The historic civilizations of the Americas have left many of their structures to tell their stories. Chaco Canyon has been well excavated and preserved in what is now called Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico, situated in Navajo country. Created in 1907, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.Continue reading “Chaco Canyon”
Category Archives: Photography
Antelope Canyon
The tall and varied shapes towering over the landscape are the most obvious red rock carvings of nature when driving or hiking through the U.S. Southwest. But there are hidden treasures that are not as evident. I have often admired photos of Antelope Canyon, in the northeast corner of Arizona, not on the way toContinue reading “Antelope Canyon”
Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend
Along the way on my southwestern road trip, there were a few short but memorable stops. The iconic Monument Valley, a configuration of towering rocks rising in an otherwise mostly flat desert setting, was the site of many Western movies. Listen for the clopping of hooves as John Wayne and his cohorts gallop through onContinue reading “Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend”
Road trip, Arches
Setting out on a ten-day March road trip around the U.S. Southwest, the first two stops were favorite places I’d been before and had returned several times. I alternated between a day of driving and a day at a destination. As I was entering the breathtaking carved Glenwood Canyon, the Grateful Dead’s Truckin‘ came onContinue reading “Road trip, Arches”
ICE Out, Denver
Sitting at my desk Friday morning, January 30, I read in the Denver Post that many restaurants, businesses, and schools would be closed that day for ICE Out demonstrations. Other businesses pledged to donate a percentage of their profits to local immigrant rights organizations. I quickly reorganized my schedule and drove down to Denver toContinue reading “ICE Out, Denver”
Chauvet, 200th post!
Chauvet-Pont d’Arc in Ardèche, France, an enormous, stunning, prehistoric painted cave, is closed for preservation. Its replica, called Chauvet 2, opened to the public in 2015. The original cave is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The oldest site I visited on this journey across the south of France, it is dated at approximatelyContinue reading “Chauvet, 200th post!”
L’Aven d’Orgnac, Sarlat
The painted caves I visited in the south of France did not, for the most part, exhibit the concretions usually seen in caves formed, and still forming, by water. It is thought that the lack of moisture and leaking or dripping water that created other caves served to preserve the paintings and etchings of theContinue reading “L’Aven d’Orgnac, Sarlat”
Les Combarelles, Pech-Merle caves
The next two days, on this south of France journey, we ventured into two more natural caves that had been open to the air for thousands of years. Like Font-de-Gaume, the caves were preserved as much as possible, once their significance was realized, with minimal lighting used sparingly and floor gratings to protect gravel andContinue reading “Les Combarelles, Pech-Merle caves”
Lascaux
In 1940, four teenage boys and their dogs explored the grounds around the old Lascaux castle, in the Périgord region of France, looking for treasure. Robot, the dog, fell into a hole. They were able to rescue him, and could see there was an underground cave. The oldest, Marcel Ravidate, age 17, returned with some otherContinue reading “Lascaux”
Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume cave
Picturesque Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, which calls itself the Center of Prehistory in Dordogne, France is surrounded by cliffs and rock formations, and is home to caves, shelters, and remains from tens of thousands of years and more in the past. It’s situated in the Vézère Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Up aboveContinue reading “Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume cave”
Ruth Rosenfeld 