At Canyon De Chelly,
in the Navajo Nation. This is White House Ruin, one of the most famous Anasazi
Cliff Dwellings, circa 800 CE. The photo completely fails to capture the scale,
which is gigantic, the cliff is maybe 500-600 feet from bottom to top, and the
dwellings themselves are easily 3 stories high.
Another spot in
the canyon. Our Navajo guide (they don't let folks go into the canyon without
one) asked where we were from... we said we are from one of the few places on
earth even older and hotter than Arizona: Jerusalem, Israel! To which he replied:
"Ah, I think I have heard of it - is that the town where they have the
big giant statue of Jesus up on the hill?" Can you imagine? We come 8000
miles from the cradle of civilization itself only to be confused for natives
of Waterbury, Connecticutt!!! I mean, really! :)
Just another spot
in Bluff, UT. I just love places like this, where nothing has changed since
1935 or so. Of course it can be tough to get a good wi-fi connection.
:)
A moment of silence, please: presenting the 1953 Buick Roadmaster,
now serving as a static scuplture and monument to a bygone age. There are so
many awesome vintage cars in out-of-the-way spots in the West that I didn't
even try to photograph them, as it would have taken up our whole vacation!
This is another shot taken below Dead Horse Point - I woke up at 5 AM
and did the 40-minute or so dirt road while Ruthie was in bed. I love this spot;
it reminds me of a world waiting to be born. You can look at it and completely
forget that the last 65 million years ever happened. The things growing near
the river, by the way, are full-size trees - it's easy to miss the sense of
scale in the photos!
Tried to get a shot of the car near the edge... of course I should have
been standing next to it, looking adventurous and maybe wearing a plaid shirt
with my sleeves rolled up, but it's not like anybody else was around to take
the picture. :) (Hey Ruthie: I was at least a foot and a half from the canyon's
edge. Not even close.)
Ruthie contemplates the insignificance of humanity in the face of the
vast incomprehensible span of geologic time. And people said I was the philosophical
one and she is more practical... Sheesh!
Ruthie standing in Delicate Arch, in Arches National Monument outside
of Moab...
This is how one drives from "Below Dead Horse Point" near the
Green River to "Dead Horse Point" itself. Not one of the more dangerous
roads (it is plenty wide and even has a few feet of safety on the side before
one would go over the cliff) but I would probably not recommend it at night
or in wet weather. If you look carefully you can see a jeep coming up.
In Mesa Verde the next day- I am still wondering how the Anasazi got those
cool Home Depot ladders.
Ruthie overlooking some tourist-filled cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde
An elk roams near Mesa Verde.. I'd like to think he was coming down from
the hills for their annual convention, but there was a big billboard down
the road that said "Elkburgers, $4.99!" (Unfortunately this was
really true, I am not just pulling your leg here.)
These two are shots of formations called "The Mittens", in Monument
Valley. These have been in more movies than I can count!
