A few more Grand Canyon Shots from the South Rim of the canyon.
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South Rim GC
Author: kmarieclark
It hovers over the city dwellers, peeking around city buildings, train travelers, and from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
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The next day, we closed in on the South Rim
the north face of Humphreys began to fade
to a mere backdrop
left to stand with common tourists in the
amazement of nature
over the erosion of another natural wonder.
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Caught It!
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Climbing Humphreys
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We walked a grass meadow to the forest edge
the lime green new growth of the pine
spread and opened a mile in to expose a hill of rock
too great for human hands
The easy slow switch backs lead through Aspen
tall white trunks rise from the fern forest floor.
We stumble over large rocks and exposed roots
the first two miles, getting acclimated to 11,000 ft
and then the knee lifts begin, slow scrambling past
false peaks to make it on top of an ancient volcano.
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There is a constant buzz at 12,633 feet, a live hive
hungry flies we see
south mountains draped in pines
a soft carpet of Aspen lies in the valley crooks below
The 360 degree view affords us the view of the North Rim and Walnut Canyon by just turning
a simple circle.
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The next day we watched Humphreys in the rear view mirror
Onward to see the Grand Canyon South rim as
soft sandaled tourists.
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(50/50 Photos were taken by my husband or me.)
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Flagstaff
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Thirty miles north of Sedona
lives the summer homes
of most desert dwellers, and the shadow
of Arizona’s highest peak.
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We’d come to ‘Flag’ to climb Mt. Humpheys
the day of rest before
found us lolly-gagging around
easily paved tourist attractions that left
us feeling empty.
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We ate across the tracks before the train
bisected the city again
a hipster town, complete with
a university from the
historic landmarks
old hotels where New Years Eve
parties were spent watching
the pine cone drop
outside the Weatherford Hotel.
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Humphreys began at the low pine spread
easy, slow switch-backs in the Aspen forest
a bright green fern floor before the tall
white legs
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Careful steps climb for two-thirds of the way
watching roots and rock trip your feet
until knee lifts climb you the
last tired third to the top
the sand and lava rock tundra
of a volcano we can make out
at the peak, over the rock scramble
blew one million years ago.
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A live hive by the top
small hungry flies at 12,000 feet
mountains south of us were draped in pines
a soft carpet of Aspen lies in the valley
crooks below the mountain.
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Jerome
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Nearby Jerome copper mines
turned the grassy meadow brassy
to the taste of a bleak landscape
lowering from ancestral Pueblos’ mazes.
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Toward the hills of a glistening J
the lights of Jerome draw
day-time travelers to sit sipping beer
from the balcony of an old Asylum.
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Turquoise infused Juniper wood
lies in the precious glassed galleries
where the locals tell time on spring-loaded clocks
bouncing from ‘8’ balls
anything to tell us what the sun is doing.
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The town joy engulfed with the most experimental
and expressive of arts, for a conservative
valley of straight-laced thinkers.
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See the Pura Gallery online or in person if you visit Jerome.
http://www.puravidagalleryjerome.com/
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Montezuma’s Castle
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Montezuma’s Castle
sits too tall to climb without ladders
pale white adobes, pressed
together with women palms
centuries ago
since then, ancient sycamores
grow in the stream beds.
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Cathedral Rock
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High on the formation
The bugs southern tinny song
Comes and goes with the gusting wind
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Black birds open up a white wingspan to fly
down to ancient sycamores growing in the stream.
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Praying in the Desert
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Long shadows on the hollow rock
walking among monuments of the desert
the agave century plant blooms pads of self-rising yellow buds.
The Ave Maria of the mountains
field song swelling in the Chapel of the Holy Cross
the red risen church with low benches for praying
and viewing the psychedelic flowers of the desert.
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(50/50 Pictures by me or my husband)
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From the Colorado North, into Sedona
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We ride over a corner and the Ponderosa Pine
falls suddenly off to the left.
Entering the Oak Creek Canyon narrows
down to Sedona.
We walked a figure eight around the courthouse
then bell rock, a four mile entry into the city we’d call home for the next four nights.
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Open Sedona
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Sun iron details
around gated entrances
open Sedona
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A tall ponderosa pine forest
along the drive of oak creek canyon falls
music beats through the intimate canyon river
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From where we lodged we walked
around bell rock and the courthouse
with long shadows stepping on
hollow rock sounds
around the vortex.
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The agave blooms life size
lily pad blossoms
held skyward and toward
the simple and very significant structure
The Chapel of the Holy Cross
we see from a climb up
Cathedral Rock.
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Psychedelic colors of the desert blend
between sky blue, white purple, green
red-pink and lean down to the
Verde Valley, lush trees around Oak Creek
where small black birds open up a bright white
wing span.
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Categories
Gallery Night ~ This Thursday {The 6th}
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This Thursday, September 6th, at 6pm
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join us at The Main Street Gallery for a solo show by
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Melanie Steffl Thompson
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join us at The Main Street Gallery for a solo show by
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Melanie Steffl Thompson
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The Main Street Gallery is located at 145 East Main Street in Historic Downtown St. Clairsville. Join is for fine conversation, beautiful artwork, snacks and coffee. Melanie spent an artists’ residency in Romania during the summer of 2011, and these works represent the landscape of her memory. They are crafted with her fine sense of observation including the rhythms of life, inspiration, society, travel and hope. But, that is only my small observation. The paintings are inspired from her time spent abroad. Come, join us, and tell us what you think.
