I'd call the Nikon D850 as a high end dslr, not mid level. The D7500 is midlevel in my thinking. The D850 is Nikons top of the line DSLR.

Really Right Stuff (RRS) makes excellent tripods and ball heads. Pricy, but worth it in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more. Landscape photography can have some adjustment, but not much. If you want toad a new sky, then it becomes Creative Art.

Canyon de Chelly, hands down.

Good to know. I always carry a couple of those shower caps from hotels. Small and compact they fit in a pocket easily and camera bags. If the camera is on a tripod the elastic band helps keep it snug over the camera. They work great!

Thanks! That is what I was thinking to do but wanted to see if there were any other ideas or methods. I should look into the Cloud storage more as well.

I keep my images on an external hard drive and need to back it up to another external hard drive. What would be the best way to do this? I use both an Apple I Mac and a MacBook Pro laptop, with Adobe Lightroom Classic. Thanks!

I do it all the time. It becomes habit and works well.

If you do stay at Trappers Lake Lodge try and make it when the moon is small or new. When they turn off the power at 10pm the entire universe is overhead!

The colors are at their peak here at the end of September and beginning of October, moving from north to south. Which Granite are you talking about? The tiny hamlet on the Arkansas headwaters near Leadville? Hwy 82 over Independence Pass and down to Aspen is pretty spectacular. The best road for aspen color is the gravel road over Kebler Pass, from Paonia Reservoir to Crested Butte, off Highway 133 between Carbondale and Hotchkiss. But these two are pretty full of people that time of year with lots of "calendar" shots. Taking some of the less traveled back roads would be a good option, say from the town of Yampa to Meeker (south of Steamboat Springs) or along the Trough Road and River Road following the Colorado River from Rocky Mountain NP and Kremmling to Glenwood Springs. I live in Glenwood Springs and have been traveling all over Colorado for the past 46 years. Get off the paved roads where you can, but check locally too. GPS and Mapquest aren't always the most reliable sources. For example, you really don't want to go over Scofield Pass unless you are a veteran four wheel drive person with a serious back roads vehicle. That said an excursion past Marble up to the townsite of Crystal will take you to the Crystal Mill, the second most photographed scene in Colorado after the Maroon Bells. Just don't go further unless you are well prepared.

It all depends on what your subject and composition are. If its a broad sunset or rise coloring the entire landscape, your wide angle is what you want. If its the light on a particular feature of the landscape you'll need a longer lens.

The last shot before being asked to put the camera up...

Westminster Abby. I did manage a shot of Charles Darwin's grave though. St. Paul's had a similar policy but they were far more tolerant.

Are you seriously thinking of taking underwater photos in the Grand Canyon? I've been down many western rivers, including the Grand Canyon, and have always just taken my regular DSLR and a couple lenses in a Pelican waterproof case. Visibility underwater in the Colorado isn't always very good, especially if it rains on the north rim. On the other hand if you are wanting to take pictures or videos when running the rapids the GoPro is a good bet with either a helmet mount or headband mount (so your hands are free to hang on!). Another option that I use on floats in clear water is the Nikon Coolpix W300. Have fun!

Its a magical place. I spent a lot of time there 47 years ago. It's a lot more crowded now, but there are still places you can go that the average person won't. The falls will be pretty small in October, but take a hike up to Little Yosemite Valley above Nevada Falls or up Tenaya Canyon towards the lake.