Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

There are so many amazing places to explore in the Southwest and so many surprises.  I had never been to Cedar Breaks National Monument (near Cedar City, Utah) and in fact, I was not even aware of it.   Peter had been there and wanted to show me the area and we both wanted to take photographs.  As we drove up the mountain to 10,000+ feet, the trees thinned to a few.    It was a surprise to step out of the car, walk through the bristlecone pines, juniper trees, wildflowers and grass to look out 3 miles and down into a half-mile deep natural amphitheater.  Breathtaking actually!    This monument is open June thru October (snow in the winter precludes travel) and I understand that the fall colors are incredible in September/October.  The rock colors come from iron and manganese in a varity of combinations to produce reds, oranges and yellows with some purple.  My colors!  The Indians used to call this area the ‘Circ...

Our last stops were the national monuments of Wupatki and Sunset Crater.   Besides just enjoying saying the name ‘Wupatki’ we really enjoyed seeing this pueblo and the exhibits.   Wupatki is north of Flagstaff, Arizona in the shadow of Sunset Crater.   Today occasional earthquake tremors still get residents attention.   The remains of the pueblos in this area are from the 1100’s when the people banded together to build a farming community.   Sunset Crater’s eruption left a thin coat of ash that enriched the soil by absorbing moisture and preventing evaporation.   By 1180 thousands of people were farming here.   By 1250 the buildings stood empty and the people had moved on.   Some resettled in areas close by and their descendants still live in the area.    Artist's concept of the original pueblo  Ruins Today I found the techniques of building with rock interesting.  There was a variety of natural color, shapes, textures...