Ladee's Travels

In this area, the Hoodoos are large rocks that have tumbled down from a nearby cliff, landed in the valley below, and have had the ground underneath them gradually washed away. These are located in a pull over area, complete with diagrams and more information, on the road to Lees Ferry from 89a.  To give some perspective as to the size, compare the size of a fellow photographer to the rock.  The morning sun is beginning to shine through the clouds and light the cliffs.

We were traveling with a local photographer who took us to his favorite spots.  Our first stop was near the small boat docking area that included the iconic St. John's houses built in the rock.  The reflections worked well even with a cloudy sky and the colors were brilliant.  Some paint was fresh and new, some was worn with delightful textures.  The pro was very helpful and provided a lot of advice on angles and focal distances.

This part of the tour was in and around the Temple of Heaven.  We entered through the East Gate in to a large park.  My first distraction was a young boy with a ribbon. He was quite accomplished and it takes all of these photographs to show his skill.  We entered the area with the Seven Star-Stones. One reference says that these were placed here for Taoist balance by Jiajing.  There are eight stones now, one placed by Qing forces.  Ok, so what is "Taoist balance"?  I googled the term and saw things like Yin and Yang.  Another reference said that they represent the seven peaks of Taishan Mountain, a place of Heaven worship in classical China.  I didn't want to just put pictures of big rocks with no explanation.  If you want a better answer, please research and put your results in the comments.  I am giving you enough photos so that you can get the general idea of this area. ...