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Schultz Pass Rd to Schultz Tank.  Pick up the Weatherford Trail and about 50 yards up the trail one can turn left on the AZT.  Not that easy however!  There was a huge running event/competition being held in the foothills and nearly every space in the dirt parking area was taken.  I managed to squeeze into a little spot and we were on our way!

Nine days at Grand Canyon went by in a flash.  Here are some highlights of the event.

One of my favorite places to paint is Yaki Point.  That distinctive "pillar" just below the rim catches early morning light.  Here is the resultant painting about an hour later:

Here is another sunrise from the same location a few days later:

Sunsets can be quite spectacular, too  Sometimes the light is a little softer due to smoke and dust in the air

this is a view  of "Battleship" from a favorite perch of mine.

I decided to head out to Yaki Point for a late afternoon paint.  When I arrived, I observed that the clouds on the western horizon looked troubled.  I'd barely set up my gear when I could hear distant thunder.  It was obvious that storms were moving in.  I broke down everything, scurried to my car and waited it out.  Fierce winds and rain whipped through, but as is often the case, these storms clear up closer to sundown.

The air was washed clean, the Canyon was wet with intense colors showing through.

Entropy.  I can start out the week with a well-organized carload of gear and extra supplies, but after a few days, all this stuff settles into a spot it seems to determine for itself.  It all works as long as I know where everything is--and I can easily sit on the bumper and slide into my pack, grab my coffee and hike to my spot to paint.  On this day, I drove nearly 30 miles east toward Desert View and chose a spot known as Apache Point to paint.

Here's the view to the west from the point.

There was a perfectly framed view into the Canyon.  Only problem was the light wasn't too great.

I don't usually set up a chair, but I was pretty tired on this afternoon and along with recovering from a herniated disk, I decided a chair was't a bad idea.

And here's the little 12x6 piece that resulted.  "Invitation".  Vishnu Temple stands in front of Wotan's Throne.

I decided to drive out to Shoshone Point and spend an afternoon.  The day was hot and there was little shade where I wanted to set up.  And the clouds started to build in the west.  I couldn't decide on what to paint when the clouds almost occluded Isis Temple.

And there was my image!  I liked how there was just a stream of light cascading down the contours of the Temple.  I was nearly finished when two young men stopped by to ask a few questions.  Julian and Tom were from Germany and were on their final days of exploring the Southwest.  We had an absolutely delightful conversation.  They offered to carry my gear back to my car and I gladly took them up on their offer.  Did I mention the afternoon was pretty hot, so I invited them to climb in and I would drive them the mile back to the parking area.  The little two track road in to the Point is extremely rough, so it was a bumpy ride.  We exchanged contact information, and wished one other well.

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Here are a few other pics from the event week:

Skeleton Point and the S. Kaibab Trail zigzagging it's way to the bottom.

A sweet cluster of flowers clinging to the edge.

A lot of the painting life is hurry up and wait.  On this morning, I rushed out the door, drove to my spot along the rim and found the Canyon filled with blue smoke from the California fires.  Sometimes it clears, so I waited on a comfortable rock with my coffee.  Pretty soon the sun started piercing through producing that eerie pinky-yellow light:

All 23 painters turned in framed, wet paintings on Wednesday of that week.  Volunteers and GCC staff started putting up each painter's display which included studio paintings finished months before.  Here's a look at my wall.  As soon as the show opened, Rhythm of the River received a red dot and will go to a new home in Park City, Utah!

The event is over, but the show remains open until mid January 2025.  I'll be replacing sold work with new pieces from time to time.  Be sure to sop in at Kolb Studio or visit online at Grandcanyon.org. 

At this point, the trail seems to be unnamed, but there is a Coconino County Parks sticker on the post.