The Road Trip Continues; Mesa Verde, Horseshoe Bend And Flagstaff, Arizona

Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park in Southwestern Colorado (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 28mm; 1/160th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

We left Durango and continued our journey west. Our next stop was Mesa Verde National Park.  Another quite remarkable Native American site.

Mesa Verde highlights several cliff dwelling settlements of the Ancestral Pueblo Indians.  These structures are extremely complex and strong. They have lasted over 1000 years. The cliff dwellings were occupied for several hundred years, then abandoned.  No one has a definite answer as to why, but many suspect a prolonged drought as the reason.

As one who has been interested in archaeology and ancient cultures since middle school, this was one of the most fascinating places I have visited.  We wanted to go down to the actual cliff dwellings to listen to a NPS guide and see them up close, but they were sold out for all the morning tours and we didn't have time to stay around several hours for a late afternoon tour.  Oh well.

For more information about Mesa Verde National Park you can go to their National Park Service website located here.

More detailed image of the superb architecture and construction techniques from a thousand years ago. (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 56mm; 1/125th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 200

Spruce Tree House, three images blended for HDR (click to enlarge)
This is typical of where and how the structures were built.  Farming was done on the mesa above.
Olympus E-M1 Mark II, 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 21mm; /58 ISO 200

A 2002 wildfire burned much of the mesa above the cliff dwellings.  I found it quite refreshing that the vegetation is
starting to reappear on its own.  The life cycle. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 35mm; 1/125th sec. @ f/11; ISO 200

As you see there are no photos of Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona. Why?  I drove over 200 miles to have the opportunity to make an image of Horseshoe Bend at sunset.  Kind of a “bucket list” shot for me.  My wife and I arrived in Page about 2:30 in the afternoon.  I decided I needed to scope out the area since I had previously read about how crowded it can be.   When we arrive the parking lot was full.  I rode in, around and back out again.  Okay, I thought, it is middle of the afternoon and the tour buses and hotel shuttles were there along with tourists. I would come back at 5:30 for the 6:33 sunset and all of the people and buses would be gone.  Wrong!  Not only couldn’t I get IN the parking lot, I couldn’t get TO the parking lot.  About 10 cars in each direction were lined up on the highway trying to turn in to the 150 space parking lot with NOT ONE space open.  As I looked over at the hill just beyond the parking lot there must have been 100 people either going up or coming down.  Unbelievable.  Oh well.  I think this is a perfect example of what photographers will face more and more as time moves forward.  Pity.  So many will miss the glorious show nature provides for us.

On a similar note, the nearby Slot Canyons were just as crowded and filled with buses and vehicles as well.  I've heard more than one photography workshop guide/teacher say that they would not be bringing any future workshops to either place.

Saddened, but understanding, we traveled to Flagstaff to meet up with a relative of mine and her husband.  We had two nice days visiting, sharing conversation and meals.  I don't get to see then often enough but it is very nice to see them when we both can arrange to meet.

While in Flagstaff, if you know anything about me, you know I am a train guy.  I just had to avail myself of a few images of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad passing the Flagstaff Amtrak Station and Visitor's Center.  Couldn't pass by the opportunity!

Eastbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe intermodal train passing the station in Flagstaff, Arizona (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 44mm; 1/800th sec. @ f/8; ISO 800

We are now heading east for the long, slow road home.  More to come.
Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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