Quick Trip

 To Sedona last week…..

And then right down the road….

 …..is Mount Rushmore!

That Crazy Horse!

Crazy Horse was born as a member of the Oglala Lakota circa 1840.  By the time he was in his mid teens, he was already a warrior, and his bravery was well known throughout the Lakota people. 

It is well-known that many Native Americans refused to have their picture taken or likeness made, as they believed that their souls would be taken.  Crazy Horse was killed by an infantry man on September 5, 1877.

Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski decided to created a monument of Crazy Horse to honor the principles and values for which Native Americans stood. 

                                          This monument has been in progress since 1948.

Fighting Stallions

Rendition of the Final Project

Early start from Moab, Utah

Normally, I would stop, but I was on a tear, so 250 miles down the road, I finally stopped in Vail, Colorado.  

I am not a skier, but I get how winter sports enthusiasts would love this little spot on the world. Actually, it is not as little as it once was.  Lots and lots of new construction, housing, traffic, parking, etc.  Sigh……

Ski runs galore!

But I prefer a leisurely break from travel

And there was this……

Seriously, Los Cerrillos!

I am always up for a road trip and finding things off the beaten path.  

A few months ago, I made another trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  And although The Plaza never gets old I wanted to explore along the famous Turquoise Trail (State Highway 14). Viola!  I come across a little…..town?

The Tano Natives were the first to dwell in Cerrillos in large pueblos spread throughout the Galisteo Basin. Many materials were mined out of the area—turquoise, gold, silver and lead.  Several mine collapses caused the mines to be filled in, and they laid dormant for 150 years.

Cerrillos was re-discovered in 1879 by Colorado prospectors.  Word spread fast about the riches to be had and a boom began!

By 1900, the mines started to shut down once again, and today only a fraction of the boom remains.  

For explorers, it is well worth the stop on the side of The Turquoise Trail!

Personal Projects...

Personal projects, maybe especially for photographers, are important.  It is easy to get bored and stop practicing your passion.  When that happens, your passion becomes a pain rather than a pleasure.

Personal projects propel us to stay creative and fuel our passions...effortlessly.

My latest personal project is traveling to photograph chapels—not churches or missions—of Arizona.

This chapel—Little Roadside Chapel—sits on the base of a small mountain in Salome, Arizona.  It was built by Paul and Lora Marks in 2004 as a place for travelers to stop, rest and pray.

I’m somewhere....

 ....in Arizona. 

The Chapel of the Valley

Prescott Valley

The history of this chapel, as lifted from its Facebook page, is as follows. 

Johnie Lee Fain's dream was to build a Chapel. Not an ordinary structure, but one comfortably nestled with the Spirit of God. A safe haven that provided comfort and refuge to all who entered. Johnie's passion was passed on to her daughter, Carolyn, "Sue" Fain. The sanctuary we behold today was built with money donated by Sue, as a final tribute to her mother's vision.

THE LEGACY

The stained glass windows, that are the crown jewels of the Chapel, are a gift of love donated by Henry Lovell Brooks. Johnie Lee and Henry met through a mutual friend and fast became lifelong friends. Their simple, loving friendship has come to a grand finale with the union of the Chapel and windows.Never has evidence of predestined purpose been so apparent as when one stands in awe of the windows' deep harvest of colors, augmented by the form and purity of light. They become a delicacy that nourishes the mind and soothes the soul. 

The Chapel is open to the public on Sundays from 11a- 2p.