After touring Bioshephere 2* we determined that it would be like living inside a gigantic bottle...and yet a group of scientists did just that. They signed the contracts and went inside for a 2 year tour of duty....along with 45 species of animals/insects. It now belongs to the University of Arizona, but that only happened recently....original facility became a human-inhabited laboratory back in the early 90's.
*[ Constructed between 1987 and 1991, it was used to explore the complex web of interactions within life systems in a structure that included five areas based on biomes and an agricultural area and human living/working space to study the interactions between humans, farming and technology with the rest of nature.]
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Tours start at the lower level of this building, which is another level down.
This building is the size of 3 football fields long.
Rain-catchers designed from children's hands dot the landscape.
Water conservation is a large part of the recycling program built into the facility. Originally, the inhabitants had no paper products - yes, that included NO tissue, toilet paper or paper towels.
One of the biomes included an 'ocean with coral reef'....Pacific Ocean water was trucked, as was the sandy beach located at the bottom end of the photo (not visible here but we were standing on it).
This is a huge expansion bladder aid in the distributing of heat generated with all the glass. Heat has to go somewhere, thus. this Dupont rubber bladder with its 40 year warranty,and it is still manually checked each morning. We got to yell "Hello" once inside this room - as it acts like an echo chamber.
I'll close with a piece of sculpture, one of several on the grounds. There are also additional photos in a separate slideshow to the right of this piece. The tour we took was educational in the scientific as well as a social/cultural commentary on communal living, it was worth every penny of the entrance fee and half of that is tax decuctible!
As a kid growing up in Seattle my parents would answer my "that's not fair" with the phase, "you want fair?"- with - "we'll go to Puyallup in September"....(when the county fair occurred). Now as an adult I can go to any street fair that I happen upon and this weekend we found ourselves in the midst of the Tucson 4th Avenu Winter Street Fair where they close off almost 1 mile of the street near the University. And with 400 booths we spent most of the day exploring those booths. Oh, darn - Sun and art in December...can't get better than that.
Tucson 4th Avenue Street Fair - Winter - is this weekend, however March 22-24, 2013 is the date for the Spring Street Fair if you want to mark your calendar. I found 3 of my favorite
I collect "faces" in art form. Ceramic masks, mixed media (wood/paper/shells etc), and have needlepointed several myself. These copper figures (very light weight) called Ancestors caught my eye....she sells them on Etsy - in addition to the "Ancestors" she also has some amazing photographs, nightlights and other art she has created. Check her out!
this little piggy
metal musician
hookah anyone? shop on 4th sells them.
For a day activity this had it all; music, food, arts, and exercise.
Ok, as many of you know, due to my spouse's interest in anything 'aerospace' related, I have spent quite a bit of time in airplane/space museums, floating aircraft carriers, etc., if it has a plane, helicopter or rocket we see them - and there are quite a few of those around the country. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours touring the Titan Missile Museum, near Sahuarita, AZ, 25 south of Tucson - it was fascinating!
Born out of the 1960's Cuba Missile crisis, the 54 silo sites were built as MAD or "mutually assured destruction" or deterrants to war.
Missile sites were located in Kansas, Arkansas and here in Arizona....and their were hidden in plain sight. The government wanted our enemies to know that we were serious and could destroy them even in the event that they struck first. Frakly, that knowledge didn't give me a lot of comfort.
Diagram of 18 AZ silo locations
The guided tour starts with a 17 min video that gives youthe history of how the silos came to be, the US Air Force stewardship of the program and then the walk-a-bout of the silo itself. This tour is the bare essentials-tour, one of seven tours offered. There is even a sleep-over program
for those who wish to have a hands-on experience.
Part of the tour we took gave me the opportunity to be "Crew Commander"... answering questions about the control panel and assisting with 'launching' the Titan II....selection is by whoever enters the room first. Anyone can do it!
A view of the Titan II missile from above....impressive isn't it.
For those who know me, know that I love local art. I also love, love, love books. And if I can find local art and books...it's called nirvana. Our travels enable me to tour the back roads/the small towns and discover how the local citizens create opportunities for visual improvements...some repaint over what might have been graffiti .....
or dress UP the local abode bank building.
Some of the local art also incorporated books...this particular building is a maze of books crammed into nooks and small spaces....loads of rare and out of print books overtook one-third of the space. Amongst the stacks were pieces of pottery for space and the shelf laden with gem rocks.
Raggedly Andy and his sister Anne graced a shelf of children's books
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Just down the street we discovered "Black Cat Books & Coffee... books and coffee - always a wonderful way to spend an hour or so on a lazy afternoon.
Theatre & Film aisle
the BLACK CAT
This delightful store had secrets in every corner...the ladies room decor was whimsical for sure....
Children's section
A surprise addition....in the ladies room
If you enjoy strolling old small towns, this one has lots of second hand/consignment/antique shops, along with a small local artist gallery, music store and a couple of clothing boutiques.
a quirky clothing/gift boutique
a musical store with this mostly penny-covered guitar in the window
Originally named Hot Springs, the city changed its name to Truth or Consequences, the title of a popular NBC radio program. In 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio quiz show Truth or Consequences, announced that he would air the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Hot Springs won the honor. Edwards visited the town during the first weekend of May for the next fifty years.
Now only 10 of the original 40 hot springs remain....
So, we pull into the Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post planning to stay just long enough to stock our cupboards @ Costco, Trader J's and a real grocery store (think Safeway)....only to be met by this glorious work of art. Yes, that is what I am calling it. ART! Pristine condition, looking all shining and new, I mean look at those white walls....this photo does not do it justice. There are several vintage trailers staged just behind in a square, available for rent.
1950 Hudson w/trailer
While the Trading Post once was active on Historic Route 66, it now sits outside the hustle and bustle of Albuquerque, exit 149 of I-40. Camping World is located conveniently right next door.
(The park honors Passport America.) (No money or benefit have been exchanged for this 'advertisement'...it's too gorgeous not to share.)
It takes perseverance, patience and just a bit of "no pain, no gain" qualities to get you into Chaco Canyon...and it's worth every nerve-racking/body-jolting/expletive-filled moment that it takes to get there. If you are a thrill seeker, these roads are for you! You have two options to get into the canyon.
Fajada Butte and visitor center
1) From the north you can enter off Hwy 550/44 and eventually hit CR 7950 for 16 miles...and after 13 jaw-jarring washboard miles you will have arrived at the visitor center, or 2)from the South enter from NM Hwy 57 for 20, less body-jolting (according to locals), miles. Either way you will reach the visitor center. (oh, psst - no cell coverage in the park....unless you are in the parking lot).
Cliff dwelling ruins in campground
Gallo Campground is just a mile from there but it is 1st come/1st serve. There is no lodging, gasoline, repair svcs or food in the park and the nearest town is 60 miles away - so come prepared.
There are 10 primitive sites to visit, 6 by the paved loop drive and the remaining 4 by hiking trails, not for the faint of heart, (ranging in distance from 3 - 7.4 miles) to visit two of the sites up on the adjoining mesas. Largely due to the immense sizes of the site we covered the park area over several days...using the Trail Guides that are available for a small fee at each site ($.50) or you can borrow and return to be recycled by others.
Example of information provided in trail guides
The trail guides not only provided historical facts and information, but artist renderings of layouts of the pueblos, photos of masonry examples, construction of roofs, ceilings and walls, as well as the corresponding & numbered posts-to-text explainations of typical and unique features at each site.
Occupied A.D. 950-1250s, Chetro Ketl is the 2nd largest pueblo in Chaco. These beams are between the second and third floors of the pueblo. The pueblo covers approx. 3 acres, estimated 500 rooms of which 275 were 2nd/3rd floor rooms. A large portion @ post 1(see map above) of the pueblo is "unexcavated" in an effort to preserve. (We discovered that quite a bit of the ruins are "unexcavated" or were excavated, documented, preserved in some fashion then back-filled to preserve.)
Leading from Chetro to Pueblo Bonito is a short trail along the bluff for petroglyph viewing...a trail guide descibes the 13 in all, it's worth the detour.
At Hunge Pavi pueblo complex, circa A.D. 1000-1250's, examples of the wood beams used for flooring (left) and the 3' thick walls of slate/sandstone can be found.
Next on the tour is Pueblo del Arroyo - circa A.D. 850-1100, where portions of the site were built using a block sandstone as seen in the photos below.
even, flat outer walls are evident in all of the buildings
cross section of wall of block sandstone and mud mortar made from the nearby Chaco Wash, which during construction was 8' wide by 18" deep.
"Overgrazing and natural cycles of erosion in the last 100 years has increased the wash to 100' wide and 30-40' deep." (WNPA publications)
Which brings me to the largest and most visited pueblo in the canyon Pueblo Bonito (Spanish for "Beautiful Town"). Pueblo Bonito in it's entirety consisted of 600 rooms, with the oldest section dating CE 850 to the late 900s - that being confined to 100 ground & upper story rooms.
This photo is of the oldest vigas (tree beams) in the pueblo and is protected by a small 20th C roof with drainage eave/pipe.
Early looting/scavenging of the ruins can be seen by the neatly sawed remains of exposed beams throughout the sites. **
An example of beams, flat walls and a T-shaped doorway.
This ends photos of the pueblos within this posting, however there is a slide show attached to my blog that displays these and other sites within the park.
The short 2 min video here is one that I took as I went down and into Pueblo Bonito where it is permitted. (My apologies, the first 30 sec I had the camera at the wrong angle and then corrected it.)
The stops within this area descend 14 stairs, stooping through 11 narrow doorways that are 20-27" wide, 41-46 " high - so I want to thank my chiropractor for keeping me limber enough to experience this .... this pueblo is 1000 years old and I got to scamperthrough it. (** Note: Look for the 'sawed off beams' mentioned above.)
Hope you have enjoyed this trek through the past...I know I did.
Parked in the campground at Bluewater Lake State Park...WOW!. It is virtually empty, after September 15 - first come - first serve. It is a beautiful park @ 6800', and although many of the site roads are closed for the season , the walk to the lake is close by.
Agenda for today: view inscriptions @ El Morro outside Ramah, NM. On the drive to Ramah we passed by the El Malpais Information Center and decided to take a peek for a future visit.
This park is all about volcanic caves, lava flows and
cinder cones, all viewable by hikes or scenic drives.
It's on our bucket list as our time in the area is short
The visitor center was built in 1964, blends nicely into the sandstone and juniper landscape. Interesting displays of Spaniard conquest/Catholicism, information about the Ancestral Pueblo ruin, Astinna. There is also a 9 site campground that provides a Sky Night Program during normal seasonal hours...given that there is NOTHING even a close to a street lamp or Mickey D's neon sign -the stars must be amazing.
Twenty miles away you can find Zuni Nation - which offers a tour of the Zuni Pueblo if you happen to be in the area. I left there with opal and silver jewelry...hey, I love jewelry artists too.
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Food
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