Dave and I agreed to meet at noon at Cliff Dwellers, have lunch and plan our trip to White Pocket. I was excited! I left home early so I could shoot along the way. By the time I reached Flagstaff it was raining. Dang it! I knew when I left that the weather was not optimal for this sort of plan. But, I had agreed to meet Dave and he had already sent a text message that there was a clearing in the otherwise gloomy and stormy skies. He, optimist that he is, was sure the storm was clearing out. I, of course, did not want to chance missing out on a great opportunity to photograph at White Pocket. Dave's early morning photos of Vermillion Cliffs confirm that they are interesting in any light.
It is easier to be wise and practical when one takes turns passing the optimism baton back and forth! We decided to head up to the North Rim, spend the night camped out and take a look at photo opportunities out on Cape Royale. Dave knows that area very well, had a site in mind where I could park my Miss Precious Prissy Prius. We planned to set up camp first so that we would not have to do it in the dark. As it turned out, it was a wise decision as we returned well after dark and in rain. The whole drive was punctuated by fog, heavy dark clouds, moments of clearing, and snow.
We drove back to the Lodge and had a pulled pork sandwich at the Deli. Then, a long drive back to our camp. More rain. I was so glad that the sleeping bag was already in my car. It had been a long, but wonderful day. But, I was tired!! Tomorrow, we just knew, would be perfect at White Pocket. Clouds, puddles of water and exquisite rock formations . . . . But first, we were going to have to get through a very cold night. The sound of sleet hitting the metal on my car woke me up several times. In the morning it was all worth it.