Mesa Verde

10/9/09

The alcove was filled with a sort of revered silence, the sort you "hear" in a cathedral or museum. The ancient masonry seemed to echo the silence all around, hushing our voices into a whisper. It was hard to imagine a lively bustling world here - children running, laughing around their mothers who ground grain gossiping about the latest romances, men bringing in their latest hunting successes. That was hundreds of years ago. Now it was a small group of tourists speaking in hushed tones in deference to the spirits that seemed to be watching us.

A little paranoid? Maybe. However, whenever I walk through an old ruin such as this, I have a sense that i am sharing this space with those who walked before. I first felt these other "souls" while visiting the castles of Germany. Late in the afternoon, when few people were around, I could almost sense the bustle of castle life around me.

here at Cliff Palace, early in the morning with only a dozen other tourists in our group, the effect was similar. Except there was no bustle just the answering tones of hushed voices in the shadows. It could have been a echo from our conversations, but I like the fantasy of a place so special it holds the essence of those who once lived there.

As the day wore on and we were surrounded by more tourists, the effect was lost. It wouldn't be lost on my memory - to have sensed the life a place once held.

Chaco Canyon

10/7/09

Dark and lonely rural road late at night. No one else around as we drove along, static playing intermittently on the radio scanning for a station - any station. "Make a right up here." We turned just as another set of headlights appeared coming toward us. They turned to follow. They appeared to be catching up. I didn't say a word, but I knew what Michael was thinking. He had watched one too many horror movies. As the car following gained on us, Michael pushed the gas pedal closer to the floor. And he wonders why I don't watch those types of movies. "Our turn is coming up." I hoped the car wouldn't make this turn also - Michael's paranoia was rubbing off on me. We turned, the other car continued on. whew. But that would not be the last of our concerns. The last 20 miles to Chaco Canyon were on a heavily potholed and washboarded dirt road. If we broke an axle out here . . . I don't want to think about what would have happened. Sure, someone would have come along at some point.

As the next day dawned, we were rewarded with Chaco Canyon and its wondrous ruins. I saw my first pueblo ruins while in New Mexico several years ago and was enraptured by the story and the fantasy of it all. Walking through the ruins of the Chaco Culture only emboldened the images in my mind. Here was a valley filled with communities large and small of lives lived centuries ago.

There are 6 pueblos along the road through Chaco Canyon all within easy walking distance of each other. We meandered from one to the other, stopping to observe petroglyphs on the sandstone cliffs or watch the Cliff Sparrows flit in and out of their nests. We had a wonderful morning speculating what the drawings meant or how the ancient people lived. All the while we wondered when we could come back to explore the 6 backcountry ruins.

We both became fascinated with the different construction methods - how the bricks were laid, the wood supports. Including how these structures have been able to stand over the elements and the years. Time and weather have taken their toll and we watched as park employees worked on shoring up the crumbling walls. It may be race against inevitability,but while the structures last, we have a small window to view a past in all our lives.

Walnut Canyon

10/6/09

We love finding those little out of the way treasures while road-tripping. Sometimes it's a country road filled with bucolic scenes. Sometimes it's a little known national treasure. Sunset Canyon the day before was one of those. And now, just off interstate 40, we came across Walnut Canyon - a community of cliff dwellings in a quaint, colorful, bucolic canyon.

The native Americans who settled here came from closer to the volcano called Sunset Crater. Driven in fear of the earth to a better place with less fear. They found Walnut Canyon and as we walked around the cliff dwellings, we could understand why this seemed like an idyllic place to live. In fact, Michael began looking for a nice piece of real estate to build his own cliff dwelling.

Being near the interstate, people visited here more than Sunset Crater. Yet we had most of our hike to ourselves. The trail wound its way along the cliff walls and into alcoves perfect for building a home. Partial walls were left and fire blackened walls. We could look across the canyon to other dwellings built between the sandstone stria. We could have stayed there all day, but the open road called us along. So with hearts not sad but thoughtful, we left to find a picnic spot and then back to the interstate.

Fall Road Trip 2009

Four Corners, 10/2-10/9/09

There is a fabled land of strange yet beautiful landscapes. A place I visit every so often. Not nearly enough. Each image reminds me of what I love about the southwest and why I desire to return. I come from a land that is green and moist. I dream of a land that is brown and dry. The grass is always greener? For me it's either brown I desire or no grass at all.

Michael & I decided to hit a few places on this road trip that were either old favorites or something one or the both of us had never seen. Makes for a long list and an exhaustive trip, so we slimmed it down a bit and still almost tried to put too much in to our trip. We ended up cutting a few things out along the way and added a special place or two.

Read on and you'll visit four amazing states and places that mark them as extra special.