Road Trip

Which one is the Jackrabbit?



iPhone Photography in action!

 

Camping out in Holbrook, AZ

Hubbell's Trading Post

 

Cattle drive just west of Bluff, Utah.



Mammoth & Bison?

We decided to do a little detour on our way to Bluff.  We drove east on I-40 but got off to see Jackrabbit Trading Post on Old Historic Route 66 before heading to Petrified Forest National Park.  We spent the night at the Wigwam in Holbrook...a once in a lifetime experience...with the emphasis on "once".  The next day we stopped at Hubbell's Trading Post and admired the gorgeous rugs.  Just before getting to Bluff, we ran into a cattle drive with several cowboys and a cowgirl.  The next day along the San Juan River, we searched for and found mammoth and bison petroglyphs allegedly 11,000 to 13,000 years old.  Amazing!

The End is Near

With help from some Bluffoons (or is it Bluffites), I finally have the major adobe clay coat on the inside walls of the strawbale shed. Ann spent her time being very creative on the exterior walls, including "painting" on a beautiful lime-clay slip and greatly improving the outside niche complete with a heart-shaped rock. The loft is ready for guests and is accessed by a ladder I built using directions off Youtube. The ladder's slope is such that a person can carry something in each hand (e.g. beers) without using a hand rail. Sweet!

Adobe Dreams

We were back in Bluff in July and did some more work on the strawbale shed. We also got up on Cedar Mesa to have a walk-about and look at some centuries-old clay work. A couple of wonderful rainstorms managed to blow through and one produced a great rainbow. Another trip in August and most of the adobe clay work should be done. Ann is having fun (at least, I hope that it is fun) trying some different clay and lime slips on the outside walls.

Near Bluff

Last week, Ann & I backpacked into the lower end of one of the many canyons sliced into the western edge of Cedar Mesa. As many of you know, this entire region is littered with the ruins and relics of the Anasazi. We witnessed some very well-preserved cliff houses and pictographs that looked remarkably bright and fresh, especially some hand prints. Last year was an exceptionally "good" year for tumbleweed, which gave the dog some difficulty. Does someone make sticker proof booties for Labs? On the drive to the trailhead, we found a wonderful "log" of petrified wood eroding out of the Chinle clays. Just another great hike in the Bluff area.

Old Roads

Ever try to photograph a thousand-year-old road in the desert? The ancient Anasazi built a system of "roads" in the eleventh and twelve centuries, even though they did not have wheeled vehicles nor large beasts of burden. Their purpose remains a mystery. Until fairly recently, archaeologists believed that these roads were restricted to the Chaco Canyon area in northern New Mexico. However, several Bluff, Utah archaeologists have been discovering a number of Chaco roads and Chaco-style features, such as Great Houses, in southeast Utah.

One road northwest of Bluff is exceptionally distinct from the air at sunrise and sunset when it casts a straight shadow across the desert floor. Yet from ground level, it is quite faint. The folks and dog in the foreground are standing on the road and if you look closely another person is in the upper left distance, also on the trace of the road.

Following it southeast, one comes to a set of remarkable steps dropping into a canyon. Whether or not these were carved by the ancient ones or "improved" later by cowboys, is still an unanswered question.

Bluff Arts Festival

October 22-23 was the annual Bluff Arts Festival. Kate Aitchison and Ann Kramer were two of the featured artists at the Cow Canyon Trading Post. Kate was showing her unique monotype prints, and Ann had a number of pieces made from recycled materials, such as coffee bags, bottles caps, and felted wool from old sweaters.

Bluff's first film fest was held Friday night, including a video about Katie Lee. Well-respected painter Shonto Begay was the festival's keynote speaker. An art walk on Saturday afternoon showed visitors the impressive diversity of artists associated with little Bluff City.

Additionally, art workshops were held each day. I got involved by teaching a digital photo class on Sunday morning. Don't miss next year's art festival. Go to www.bluffutah.org to see what events are coming up.

No Bluffin'

Ann and I just returned from a long weekend in Bluff. Much to our surprise (and delight), the San Juan River was frozen. Near the Mexican Hat Bridge, an ice dam had formed forcing the river under the dam and emerging under the bridge. Upstream at the BLM Mexican Hat put-in, the river was frozen all the way across. But to the shock of one of our friends, the ice was not as solid as it appeared, and she broke through almost up to her knees.

This was the weekend of the annual Bluff Balloon Festival and many of our favorite balloons were there. The weather was cold and dead still - perfect for hot air flying. The balloonists did not do their traditional mass-ascension in Valley of the Gods because of concern over ice and mud in the valley. Instead they flew an additional time over Bluff, which is always exciting.

Trying to capture images of the Balloon Glow is a challenge. This year I simply put my camera on a tripod, left the ISO setting on 200, and shot away when the balloonists turned on the gas. Sometimes the camera's meter locked onto the bright flame and the picture was dark overall, but occasionally the meter read the lit balloon fabric and gave me a much better exposure. The great thing about digital is that I could shoot and then quickly check my histogram and look for blinkies (over-exposed areas) and try again.

Got Plaster?

The first layer of adobe plaster is on the strawbale shed in Bluff. Next Spring, I hope to see you there to get "plastered" when we do the inside. :-)