This wider angle view of Cliff Palace reveals the magnitude of this dwelling which has 150 individual rooms and 23 kivas. It is still not known what motivated the Anasazi to build their homes in the cliffs and to subsequently abandon them for the plains. Access to the Cliff House is only allowed during a ranger led tour and we were fortunate to have a very entertaining and well informed guide.
Today finds us in Colorado at Mesa Verde National Park for an entirely different experience which features man made beauty rather than natural wonders. Here the ancestral Puebloans built a series of cliff dwellings to accommodate entire villages. It is easy to mistake this photo for a diorama size model but as you will see in the next photo these structures were built into the side of a mesa.
On the way back I make a short detour to visit Pine Tree Arch which was well worth the additional quarter mile. The boys have seen enough arches for one day and opt to return to the RV where lunch is waiting.
The boys and I continued on to Double O Arch, which required a strenuous 5-mile roundtrip but was worth the effort. Most people view the arch from the other side since that is where the trail ends. I find this reverse side view to be even more spectacular.
Our primary destination this morning was Landscape Arch which required a modearte hike to reach. It is really hard to imagine how this structure sustains itself under its own weight. I think it is quite possible that it will collapse within the kids lifetime and am very happy that they had a chance to see this wonder of nature.
Delicate Arch is perhaps the most widely recognized in Utah. It is a subject I could spend hours photographing and would like to return on a future trip to do this subject justice during evening light.
This hot air balloon provided a nice element to lend scale to the photograph.
Today makes our second day at Arches and we get an early start to avoid the tourists and mid day heat. We are greated by the Three Gossips.
As the park became emmersed in golden light and the kids had retreated to the RV I took my time to photograph Double Arch using a multiple exposure technique that brings out all the dynamic range of the scene.
All three kids enjoyed striking a pose framed within one of the windows and I enjoyed the challenge of setting up the shots. Although we saw a lot today the grandeur of these windows were not lost on the kids who enjoyed them all the more for their ability to combine climbing with viewing.
As the afternoon was coming to an end we headed into Arches National Park where we spent a few hours in the Windows Section. As evening approached the temperature decreased and the crowds abated. Pictured here are the North and South Windows taken from Turret Arch with the kids posed in the foreground on a large outcrop. The perspective conceals the fact that the window openings are easily 30-40 feet tall.
Before leaving the park, we stopped at the visitor center just in time to hear a naturalist speak about the indigenous animals. We were able to handle the skulls pictured here, which included a long-horned sheep, mule deer, coyote, and raven as well as a bobcat and a mountain lion.
Mesa Arch offers a beautiful window into the canyon below and is embelished by the beauty in front.
It is easy to understand why the Anasazis favored this location, which offers naturally carved enclaves in the side of the butte. The temperature within is moderated, and the views are spectacular.
Our next stop is the Canyonlands National Park where we climb the Aztec Butte to explore the Anasazis built granaries located around the perimeter just below the mesa top.
After spending the night in Moab, we make an early morning trek to Dead Horse Point State Park, which offers a spectacular overlook of the Colorado River.
See if you can locate the baby elephant among the goblins. Given enough time, you begin to see faces and animals at every turn, and if temperatures were not so extreme, we could have easily spent the entire afternoon here.
The 105-degree temperature does not dissuade me from descending into the valley in search of great photo opportunities.
This park could easily pass for the surface of Mars and one could spend hours walking among the thousands of goblins created by the forces of water and wind.
Our next destination is the Goblin Valley State Park whose entrance is guarded by the Three Kings.
Prospectors and other travelers passing through the Capitol Gorge in the late 1800s left their names on a wall of rock that came to be known as the Pioneer Register. This is but one of several dozens of inscriptions that appear on the very distinctive wall.
After taking the scenic drive, the girls and I set out on a short hike into Capitol Gorge. Maya seeks refuge from the sun in a waterpocket that seems perfectly sized for her.
This little gal was walking right down the middle of a dirt road we were on and eventually pulled over to let us pass. Jeanine says it is a quail.
Our home away from home is serving us well. It is large enough that everyone has adequate space and small enough that it is not a chore to drive. It is equipped with air conditioning and furnace, an electrical generator, bathroom and shower, table with booth seating, a kitchen with sink, range, microwave and refrigerator and sleeping areas for five. It served as a great mobile base of operations and we rarely spent the night in the same place twice.
The one-room schoolhouse, constructed by residents in 1896, also served as a community center. The desks were movable and the community enjoyed dances and socials in the little building. Nico and Kyle, not great fans of historical sights, remained in the RV playing chess while Maya, Jeanine and I met up with a park ranger inside who shared details about the history of the building and community.
The Mormon settled town of Fruita at the junction of the Freemont River and Sulpher Creek is our first stop. Regretably, we are a few days late to sample peaches direct from the orchards which sustain this small enclave nestled at one end of the Waterpocket Fold which defines Capitol Reef National Park. A nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth’s crust, the Waterpocket Fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. A monocline is a “step-up” in the rock layers.
Today’s travel begins in Capitol Reef National Park which is known for having the most intensely colored sandstone.
Each morning, Jeanine takes time to have some hot tea and write in her journal. I must remember to inquire what she wrote about on our vacation.
While en route to our campground in Torrey, UT we stop for a short climb to get a close look at ancient pictographs know as the Hundred Handprints. If you click on the image for a higher resolution view you will see the handprints about 50 feet above where Kyle is sitting which is a good 30 feet above the base of this cliff wall. One has to wonder how the creators of this montage were able to reach such heights.
I believe this area should be renamed from the Devil’s Garden to the Devil’s Playground. If not for the need to begin travelling to our next campground the kids would have been happy to spend the entire day here. Some rather brief but intense rain made us happy we had completed our slot canyon hike earlier in the day.
Monkey see, monkey do. Maya will not be out done by her brothers.