Coal Mine Canyon, Hopi Reservation, Arizona
Technology itself is wonderful. A dependence on technology is inevitable, but somewhat less wonderful. Fellow photographer Ty Cook and I were depending on Google Maps to show us the way to this out-of-the-way natural wonder. Unfortunately, we were in between the Navajo and Hopi reservations, an area not known for good cell coverage.
Feeling useless, we stumbled a bit. We didn’t want to blindly follow just any road. This was more out of respect than fear.
Coal Mine Canyon is another one of Arizona’s hidden gems. It’s part of the same Moenkopi wash that produced Blue Canyon. It’s full of the same sort of delightfully-eroded scenic sandstone that inspired Spanish explorers to dub the area “Mesa de las Vacas” back in 1540.