Canyonlands National Park (Needles District), Utah

The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area.  The Needles District is a little more remote than Island in the Sky (the other end of Canyonlands), and provides a completely different experience.  It was a beautiful day to enjoy hiking in this part of the park.  I took several trails, including one where I had to climb up two ladders to reach the top of a rock where there was a magnificient view.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

 On the 30-mile drive  into the park,
there are horses and cows just meandering around

 This, for obvious reasons, is called the Woodenshoe Arch

 Kermie and the Red Cat enjoyed Canyonlands

 Beautiful scenery like this is all over

Some snow-capped mountains off in the distance (not in the park)

 A unique desert flower

More pretty flowers 

I am going to get a little technical here (I didn't make this up).   In the below photograph is what is known as Cryptobiotic Crust.  The desert supports some unusual life forms; some of them do not even look alive.  Dark crusts ar formed by algae, bacteria, and other organisms vital to seedling germination and soil stabilization. These crusts are extremely fragile ~~ careless footsteps can destroy years of growth.

This was a cowboy camp that was left in its original form 

Some pictographs in one of the caves

This was listed as an "easy" hike.  Yeah, right!!!  Anything that involves climbing up two ladders is NOT easy.

These are the views from the top!  Well worth the ladder-climbing!

The pathway down - much easier than coming up

This little lizard kept me company on my hike

 Of course, after that strenuous hike, I needed a picnic lunch!

A couple of ravens waiting for me to drop a morsel of food.

Yeah, like that's going to happen!!


Me taking millions of photos!

Newspaper Rock (Utah)

Newspaper Rock is near the entrance to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah.  I have  never seen this many petroglyphs in one single spot.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

The sign can explain it much better than me!

Rock climbers fascinate me.  The tiny specks are the climbers.   It takes them hours to get about 2 inches, but people in Utah love this sport!  This area was right outside of Canyonlands National Park (Needles District).



Aztec Ruins National Monument (Aztec, NM)

An Ancient Community

Aztec Ruins, built and used over a 200-year period, is the largest ancestral Pueblo community in the Animas River valley.   Excavation of the West Ruin in the early 1900’s uncovered thousands of well-preserved artifacts that provide glimpses into the lives of the ancestral Pueblo people. A remarkable variety of food remains, stone and wood tools, cotton and feather clothing, fiber sandals and mats, pottery, and jewelry made of turquoise, obsidian, and shell reveal much about their use of local resources and trade with others.  About 1300, the ancestral Pueblo people left the region, migrating southeast to join existing communities along the Rio Grande, south to the Zuni area, or west to join the Hopi villages in Arizona.  Aztec Ruins National Monument connects people of the past with people and traditions of today. Many Southwestern American Indians today maintain deep spiritual ties with this ancestral site through oral tradition, prayer, and ceremony. The site offers visitors opportunities to learn about these remarkable people and their descendants and to forge connections with the monument’s timeless landscape and stories.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

 This is a National Monument run by the National Park Service

It was a beautiful day to respectfully observe the Aztec Ruins

This is the large "Great House"

This is a Kiva.  It’s a large circular chamber used for ceremonies.