To the Grand Canyon via Sedona, Arizona.

Monday, March 12, 2018 to Saturday, 17^th March; from Show Low to the Grand Canyon via Sedona.

Sorry for this six week silence, but libraries have been few and far between, or if present (not that I looked), inconvenient.  I have kept writing during this six week concentrated photo-recon journey through some of the greatest geologic wonders of the world, as the next several postings will attest.  I've also had (and still have) paperwork to do.  My phone also died on April 1^st, of all days, and while it was not essential to my blog postings, catching up on a couple weeks or more of emails was a time consuming slog.  When it passed on, I had been catching up on the ten days of emails accrued while I was at the Grand Canyon, where, like at Show Low, I had neither cell nor data connection!  It lasted me 2 years and 4 months … the guy at Wal-Mart, on April 13^th, said that was about right for a smart phone … is that true … anybody out there agree with that?  Since that was my first smart phone, I wouldn't know, but seems a little short to me.  He said old flick-phones lasted forever, as did my Tracfone, when I brought that up.  So, on to the first of my catch-up postings, from the public library at Springdale, Utah, just outside Zion National Park.

(Take Note: for those of you who have signed up to be notified by email of new postings to this blog, you have been receiving not just a notification, but an actual copy of the new blog posting as the email.  As this does not show the images of the paintings in the best possible light, you should click on the title of the latest blog posting at the top of the post, and not the title of the painting itself; this will open up the actual blog itself, and you may then enjoy the paintings at their best.)

It was later than planned, by the time I got out of that Show Low library, after failing to post my last blog entry.  I realized I had no time to figure out what was going on with the library Wi-Fi, so I headed west on State Hwy 260.  The road proceeds through the Ponderosa Pines on top of the Mogollon Plateau before dropping off the Mogollon Rim after sixty miles, and even after descending a thousand or more feet the Ponderosa forests continue.  Just before the descent is the Mogollon Visitor Center on the south side of the highway.  Here one has great views off the Rim to the south; there is also a forest road along the Rim to the southeast where there are even more viewpoints.

Montezuma Castle;
of course this dates from long before Montezuma
& had nothing to do with the Aztecs.

The Plasterwork shows how those ruins at Mesa Verde,
Hovenweep, Chaco Canyon, etc. might have looked.

Fourteen miles farther on I turned north onto forest road 64 for six miles, and just after entering forest road 198 I found my camp, for the night, with a view to the north of the Rim in the evening Sun.  About a half a mile before I found my campsite I surprised an animal in the road which proceeded to run down the road a ways before turning off into a ravine, much like the European Badger does.  Later, after much consultation with my Mammals book it was determined it was a White-nosed Coati; most likely a solitary male … another first!

Montezuma Well.

Leeches … yech!

The outflow from the well a couple hundred yards away.

The next day I was easily able to post my blog at the Payson library, twenty-one miles from last night's camp, and then move on down the road.  Payson is still within the Ponderosa zone.  Staying on State Hwy 260, it was a long climb back up onto the Mogollon Rim, and about forty-two miles from Payson the highway leaves the Ponderosas and into the Juniper/Pinion zone, as it begins its descent towards Camp Verde twenty-three miles distant.  Even though here at a much higher altitude than Payson, surrounded by Pondie forests as it is, the forest here transitions to the Junipers and Pinions … I wonder why that is?

Courthouse Butte.

My 1^st evening ...

... in camp ... 

... west of Sedona.

Well, I didn't want to camp in the Junipers and Pinions again, so I back-tracked three miles to forest road 9246R, and passing a camper near the highway I went on in another half mile and found a delightful campsite.  I took an evening stroll, a wide half circle through the forest, arriving back to camp in the opposite direction from which I had left.  A big Elk had passed through the area recently, according to the tracks; Coyotes were also heard howling off to the west, a quarter mile off, I reckoned.  I spotted Stellars Jays at this campsite; happy to know they are down here in Arizona as well; I like those black headed blue denizens … like sapphires of the western forests. In the morning, while breakfasting, there were other various birds passing by.  I recognized White-breasted Nuthatches.  There was a pair of birds that I could not find at all in my bird book, other than in the ‘visitors' section … a Clay-colored Robin, that normally lives in Mexico.  That is the second bird I have ID’d that has come north out of its normal range, according to my bird book, but since it is a couple decades old, I reckon global warming was less advanced when it was published.

Next day the rain rolls in.

Showers … heavy at times…

… not always on me …

… many times over there …

… or over there.

From this camp, which I hesitated to leave, I dropped off the Mogollon Rim, again, down to Camp Verde over three thousand feet below!  The low altitude (3200'), of the Verde Valley might explain the high altitude for transition between the Junipers/Pinions and the Ponderosas.  Since I was so close, I visited a cliff dwelling misnamed Montezuma Castle; Montezuma lived centuries afterwards and had nothing to do with this finely preserved antiquity.  The builders were a different culture from those at Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde and Hovenweep.  These people had been in this area for a long time before they constructed this structure, c.1250-1400.  The Chacoans had abandoned theirs by this time, and moved east towards the Rio Grande Valley, not southwest to here.  Up until the sixties you could go through these structures, but now it can only viewed from below.  Evidently most of the rooms still retain their roofs/ceilings … that would be something to see.  Eight miles up the road is Montezuma Well, a limestone sink, fed by continuously flowing springs.

Sun …

… & Shadows …

… & even bits of Blue Sky.

… and Rainbows …

… & yet more Showers ...

North through Sedona then west on State Hwy 89A, a few miles, to forest road 525, which I turned onto, ending up proceeding north ten miles, finally finding a campsite on forest road 525C.  There were a lot of other campers closer to the highway, and others deeper in, and I passed a couple of possible, but I’m happy to have continued on, for I found great views, a level spot, and no neighbors.  I have heard about the red rocks of Sedona, but the reality is quite astonishing, even after the wonders of the Moab area of Arches and Canyonlands.  The town of Sedona is plunked down in the middle of all this, and a cursory glance as I headed through to find a campsite 15 miles along, is of a similarity in affluence to Aspen, CO.  I'd like to spend time in this landscape, but this time will have to be scout only.

… all day long …

… until …

… the Light …

… of Evening cometh.

I managed supper about dark, in spite of the wind.  In the morning it was warm enough for only a sweater, but by mid-morning the rain and sleet showers began to roll through, and more layers were needed. I stayed put all day, writing this post and continuously jumping out to take photos with the ever changing light and showers varying the landscape every few minutes … in out, in out, in out!  Sometimes these are the best days in spite of chill winds and showers.  Late in the afternoon a flock of Western Bluebirds came through, and I was able to get a couple of photos, albeit through the glass of the side window of the truck.  Towards the end of the day the showers desisted, but the lighting effects continued until sundown … more photo ops.  I’m of two minds about Sedona … while the landscape is stunning, so many of the great views have a bloody town in the middle of it!  Perhaps if I were to spend more time here, I would find views without the bloody town.  But there is snow coming to the Grand Canyon and I want to be there for it.

Western Bluebird
(through the glass of my side window.

So, up through Flagstaff, and twenty-six miles beyond it, found my campsite for the night in a grove of Pondies, a half mile in on forest road 523, with a view of Kendrick Peak.  Windy all night, but before turning in I had a great view over the meadows of Venus and Mercury setting in the west; definitely the best apparition of Mercury I’ve ever experienced.

Canyon de Chelly, Part 1.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018_Saturday, 17^th February; Canyon de Chelly, Arizona

C1662

“Winter Canyonlight”

(Canyon de Chelly, Arizona)

Oil Sketch on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

5” x 7”

Click here to make this Your Own

Note that I have added a paragraph about seeing the Zodiacal Light for the first time towards the bottom of my last post about Chaco Canyon.

(Take Note: for those of you who have signed up to be notified by email of new postings to this blog, you have been receiving not just a notification, but an actual copy of the new blog posting as the email.  As this does not show the images of the paintings in the best possible light, you should click on the title of the latest blog posting at the top of the post, and not the title of the painting itself; this will open up the actual blog itself, and you may then enjoy the paintings at their best.)

Whereas Chaco Canyon, Hovenweep and even Mesa Verde are all about the architectural ruins, Canyon de Chelly is all about the landscape.  Oh there are Ancestral Puebloan ruins such as the White House, alright, but they are almost incidental to the grandeur of the landscape.  I was not prepared for this, even though I had seen photographs, and even paintings of these canyons, the reality was much more astonishing!  I came expecting more ruins, but what I got was magnificent canyonscapes!!  And the low slanting light of Winter brings out the colours of these thousand foot canyon walls to the fore.  Even though you are seeing these canyons from the many viewpoints along the rim, these views are stupendous.

Canyon del Muerto … the north rim of
Canyon de Chelly, National Monument.

Close up of Antelope House.

I believe that is Black Mesa on the horizon.

Mummy House Ruin, Canyon del Muerto.

A closer view.

I arrived at the campground late in the day, with rain in the offing, and just managed to settle in for the night before the wind and rain really came on.  The next day the rain was off to the east, but it looked like the overcast was going to make for a bland light in which to take in the Canyon; I was still thinking in terms of light and shadows on ruins.  As it turned out, with the cloud came the sunlight trying to break through, and this made for wonderful lighting effects all day long.  The Canyon is so large that there was always something to view and/or photograph without having to wait for clouds to move … I only had one twenty minute waiting period, for the Sun to appear, all day.

Living on the Edge.

Sadly, a guided jeep, or horseback tour along the Canyon floor, was beyond my budget ... perhaps some future visit.  It would be nice to see these canyon walls from below, like I got a taste of when hiking to the White House.  I would also have to choose a sunny day, for the right lighting … Autumn would be ideal, when the Cottonwoods were glowing golden.  Part 2 of Canyon de Chelly will continue after an interlude in the Ponderosas, in the next posting of the blog.

Near Spider Rock.

Spider Rock ... the farthest point
on the south rim of Canyon de Chelly.

The White House is in the alcove
in the center of the photo.

A closer view of the White House
from the same vantage point.

The Pigments used in the painting:

Imprimatura: W&N Venetian Red & Rublev Ercolano Red;

Drawing: W&N Ultramarine Deep Blue & Rublev Purple Ochre;

Pigments: W&N: Cerulean, Cobalt and Ultramarine Deep Blues, Cadmium Orange;

Blockx: Ivory Black;

Rublev: Ercolano Red, Purple Ochre, Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Orange Molybdate & Lead White #2.

Chaco Canyon, Part 2.

Sunday, February 4, 2018_Friday, 9^th February; Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.

C1661

“The Great Kiva of Chetro Ketl”

(Chaco Canyon, New Mexico)

Oil Study on Pannelli Telati fine Cotton Panel

5” x 7”

Click here to make this Your Own

(Take Note: for those of you who have signed up to be notified by email of new postings to this blog, you have been receiving not just a notification, but an actual copy of the new blog posting as the email.  As this does not show the images of the paintings in the best possible light, you should click on the title of the latest blog posting at the top of the post, and not the title of the painting itself; this will open up the actual blog itself, and you may then enjoy the paintings at their best.)

This is an Oil Study not only in light and shade, but also between the complementary colours of yellow and violet, a combination I rarely use.  In this case the base pigments used are yellow and purple ochers.  I was struck by the massive structure of the Great Kiva at Chetro Ketl, silhouetted dark against the light from this angle, and with the yellow grass silhouetted against that dark mass.  The obvious choice for me was to use earth colours for this study, partly because it seemed apt to use natural materials, much as the builders of this place, and also because I love the earth pigments.  It is such a surprise sometimes to see what you can do with what are essentially coloured muds.

The Pigments used in the painting:

Imprimatura: Rublev Ercolano Red;

Drawing: W&N Ultramarine Deep;

Pigments: W&N Cerulean, Cobalt and Ultramarine Deep Blues;

Rublev: Ercolano Red, Purple Ochre, Blue Ridge Yellow Ochre, Orange Molybdate & Lead White #2.

The Great Kiva of Casa Rinconada.

The ruins of Kin Kletso from the ckiffs.

Another view.

These are casts of Burrowing Shrimp
from the Cretaceous Period, I believe.

Fossil Clams, anyone?  Get ‘em while their fresh!

I stayed in the National Monument Campground here, and my neighbor, Pat from eastern New Mexico, a couple of empty campsites away, had a teardrop trailer, so I got to have a good look at these nifty little camping abodes on wheels.  They probably are not for me, as at present I can get to many places, that I couldn’t safely haul one of these.  Also I would get even worse mileage than I already do with my gas-guzzler.  It was nice to see one close to, however. Pat was good company, and it was nice to be a bit social for a change.  Speaking of which, there were also several very social birds around the campground, which I identified as Canyon Towhees.  They act similarly to the Rufous-sided Towhees I am used to in Oregon, in that they spend their days, scrabbling under the Black-brush, much as the Oregon birds do in their forests.  I believe that under normal circumstances, they would be as secretive as their cousins in Oregon, but they have been acclimatized to campground life, so much so that they would pop into Pat’s teardrop, if he left the door open, as one did my SUV, when I left the door ajar.  Perhaps these vehicles were considered as just some sort of metallic shrubbery to them.  I found them highly amusing.

The Jackson Stairway. 
This was one of the Chacoan stairways to the clifftops.

Closer view.

Chetro Ketl.

The footpath down off the clifftops
goes down the trough the dark slot,
center left … a desperate descent!

A note about the night sky here … brilliant stars in very dark skies.  I also scored a first here … I saw the zodiacal light two nights running.  I have been aware of it since I first became interested in Astronomy at age 12, but never spotted it early on, and so stopped looking for it.  It is like the soft glow in the west long after sunset, but instead of being along the horizon, it is more parabolic in shape extending up from the horizon, along the plane of the ecliptic.  I was looking at the night sky, in the cold, before turning in, when I saw its glow, and realized it was too late in the evening for the last remnants of sunset, and it was not along the horizon.  I wonder if I’ve seen it before and it’s not registered with me … I kind of doubt it.  If memory serves me, I believe I recollect that it is the faint glow of the sunlight reflecting off dust particles way out along the ecliptic.  Always interesting to see new things.

Evening glow on Fajada Butte.

Looking back towards Chaco Canyon,
upon the road south;
Fajada Butte can be seen center right.