A few snapshots taken on the trip home from Utah

Dixie · September 12, 2005

These photos were taken yesterday as I drove through northern Arizona and northern New Mexico. The windmill and the lone tree were taken in Navajo lands in northeastern Arizona and the sky-scape was taken along I-40 between Albuquerque and Tucumcari, NM.

I hope that you like them. Comments and suggestions welcome.

I'll be home after almost 3 and a half weeks on the road late, late tonight.

Dixie · September 14, 2005

Two more of the windmill. Both handheld, but one taken with a shutterspeed of 1/1000th of a second at f/6.3 and the other at 1/25th at f/29 at 168mm focal length for both.

Dixie · September 14, 2005

This one was taken on the Hopi Indian Reservation in north central Arizona. I won't say that it was the very last thing that I would have expected to be running around by its lonesome in the middle of nowhere, but it's definitely way down on the list. Since it was entirely alone, I would suspect that "it got away." I think that it is an Ipaca going by the TV ads.

thdizzy · September 14, 2005

Navajo Lands
Very sharp, capturing work.

How surreal was it passing through and seeing their souvenir stands like those in Tijuana. I just remember looking and apologizing for taking their land.

IMHO.

USAIR · September 14, 2005

Good ones

Love the spinning windmills

Thanks
FRed

Dixie · September 14, 2005

thdizzy wrote:

Very sharp, capturing work.

How surreal was it passing through and seeing their souvenir stands like those in Tijuana. I just remember looking and apologizing for taking their land.

IMHO.

Todd, not to belittle what happened long ago, but things have changed - for the better I might add. When I drove through the same area about 20 years ago some of the villages and such did remind me of the Tijuana hillsides, etc. However, it was an entirely different place now and I suppose that it has a lot to do with the Indian casinos. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot to still do, but what I noticed this trip through were the new modern schools, modern ranches, hospitals, clinics, Indian Cultural Museums and Heritage Centers, etc. I was really surprised and happy to see how the monies are being used for the betterment of the communities. It was a different world while riding through this time in comparision to twenty years ago.

Dixie · September 14, 2005

USAIR wrote:

Good ones

Love the spinning windmills

Thanks
FRed

Thank you Fred.

erich6 · September 14, 2005

Dixie,

I really like the first shot with the spinning windmill. Great sharpness, colors, and contrast!

The rest are good to but the first one is a home run to me.

Erich

thdizzy · September 15, 2005

Dixie wrote:

Todd, not to belittle what happened long ago, but things have changed - for the better I might add. When I drove through the same area about 20 years ago some of the villages and such did remind me of the Tijuana hillsides, etc. However, it was an entirely different place now and I suppose that it has a lot to do with the Indian casinos. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot to still do, but what I noticed this trip through were the new modern schools, modern ranches, hospitals, clinics, Indian Cultural Museums and Heritage Centers, etc. I was really surprised and happy to see how the monies are being used for the betterment of the communities. It was a different world while riding through this time in comparision to twenty years ago.

Dixie - I can only imagine what it was like 20 years ago. I am sure Indian gaming is helping many tribes; I just didn't see any of the funds aiding the area's I drove past. My route was US89 heading south into Flagstaff and I drove past some bad areas just 3 months ago. I am sure things will eventually get better and I am glad to hear that you have witnessed such progress.

All the best...

Dixie · September 15, 2005

Todd, I came down US 89A from Zion NP through Kanap, UT and then joined US 89 for a while and then headed east on US 264. The road I was on with the new schools, etc. was on US 264. The Hopi Reservation is like an island within the larger Navajo Reservation. You would have passed through the extreme western portion of the Navajo lands headed south and not even touched on the Hopi lands. I went dead through the center of both headed from west to east so maybe the improvements are being made center of mass outward. I don't specifically remember how much of what was in Hopi lands as compared to the Navajo lands, but it seems that many of the improvements noted were in the Hopi lands and in the heaviest concentrations of population.

Trish323 · September 15, 2005

Dixie,

I like the spin best! Good Job!

Dixie · September 15, 2005

Thanks Trish.

ginger_55 · September 15, 2005

Good shots, Dixie. I do like the windmill. But I also really like the one with the nice light effect, clouds and all.

That animal, never heard of the darn things, then someone in our dog club moved to southern Colorado and is raising them.
or something like them.

ginger

Andy · September 15, 2005

mmm llama :eat

dixie, these are "tasty" shots. thanks for sharing them

Khaos · September 15, 2005

Nice stuff Dixe. I love the detail and colors in #3.

Dixie · September 16, 2005

ginger_55 wrote:

Good shots, Dixie. I do like the windmill. But I also really like the one with the nice light effect, clouds and all.

That animal, never heard of the darn things, then someone in our dog club moved to southern Colorado and is raising them.
or something like them.

ginger

Ginger, I don't know whether "the thing" is an ipaca or a llama (or for all I know they may be the same). I just know that they've never been native to any place where I lived. They are running "ipaca" ads on TV all the time trying to get people to start ipaca farms. I always figured that the only people who make the money from those ads are the people selling you "the farm" and never the people who raise the darn things.

I will be talking to my daughters who live in Summerville sometime tomorrow so I should be able to let you know either tomorrow night or Saturday morning when I will be headed to the Charleston area next.

Dixie · September 16, 2005

andy wrote:

mmm llama :eat

dixie, these are "tasty" shots. thanks for sharing them

Thanks Andy. Are they llamas or ipacas (or are llamas and ipacas the same thing).

I just know that I was surprised to see one running wild in the high desert with no other type of livestock anywhere in the area. He/she sure kept an eye on me when I stopped to take his/her photo.

Dixie · September 16, 2005

Khaos wrote:

Nice stuff Dixe. I love the detail and colors in #3.

Thanks Khaos. I was literally driving along and watching for anything interesting such as the windmills, cloud formations, etc. on the 2-day, 1700 mile ride home. I would just pull over and stop and take a few shots and take a minute to stretch my legs and then hit the road again.