Arizona (mostly)

Wupatki Pueblo. See description of site with nearby photo in Arizona set.

I've visited Wupatki National Monument at least 3 times over the past 20 years and found each visit to be worthwhile. Every time I've visited there have been relatively few other visitors, thus it is one of the few Native American ruins where it is quiet enough to be able to spend time reflecting on what life must have been like for the original inhabitants. The vistas to the east are of seemingly uninterrupted grasslands and canyons going on forever, thus adding to the sense of spectacular isolation. Per the National Park Service website, the ruins date back to 1100's when the area was most densely populated. The eruption of a nearby volcano (see Sunset Crater photos) forced populations to move and at the same time the volcanic ash held moisture in the soil so that crops were easier to grow. Settlement here lasted until about 1250. Updated 7/13/2014: Per the link below, excavation began in 1933 and much of the early labor for excavation and stabilization of the ruins was provided through two New Deal agencies: Civil Works Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps. www.library.arizona.edu/contentdm/newdeal/brochure.pdf

Looking across a snow-covered lava field towards mountains in the distance.

It's a rule... whenever I'm in an area of lava flows, I have to take a picture of a tree that seems to be doing the impossible of growing out of the lava flow. The other part of the rule is that it is always a situation where it is difficult to distinguish the tree from the background!

Kingman Airport, apparently a storage facility for planes that are temporarily out-of-service.

Kingman Airport, apparently a storage facility for planes that are temporarily out-of-service -- or, in this case, being dismantled. Since TWA went out of service in 2001, I'm surprised this plane hadn't already been completely dismantled.

Kingman Airport, apparently a storage facility for planes that are temporarily out-of-service.

Kingman Airport, apparently a storage facility for planes that are temporarily out-of-service. The DHL planes are Airbus A300's

Scenes of Canyon de Chelly. This very tall spire is at the lower end of Canyon de Chelly. Photo taken in 2002, larger size picture no longer available. Best viewed as part of Arizona set.

Scenes of Canyon de Chelly. Note the detail of the cliff dwellings in the adjacent picture. To get a sense of the size of the canyon wall, note that there is a pickup truck in the trees on the canyon floor. There are also three people in front of the cliff dwelling. (see adjacent picture). Photo taken in 2002, larger size picture no longer available. Best viewed as part of Arizona set.

Detail of the previous picture. To get a sense of the size of the cliff dwellings, note that there are three people standing in front of the structure that is on the canyon floor -- there is also a pickup truck in the picture on the left (in the trees on the canyon floor). Photo taken in 2002, larger size picture no longer available. Best viewed as part of Arizona set.

Scenes of Canyon de Chelly, see details in adjacent picture. Photo taken in 2002, larger size picture no longer available. Best viewed as part of Arizona set.

Scenes of Canyon de Chelly, detail of the cliff dwellings that are in the adjacent picture. Photo taken in 2002, larger size picture no longer available. Best viewed as part of Arizona set.

The cholla along the Pinal Pioneer Parkway are much taller than what I've usually seen in California, where most have been under 4' and with no separate visible trunk. I'd never seen cholla that looked almost like a tree, but the cholla on the left side of the second picture is about 7' tall at the highest point. (best viewed as part of Arizona set)