| Maze Overlook.
This is one of the most awe inspiring campsites in existence. You're sufficiently close to
the edge, that this spot is not recommended for sleepwalkers. The Chocolate Drops are clearly
visible in the center, and Chimney Rock is on the right horizon. An hour of scrambling takes
you into the Maze proper, where you can figuratively and literally lose yourself.
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| The Maze.
The Maze consists of a rather confusing canyon system made of white and red sandstone in
alternating bands. Entry into the Maze requires serious scrambling and the use of all
available body appendages. Once at the bottom, however, hiking is straightforward - but
bring plenty of water - it can get very warm, and finding water can be problematic.
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| In The Maze.
Walking through the Maze, its very easy to lose all sense of time and distance. The place
has a peaceful aura to it. There's a lot of cottonwood trees down here that add to the
timeless quality. You may have heard of those "large friendly letters" - well, cottonwoods
are large friendly trees. In the autumn they take on a shade of yellow, that when appropriately
backlit, makes you glad to be alive.
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| The Harvest Scene.
Travelling several miles into the Maze brings you to the "Harvest Scene". Several thousand
years old, these pictographs depict scenes from harvest time. The largest of the figures
are "life-size", being five to six feet tall. Some of the figures are clearly identifiable -
others are a good exercise for the imagination.
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| Close Up.
Using an ultra wide angle lens, I stood at arms length from the cliff, and photographed along
the line of figures. I'm amazed that after several thousand years of exposure to the extremes
of weather, different colours are still visible in the pictographs.
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| Straight Up.
Again the ultra wide angle lens is used to advantage. Looking straight up, the figures are
shown at the base of an immense wall. The central figure clearly shows strong colours -
mostly whites and oranges.
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| Magical Light.
In places, the canyons are fairly narrow, so that even at midday, there can be some
interesting lighting effects and shadows. The only challenge is getting the right exposure
- even a half stop one way or the other totally changes the mood of the image.
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| Blatant Narcissism.
When I'm at home, I have to arrange for the detonation of a medium yield nuclear device
under my bed to get up by 8:00am; however, out here I have no difficulty in being up an hour
before sunrise - tripod and coffee mug in hand. I could sit there for hours.
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