A friendly Hedgehog showed me that you can move a Picasa file to your desktop and then import it to Google photos. Works great!
The real issue I faced was not the canyon but the open truck ride from car park to canyon, with swirling clouds of sand and dust. That's where you need protection.
Up until a year or so ago I was able to download my DSLR photos onto Picasa and then upload them into Google Photos, where I could combine a trip's smartphone and DSLR photos into a single album. Since Google no longer allows uploading from Picasa into Google Photos, I've ended up with two separate files for each trip, hardly desirable. I'm looking for counsel on how I can combine those files: I find that both smartphone and DSLR have distinct advantages while traveling and use them both! And I've used Picasa for organizing and rapid editing for a dozen years now. Thanks!
The dust I encountered at Upper Antelope Canyon was not inside the canyon, but on the open-bodied transport truck to the canyon from the parking area. Driving at a good speed, over dry, dusty road, blew up enormous clouds of sand, dirt, and grit, almost impossible to keep out. I'd bring sealed plastic bags for equipment, enclosed in towels -- and anything you can for yourself -- and also just use a wide angle lens.
I took my D810 and lenses (no tripod. hand-held) and Samsung S7 Edge with me across Siberia this fall, on tour, and found that the best opportunities for memorable shots came with the smartphone. Yes, there were occasions I was able to make good use of what I prefer, but the Wow shots required grabbing the smartphone from my pocket and shooting instantly. The Samsung built-in camera is excellent, too, and requires to attention.
With both cell phones and P & S, there's no way adequately to compose the photo (especially under certain lighting), and, when the "shutter" is pressed the "camera" may well move.
If you want German mechanical quality, perfect ergonomics, and some of the best lenses ever made, all at affordable prices, find a well-maintained screw-mount Leica from the early 1950s. Were it not for the absolute convenience of the digital, I'd still be using mine. Fuji's Velvia and Leica lenses are a magical combination. That said, finally, with a Nikon D810, I'm getting some of the quality of my IIIf Leica. As to manual focusing, I find it's quicker and more reliable than the auto-focus for my photography.
I traded my D800 for a D810 a year ago. Photos are sharper and the colors appear richer, softer. The feel in the hand is much better, and the shutter appears quieter -- it doesn't clang when it goes off. For me, the trade up was well worth it.
The Organ Historical Society (organsociety.org) does spectacular organ photography, usually by Len Levasseur or Bill Van Pelt. Check their calendar, filled with such photos.
I found a 28 mm prime, full-frame, more than satisfactory there last spring.
For five or ten dollars any number of dealers on Amazon will sell you a variety of comfortable straps of varying lengths!
Has anyone had experience with a new stand-alone photo software -- Lucid -- put out by athentech.com? I'm still mastering it, but it seems to have great promise.
PlotWatcher takes one shot every five or ten seconds, during daylight, with memory card that goes into computer. Excellent and widely used.
And that's why I use manual focus! Quick, easy, reliable.