My Wacky Meanderings Around The Southwest U.S. Galleries

Mary & Sally's MASH Party / Jerome, AZ :

Mary & Sally's MASH Party / Jerome, AZ

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 4:58pm PST

Tibetan Monks Peace Mandala Closing Ceremonies, Zion Natl. Park, June 29, 2007 :

Tibetan Monks Peace Mandala Closing Ceremonies, Zion Natl. Park, June 29, 2007

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 4:11pm PST

Truckin' Down Hwy 12~Escalante Grand Staircase :

Truckin' Down Hwy 12~Escalante Grand Staircase

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 3:34pm PST

Goblin Valley & Little Wild Horse Canyon, Utah, March, 2,007 :

Goblin Valley & Little Wild Horse Canyon, Utah, March, 2,007

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 3:28pm PST

Moab Adventures In Mill Creek :

Moab Adventures In Mill Creek

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 3:19pm PST

Jerome, Az..Ghost City..Feb. 2,007 :

Jerome, Az..Ghost City..Feb. 2,007

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 3:00pm PST

Little Hands Country..Grand Canyon to Bluff, Utah, March, 2007 :

Little Hands Country..Grand Canyon to Bluff, Utah, March, 2007

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 2:45pm PST

Canyon De Chelly-White House Ruins : Howdy folks.. I finally got around to getting back to some pics I took on the road last June. This gallery is from Canyon De Chelly National Monument, in Chinle, Arizona. It's a beautiful sandstone canyon in Northeast Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. It's an iconic landscape, with sheer canyon walls rising up over 1000 feet. It's dramatic, and beautiful. The Navajo People still live in the canyon, tending sheep & livestock, and you'll usually see frail but hardy little Navajo women trekking up & down on the trail to Whitehouse Ruins, where I shot these pics..I try to hike to Whitehouse everytime I go to Canyon De Chelly, switchbacking from the canyon rim down to the bottom, the riverbed & the ruins..I think it's about a 600 foot drop to the bottom, where you'll see a tradional Navajo hogan, sheep, and after a 5 minute walk on the sandy bottom, you come to the ruins, both down on the ground & in a grotto up on the canyon walls, which were only accessible by ladder back in the day..you'll see petroglyphs on the walls left by the Anazazi people. It's a rich archeologic area, and it holds special spiritual significance for the Navajo residents & tribal members. Canyon De Chelly is a bit off the beaten track, and is highly recommended. Probably the best time to visit is the spring & fall..it can be very cold in Chinle in the winter. You can check it out from the two rim drives. and I highly recommend going out to Spider Rock, which is an 800 foot sandstone monolith, 230 million years old, rising up from the canyon floor. It was named in honor of Spider Woman, back in the time of creation..Spider Woman had supernatural powers, and helped the Dine (Navajo people) slay the monsters that roamed the land at the time, and protected the Navajo People. Spider Woman was reported to have lived on top of Spider Rock, and she figures heavily in the folklore of the Navajo people, is venerated in the culture, and her story is retold to new generations of Navajos. Try to visit this magical landscape if you're ever in Arizona. Enjoy..Peace, joel, amdew1@aol.com..comments always welcome..all images copyright 2,007 by joel tarantal

Canyon De Chelly-White House Ruins

Howdy folks.. I finally got around to getting back to some pics I t ...

Updated: Dec 30, 2007 8:49pm PST

The Land Of The Navajo> Monument Valley, Utah June, 2007 :

The Land Of The Navajo> Monument Valley, Utah June, 2007

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 2:07pm PST

Cruisin' through Capitol Reef country..6/24/07 : Howdy folks..here's a bunch of pics from Capitol Reef Natl. Park, outside of Torrey, Utah..Capitol Reef is a small, beautiful National Park, featuring sandstone cliffs, petroglyphs, a small, powerful waterfall on the Fremont River, Gooseneck curves on the river, and awesome scenery all around. It's free, there are few services in the park, and there's typically a lot less traffic than your typical Southwest park, due to its relative remoteness. It's another in a long list of beautiful places you should try to experience in the incredible wilds of Utah. So come on in & enjoy..comments always welcome. Peace, Joel, all images copyright 2, 008 by Joel Tarantal

Cruisin' through Capitol Reef country..6/24/07

Howdy folks..here's a bunch of pics from Capitol Reef Natl. Park, outs ...

Updated: Jan 11, 2008 8:12pm PST

Lower Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ 3-23-08 : Hey now, howdy, and welcome to Lower Antelope Canyon, near Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon is one of the most beautiful, & most heavily photographed slot canyons on the planet. It is a petrified sand dune, with multi-hued sandstone walls that swirl, undulate & captivate. It is a magnificent example of mother nature, and the combined efforts of water, wind & time. Antelope Canyon is on Navajo land about 10 minutes from downtown Page. It is also a sacred place, as this was the site of a tragic flash flood in Aug, 1997, which took the lives of 11 tourists who were trapped by a wall of water on that fateful day. I had an emotional encounter with a couple from France as I was coming out of the Canyon: They were heading towards the entrance, and I pointed the way, but they said no, we can't go in, and I asked them why. It turned out that one of the victims of the flood was a friend that they had grown up with in the same town, and they came to pay their respects. It was too emotional for them to enter. I told them I understood, and described the canyon a bit, then we hugged & I went on. An unexpected & powerful moment.Namaste. So, please come in & check out Lower Antelope, and see the poetry & magic that mother nature has created..it is truly awesome. Enjoy,Peace, Joel, amdew1@aol.com, comments always welcome..all images copyright 2,008 joel tarantal

Lower Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ 3-23-08

Hey now, howdy, and welcome to Lower Antelope Canyon, near Page, Arizo ...

Updated: May 16, 2008 6:23pm PST

Southern Utah Triptych March, 2007 : Hey Now, Howdy: How's everybody doing? I'd like to invite y'all in to check out some pics from my trip up to Southern Utah in March, 2008. Southern Utah is simply amazing, with grand vistas, and incredible natural features, from sandstone cliffs, arches & canyonlands, goblins, majestic zion, moab, bryce, capitol reef, the colorado river, & so much more. The more often I go there, the more I want to come back again soon..I've just scratched the surface in my jaunts up there, and there's so much I haven't seen. Here's where we're heading on this road trip: Dead Horse Point State Park, a little ways from Moab..2000 feet over the Colorado River, Dead Horse offers incredible views..sandstone cliffs, the beautiful La Sal Mountains rising up out of the slickrock, the river,Arches & Canyonlands, old mine tailings, and more..pretty damned spectacular! Then further on up the road, (and a couple of days after my run up to Dead Horse) we start climbing up Boulder Mountain..some of the most stunning views you'll find anywhere..100's of miles of gorgeous landscapes..reservoirs, the Henry Mtns., Capitol Reef, the Waterpocket Fold & San Raphael Swell laid out before your eyes..yeahha! You wind your way way up the mountain to about 9,600 feet up, then start dropping down to the town of Boulder (where I had some appointments)then it was time to go over the Hogback (sort of like being on a tightrope as you traverse this section of road) on the way down to Calf Creek down at the bottom of the canyon.. then we continue on to Escalante Canyon on the way to Bryce. Hwy 12 from Torrey to Bryce is rated as one of the top 10 rides in America, and if you haven't done it, you should! Along the way, I stopped in to see a few accounts in the small towns en route, then it was on to Bryce (unfortunately, no pics from there), then the following day, I headed for the Crown Jewel..ZION! Too bad I made it to Springdale after the Green Jello Parade was already done..as you may recall from last year jello parade pics, it is quite a hoot. Right after I checked into Cliffrose, I tweaked my back, and that was the start of 7 weeks of pain & feeling pretty funky (I still had 2 1/2 weeks to go on the road)..bummer! Well, the next morning I woke up & it was snowing! Snow is always a bonus in Zion..my back was starting to stiffen up, but it was too beautiful not to go out, so I grabbed my camera, and & went for a cruise down Zion Park Blvd, playing with my new fisheye for my Nikon D-40. The clouds were rolling in, enveloping Zion, dissipating enough to allow wondrous views of the shrouded cliffs. Zion feels so alive, bursting with energy. It's also great to have a bunch of really cool folks as friends that live up there..a big shout out to the ZION CREW!!! WOOHOO!! I bopped all over town, stopping to take pics every few minutes..a great day in Zion. The next day I got up & I was in full-blown spasm..yikes..got a massage that afternoon, and woke up the next day in even more pain, & saw a chiropractor in St. George, but I would be hurting for some time to come..turns out I've got spinal stenosis in the lumbar region (it's a narrowing of the spine), which causes compression of the nerves, and pain & discomfort..plus I've got some discs sliding in different directions..it sucks getting old..oy vey! The pain finally subsided about a week ago..hopefully, it'll stay that way for a long time! So, enough of my bitching..come on in & enjoy these pics..I think you'll discover why I love Southern Utah so much. Comments alway welcome..feel free to post em here, or email me: amdew1@aol.com ...Peace, Joel..all images copyright 2,008 Joel Tarantal..ENJOY!

Southern Utah Triptych March, 2007

Hey Now, Howdy: How's everybody doing? I'd like to invite y'all in to ...

Updated: May 23, 2008 8:20pm PST

Butler Wash Wolfman Petroglyphs, Bluff, UT 7-08 : Hey now folks..please come on in & check out the great petroglyph panel I visited recently up in Bluff, Utah. It's located in Butler Wash, and it's called the Wolfman Petroglyph Panel. The petroglyphs in Butler Wash were created by Basketmaker Anasazi, Navajo & Ute Indians over a long period of time. The Anasazi lived in this area of Southeastern Utah for about 1,500 years, before disappearing around 1300AD. The Navajo & Ute populations used this area more recently. There are numerous fine examples of Anasazi dwellings & pictographs & petroglyphs throughout the area, and the Wolfman Petroglyph Panel depicts meticulously artistic representations of anthropomorphs (human-like figures, zoomorphs (animal figures) & many mysterious geometric & plantlike petros. This is a wonderful panel that is pretty easy to get to, and I'm really happy to have taken the time to explore this beautiful area. Many thanks to Craig Simpson at Twin Rocks Cafe for turning me onto this exceptional panel & directions!I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the many wonders of Little Hands country. Southern Utah is chock full of specacular scenery & amazing landscapes, and I highly encourage everybody to come explore this wondrous place. Enjoy, and feel free to send comments. Peace, Joel..all images copyright 2,008 by Joel Tarantal, amdew1@aol.com

Butler Wash Wolfman Petroglyphs, Bluff, UT 7-08

Hey now folks..please come on in & check out the great petroglyph pan ...

Updated: Aug 02, 2008 12:09am PST

Courthouse Wash Petroglyphs & Pictographs, Moab, UT 7/13/08 : Hey now, howdy..Well, it turned into a petroglyph sort of weekend in Southern Utah. When I was at the Wolfman Petroglyph Panel down in Bluff, the day before, a couple came down off the rim to check out the panel too. We were admiring the fine petroglyphs, and I mentioned that I was heading up to Moab later that day. They told me to check out the petros just off of Hwy 191 in Moab..pretty cryptic directions, but I filed the thought, and on Sunday, I only had one appointment, so after that was done, I decided to try to locate the Courthouse Wash Petroglyph & Pictograph Panel (on the list of National Historic Sites, but I hadn't heard of it before). I visited Serena Supplee, the wonderful Moab artist who I rep for, and asked her about this panel, and she sort of told me how to go..it took some doing on a really hot day, but I finally found the site with Serena's phone help. You've got to hike up the slickrock, until you get to a series of cairns leading you to the glyphs, located within Arches National Park. There's a large panel about 19 feet high by 52 feet long..ghost-like pictographs fading into the sandstone canvas..multi-hued pictographs, and Anasazi petroglyphs.. "You will see large painted ghost-like illustrations typical of the Barrier Canyon Style Archaic figures on the red-orange surface. The numerous figures include human forms, bighorn sheep, shields, scorpion-like illustrations, possible dogs, a long-beaked bird and abstract elements. You can see evidence of painted multi-colored figures superimposed on other pictographs. On the desert varnish surface you will see human and animal-like figures as well as abstract forms. This site is on the National Register of Historic Places because of its representation of a Barrier Canyon Style rock art panel." (quotes from US Interior Dept website). It was exhirarating to climb up & see the panel, and the great views of the Moab valley down below, the Mighty Colorado rolling past, the cliffs leading out to Potash & Canyonlands, the EVIL ATLAS URANIUM TAILINGS (it's going to cost us taxpayers lots of bucks to move the contaminated waste away from the Colorado River, where it threatens the drinking water of millions of folks downstream..anybody care for a sip of Uranium Water? It glows! I didn't think so. The Courthouse Wash Petroglyph Panel was heavily vandalized back in 1980 (I think?), and the damage is quite evident, and sad to see. It is so cool to find one of these special places, and to see somebody's initials carved into the sandstone is a bummer.The pictographs were probably done at different times, as there are single tone, as well as multi-hued glyphs. After leaving Courthouse Wash, I headed over to Matrimony Springs to fill up the water bottles, and then headed out to one of my favorite Moab-area hikes, up in Negro Bill Canyon, past the creek, looking out for poison ivy, and checking out all the great rock formations in this beautiful canyon. About a mile in, I started hearing thunderclaps echoing off of the sandstone walls, and a stiff , cool breeze came through, and it felt like a monsoon was about to hit..this kept up for a few minutes, and since I didn't have anything to protect my camera if it started raining, I decided to bag the two more miles to the end of the canyon, and the stately Morning Glory Arch that awaits you at the terminus, and I headed back out to the trailhead (as it turned out, the wind & thunder was just a tease, and it never rained, so I missed out on Morning Glory on this trip. I highly recommend this hike if you're ever up in Moab. It's not too strenuous, and there's a big payoff when you get to Morning Glory! It's 243 feet long, and thought to be the 6th longest land bridge in the US. There's lots of vegetation on this hike, and gorgeous scenery all the way! So, come on in & check out the second part of Petroglyph Weekend. Enjoy, Peace, joel, comments always welcome..amdew1@aol.com..all images copyright 2,008 by Joel Tarantal P.S. A big shout out to Bob & Pam, and Greg & Laura & Serena for helping to make my time in Moab a peak experience! Woohoo. I'm nuts for MOAB!

Courthouse Wash Petroglyphs & Pictographs, Moab, UT 7/13/08

Hey now, howdy..Well, it turned into a petroglyph sort of weekend in S ...

Updated: Aug 03, 2008 10:48pm PST