in the background of this picture.

Grand Falls, August 31

Grand Falls is located on the Little Colorado River in the Navajo Reservation east of Flagstaff. The Little Colorado River Canyon was dammed by a lava flow from Merriam Crater. Now the river flows around the lava flow and falls back into the canyon downstream. The falls are 185 feet tall, higher than Niagra Falls.

Panorama size: 932 megapixels (34196 x 27269 pixels)
Input images: 323 (17 columns by 19 rows)
Field of view: 172.2 degrees wide by 137.3 degrees high (top=81.7, bottom=-55.6)

You can buy prints up to four feet by six feet or greeting cards of this photograph.

The Gigapan rig that I use to shoot my giant panoramas.

Downstream, the Little Colorado River empties into the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

You can buy prints or greeting cards of this photograph.

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