Heading southwest into Moab along the Colorado River there is a certain bend in the narrow road around which the Fisher Towers formation suddenly appears. The snow-capped La Sal Mountains rise above the red rock in the distance. The Towers are a siren in all seasons, drawing the unwary further into the desert. As any good siren, this commanding view instantly erases other cares, wants and preoccupations, responsible or otherwise, and one must give in wholly to the call.

I've previously posted photos from this viewpoint, but I never tire of it. Hopefully others may feel similarly!

Tags:   American Southwest Colorado Plateau Fisher Towers La Sal Mountains La Sals Landscape Moab Utah autumn desert evening glowing magic hour mudstone red rock red rock country red rocks sandstone southwest

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The sunset is reflected in a water trap that is part of the Moab golf course. You can also see some smoke has settled toward the valley floor from several trash fires. Apparently, that's how some of the residents of Spanish Valley like to roll in terms of garbage disposal. I guess it's cheaper than trash service if you externalize the costs of reduced air quality.

Tags:   sunset reflections cottonwood water Moab autumn Utah

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The cracked and broken walls of an Ancestral Pueblo dwelling sit quietly in a sunny alcove, just as they have done for many centuries, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado.

While reading about the Canyons of the Ancients, I learned that the human population of the four-corners region of the Colorado Plateau was higher in the 1200s than it is today. This means that a considerable amount of corn, beans, squash, and turkeys were raised in an environment that is decidedly arid, at best, and all of this agricultural activity was undertaken with no beasts of burden and obviously with no diesel motors or hydraulics. People also did not live much past 35, apparently, so I would be quite the elder given my advanced age of 45 years. I suspect that tooth decay was a real problem when it came to longevity.

There are ruins scattered all over this single, extended canyon system, and it speaks to the fact that there must have been a decent-sized community in just this one little portion of the overall landscape. It is scenes like this that make me wish for time travel, or perhaps a pensieve for those Harry Potter fans, as I would love to see the daily rhythms of life in this place, and to hear the shouts of children playing in these now silent spaces.

Tags:   Ancestral Pueblo Canyons of the Ancients Colorado Colorado Plateau Montezuma County National Monument alcove desert desert southwest red rock red rock country red rocks ruin ruins sandstone stone ruins Cortez United States

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The formations in the Bryce Amphitheater are very suggestive to the imagination. I'm sure I'm not the first one to whom this has happened, but I couldn't get Hendrix's tune out of my head as I gawked my way around and downwards.

Tags:   Castles Made of Sand Bryce Bryce Canyon Bryce Canyon National Park U.S. National Parks Pink Cliffs hoodoos Legend People Colorado Plateau Utah American Southwest

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One day after my previous post, the full Cold Moon rises through the South Window into the gathering clouds of the blue hour in Arches National Park. To make this image, I stood directly under Turret Arch. This was actually completely unplanned, as I had not intended being here again after shooting the sunrise on Turret Arch earlier that morning. The extended family and I had spent most of the day spinning around the fins and complexities of the Fiery Furnace, practicing the virtue of retracing one's steps. As we were heading back to Moab at dusk, my 6 year-old asked if we could stop somewhere and see an arch. Being in the right place for arches, I obliged, and most of us trundled out to Turret Arch to allow a hands-on inspection of an arch before day's close. As we stood there looking up, my brother tapped me on the shoulder and told me to look behind me at this. Not the most spectacular image, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

Part III to follow...

Tags:   moon moonrise blue hour cold moon full moon arch Arches National Park The Windows South Window red rock red rock country Moab National Parks U.S. National Parks National Park dusk

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