Mesa Verde National Park and the Anasazi...

The story of the Anasazi spans hundreds of years, and as you can read on the park site, there is much archeologists still don't know after a century of study: http://www.nps.gov/meve/historyculture/people.htm

All I can do is offer a few scenes and hope to do more when I do my web site later. Here is the towering butte that greets you as you enter the park.

 

A number of the pit houses have been preserved atop the mesas from the agricultural eras. The houses would have been amid the cultivated fields. These holes were covered with slanted walls and roofs of sticks:

 

 

The final century the Anasazi spent at Mesa Verde before dispersing for unknown reasons to surrounding areas was the period of spectacular cliff house construction.

 

Amazingly, they built in alcoves high in sheer cliffs. For defense? One might suspect so, but nobody knows for sure.

 

The climbing skills and physical condition needed to reach these settlements are dizzying. There are at least four communities high in crevices in the cliffs seen here. 

 

 

 

Some of the larger settlements are very sophisticated. This is Balcony House as seen from Soda Canyon Overlook . A park ranger is explaining the settlement to visitors:

 

 

 

This smaller community is Square Tower House:

 

 

 

And here, a large group visits the Cliff Palace:

 

 

Much more to come!

The One-trick Pony...

A short day today, going up over the Lukachukais and on to Ship Rock and Farmington. Today is a short day, because tomorrow at Mesa Verde will be a long one.

Here we go into the colorful foothills of the Lukachukais:

 

There are many miles of these tremendous sandstone formations, the result of eons of erosion in an ancient sea floor. The sandstone freezes, thaws, cracks and crumbles into phantasmagoric shapes.

 

 

 

At the top, there is that reminder again of Ship Rock off to the East. Admittedly, it looks pretty big on the horizon, but much bigger as you get closer. It dominates the entire landscape around Farmington:

 

From Buffalo Summit, the drive to Ship Rock is a straight shot on Indian Route 13.

 

 

Without anyone in the picture to give some idea of the size, it's hard to appreciate just how huge Ship Rock is.  So, I used Vince's trick and scooted out into the image while the timer ticked:

 

 

There was not another human being at Ship Rock the entire time I was out there. And yes, it is a one-trick pony, but with a spectacular trick.

 

 One final, lingering look back at the towering spire, and it was time to drive on to Farmington.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado!

 

Lukachukai and Chuska Mountains...

Please see yesterday's post for some enjoyable updates.

After yesterday's hiking, today called for the car to do the work. So, I went back Round Rock, passing some immense buttes on the way:

At Round Rock, I hung a sharp right and took Indian Route 12 toward the mountains. As the road entered the range, the formations were lit by strong sunlight;

 

Sometimes as with clouds, we see creatures in the stone. This was for me a crocodile: For the stone, it was a lot of stone...

 

 

At the summit, there was a vast view which included tomorrow's target--Ship Rock.

 

 

Think of it as the Navajo's Google Maps...

 

Returning through Round Rock, I couldn't help but revisit Los Gigantes in the proper light:

 

 

Everywhere you go here, the erosion of the ancient sea bottom has created art works of colossal scale.

 

 

On to Farmington, New Mexico and new wonders!

 

 

Angels come in many shapes and sizes...

I'm beginning to believe in miracles. I crossed fifteen miles of dirt road to the hogan where my new Navajo friend Vince lives during one of his seasons..

He and I piled in my car and drove down a number of dirt roads that finally led to a wire fence, where we parked. Gathering gear and water, we took off on the long hike to Los Gigantes Arch. Only after we had hiked around a big butte did I see the distant arch. Oh, boy. It was a long way, and it was hot and dry out there.

 

While I was taking a shot on a delayed timer, the camera fell off the lousy lightweight tripod I use on hikes and took Vince's picture as it fell.

 

 

When we had reached the base of the arches butte, the final section was a very steep scree with no path--just climb up the loose dirt and stones.

 

 

 

 Even I realized that it was a definite health risk for me to climb that final cliff at this altitude:

 

 

As I contemplated expiring on the slope, Vince said, "I've been watching you with the camera. Let me take it and get your pictures."

 

I hesitated. Three things could happen, and two of them were bad.

 

In the end, we did one last review of how to use my camera. Vince began climbing and I began praying.

 

Here's how the quickest student I ever had did:

 

 

Every shot he took came out perfect. He even knew I wanted him in a picture to show the arch's size, so he set the timer and ran out to be in the picture!

 

 

When he returned he told me that as a teen and young adult he had hunted out here, scrambling up hills like these easily. Then he admitted that it was a lot harder now.

 

We made the long trek back to the car. It is on the other side of that distant butte in the center of the picture.

 

 

My parting remark to my sheepherder friend Vince who has no Internet access in his life was, "I built an entire business just by finding men like you all over the world."

 

As I drove out through the buttes, I understood why the Navajo Code Talkers were heroes of World War II.

 

 

Vince called this morning to ask how his pictures came about. I awarded him a battlefield promotion to Professional Photographer. With oak leaf cluster.

 

Then he said, "Did you see that I shot a jetliner up in the sky through the arch?"

 

Sure enough. It's faint, but he got it dead center.

 

 

 

And now for the Lukachukai Mountains!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving Indian Route 12...

After yesterday, this was a day to avoid exertion.

I drove from Window Rock North on Indian Route 12, eventual destination a soothing lake with scattered campers and fishermen on the shore. A beautiful place to listen to music, read or just relax.

 

Along the drive going up to Wheat Field Lake I had noticed dozens of sandstone formations. The morning light was behind them, so I made a trip back in mid-afternoon. I have lots of panoramas to process, but I'm too wiped out to do a decent job on them.

 

Here are a couple of samples, this one on a curve in the road. It will be the left of a panel of three that I'll merge:

 

 

Here's the Great Eye of Sauron:

 

 

I think the Balrog is the one on the left.

 

That's it for today, a very successful haul. By the by, while I was taking that picture on the curve, the little Red Wagon with the flashing lights came screaming by.

 

Makes one think...

 

 

Fabulous, unspoled places...

There were certain targets I had seen doing my research, which were interesting enough to justify a lot of effort. Hope Arch, outside of Chinle, Arizona (site of Canyon de Chelly National Park) as well.  http://www.divexprt.com/HDRphotography/CanyonDeChelly/CanyonDeChelly.html

Hope Arch faces the morning Sun in a spectacular way:

It is easy to reach if you have accurate directions, which I found I didn't have. I wandered around in the desert for three days (well, seemed like) and there it was.

The best way to find Hope Arch is to spot the massive Edna's Needle from the road. The arch is the distance to Edna's again, and a bit to the right.

Hope is beautiful from any angle, including the West side:

That ramp is exceptionally tantalizing. In my case, I wanted to see the view from inside the Arch, looking southeast:

And southwest. Edna's Needle is telling me how to get back to my car.:

Having gotten my pictures, I started down like a happy teen-ager, until a ridge in the rock caught my foot. Ended up going down--head first. I remember seeing my Ipod flying through the air toward the rocks.

As I tell my friends, "All the wounds eventually heal, and you have the pictures."

I then wandered over to the Los Gigantes Buttes outside Round Rock. Eight miles across the desert, and:

Near Los Gigantes was another big butte whose name I have to find:

The clouds canceled my attempt to find Los Gigantes Arch. That cloudy sky bounces the sunlight around, and so is not good for the photographic effects I prefer.

Going North to a lake tomorrow if I can manage to climb out of bed.

More adventures!

Starting my Navajo adventure with a very loooong day...

The day started a 2:30 A.M. and is still rolling along at dinnertime.

But--I'm here!  I stopped at the center of the administrative center at Windows Rock, in the shadow of--Windows Rock!

It is a striking formation, but we have no accurate way to tell how big it actually is.

Wait! Up in the sky! My guardian angels, delivering a busload of high school students to climb it!

Much better! I'll get some desperately-needed sleep and be on the hunt for more targets tomorrow...