Not Monument Valley.
A defensive tunnel with a killing chamber halfway.
Ranger Bob leads the way
Got to include this shot.
Home for about 40 Pueblo
There are dozens of these constructions.
Paul and Dennis at Santa Fe, departing.
Chris and Misty at Cortez. Smart cookies.
Manuel and the 'monster'. Santa Fe region.
Cameras do it no justice.
Loved this cartoon, it was in the Santa Fe local.
Today had me climbing the access road to Mesa Verde, a park dedicated to showcasing the cliff-dwellings of the Pueblo 'Indians'. The ride there was worth the trip but the tour to one of their constructions was a real eye-opener.
The guide took us up steep ladders, through crawl-spaces and up sheer cliffs. The site wasn't barricaded and he didn't fuss about people's safety too much. It's such a different approach to Australian life. America lacks all the nanny-stuff that 'nerfs' everything to the point of fingernails-down-the-blackboard. There were huge pits 12 feet deep and drop-offs of forty feet. No signs, no rails no panic. Reminds me of Vietnam again. Please don't explain OH&S to me. I just think that safety is often used as a substitute for intelligence at home. They do get hurt more often over here, but they are much more alive than the average yob or yobbette.
The views are fantastic, I could see fifty miles in every direction. I could see the mountains way behind Shiprock. Fifty miles.
The day is going well, a great breakfast reading the paper facing snow-capped mountains (again with the snow-capped mountains). Huge cup of proper coffee and great weather. I read that the volcano in Iceland erupted in 1821 in exactly the same way. It went on for a year. Europe is starting to look iffy.
I read about a dog that is trained, or at least is used by his owner, to give a ten minute warning before he has one of his seizures. Gives him time to prepare for it. Any ideas out there as to what the dog is picking up on? Subtle cues? Alien mind-weapons?
www.cortezjournal.com
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/dog-predict-seizure.htm
Am not sure what I'm doing next. Utah I think. I have about four hours of daylight and I should make a move into Utah. Go get me some wives maybe.
Brain is not functioning very efficiently today but I'm sure it means well.
I've landed in Moab, Utah after some even more incredible scenery...yes, I know, it's getting old.
Mmm, could the brain be a little pickled of late?
ReplyDelete"they do get hurt more often over here" is the key isn't it? No OH&S lecture.... we will never agree on this one.
The photo's are just so spectacular, I'm trying to imagine the real view and trying to appreciate such wide expanse.
Levi tells me he has asked you to bring some small town newspapers back with you, would be v interesting.
Everything comes at a cost. Safety costs fun. Too much safety costs us the will to live. Too much of anything is bad.
ReplyDeleteThe views are panavision cubed.
http://thismodernworld.com/newest-comic
ReplyDeleteThis is Tom Tomorrow's page link people
Loved the cave dwellings. Saw some in Colorado a few years ago. Could even feel the dead in the rooms! Did you see Camel Back Mountain in Arizona? Or how about the Grand Canyon? I like hearing of your travels. Keep safe!!! Reservations can be a little dangerous.
ReplyDeleteOnly just cut the corner of Arizona, a few days later Patty. Still working on the canyon.
ReplyDelete