the Sun Marker

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Well geez, we are just doing too many fun things, I can hardly keep up!

Today we took a day trip to Blanding, Utah, a mere hop skip and a jump down the road from our campsite.

We visited the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum as well as the Dinosaur Museum. Both were quite wonderful, but for this entry, I'm going to focus on an exhibit at the Edge of the Cedars.

We had already visited the Museum
(hopefully pictures to follow)
and went outside to visit the ruins,
when we spotted this,
off in the distance.

There was a trail down to the structure.
On the way down,
I saw these.
I had almost forgotten dandelions.
I do believe these are the first ones
I've seen here in the southwest

When we got to the structure,
we found this.

I had read about archeoastronomy
in relation to Chaco Canyon,
but this was the first structure I've seen.

I was fascinated.

Upon closer inspection,
there are various forms
(most in the shape
of ancient petroglyphs)
sculpted into the structure.

They were all over the structure,
in seemingly random order,
but it's all very carefully planned.

When you stood inside,
you could see how,
at different times of the day,
or different seasons of the year,
The shadows would cast
at a different location.

It was really a beautiful thing.

Then,
all of a sudden,
the sun moved,
and I got this shot . . .
and goosebumps.

By taking one tiny step
it changed to this
(and I'm sure my lens could
have been cleaner . . .
but I love the effect).

I just had to share,
because truthfully,
this was one of the
most beautiful,
magical things
I've ever seen.
I can't explain it any better than that.

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There will be four more posts
of Monument Valley pictures
(which you may feel free to skip,
I'm really saving these for me).
That said, I want to try to keep up
with our daily doins,
so for a while
there may be two posts a day.