Mesa Verde National Park, located in the southwestern corner of Colorado, is a great interactive place. One of the more adventurous cliff dwellings of the ancestral Puebloan people is Balcony House. This cliff dwelling is only available on a ranger-guided tour and involves climbing a 32 foot ladder, crawling through a 12 foot-long tunnel, and climbing up a 60 foot open rock face with two 10 foot ladders to exit the site.
While on the tour I waited in line to crawl through a narrow 12 foot-long tunnel, a woman in front of me froze up and screamed she was claustrophobic. After making a scene she turned to me commanded that I go before her. I happily obliged and squeezed my way through the tunnel being careful not to damage my Canon 5D camera all the while listening to the woman behind me continue to whine and complain.
At the conclusion of the tour we had to climb two ladders to exit the site. I stayed behind the rest of the tour group to get some unobstructed views of the cliff dwelling before heading up. I then spotted the annoying and claustrophobic woman approaching me so I decided to get to the ladders before she did.
As I approached the first ladder, I paused for a moment to adjust my camera around my shoulder and not before Ms. Claustrophobia shrieked, “What’s the matter?! Are you afraid of heights?!”
“No, I’m just adjusting my camera so it won’t swing unnecessarily against the wall and break into pieces” I calmly replied, “you do realize the entire tour group scaled a 32 foot ladder to begin the tour?”
“Oh, you must be one of those types really obsessed with photography!” she snorted.
I turned my back to her and started to climb the ladder.
“By the way please stay behind me at least 150 to 200 yards. Annoying people make me claustrophobic. Thank you.”
She yelled back some expletive but I kept a smile on my face the whole time.
Happy Travels!
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A couple of years ago I traveled to Southern Colorado which proved to be one of my most memorable and productive photo trips. It would open the door for further exploration to the American Southwest and begin a lifelong love of photographing this magical part of the world.
In the charming city of Durango a great trip I would recommend would be the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train ride. This spectacular train ride meanders through some beautiful forests and breathtaking canyons. Make sure you bring enough memory cards (or film) because the final destination takes you to the photogenic historic mining town of Silverton.
Quick tips: Sit on the right hand side in one of the open box cars toward the end (this is for the train departing from Durango). The only downside is that you may get cold (layer properly) and get soot all over your clothes from the locomotive’s smokestack. Also, you have the option to take the train for the return trip to Durango or take a bus. I took the bus because it was much quicker (keep in mind the train trip from Durango to Silverton is very slow for scenic purposes (over three hours). With the extra time saved I was able to squeeze in an hour or so of camera time at nearby Mesa Verde National Park.
Now living in the Midwest I yearn for a return trip to the Southwest to photograph iconic landmarks and discover new ones.
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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Hovenweep National Monument is far from everything.
Located in the Four Corners area in a remote area on the Colorado/Utah border, Hovenweep (a Ute/Paiute word that means "deserted valley”), is both compelling and mysterious.
If you love long, dusty roads, solitude and ancestral Puebloans then Hovenweep is right up your alley.
I hope everybody had a great Christmas! Besides the fact that Santa didn’t deliver a Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens to under my Christmas tree, I still had a fantastic time with my family.
Have a wonderful New Year!
Happy Travels!
Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography
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