ROCK ART AND ANCIENT RUINS

Within the "Four-Corners" region (where the states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet) are found some of the most spectacular ancient ruins in North America.

For thousands of years, ancient cultures flourished throughout the plateaus, mesas and canyons of this area. The most famous were the Anasazi, the "Ancient Ones", who were the ancestors of today's Hopi, Zuni, and other Pueblo people. Their haunting and well-preserved villages, protected in these secluded canyons for centuries, and the beautifully painted pieces of pottery and fragments of chipped stone which are still found in incredible abundance, contributes to an amazing sense of connection with these early people.

Pueblo Bonito, in Chaco Canyon, covered over three acres with buildings rising to five stories in height, and Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde is the largest cliff dwelling ever built. Rock art, which is both mystical and beautiful, is also found in abundance throughout the area. On this trip we will visit the better-known places such as Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, as well as lesser-known places such as Hovenweep National Monument, and Ute Mountain Tribal Park, which abuts Mesa Verde. Here, accompanied by a Ute guide, we will visit ruins as fascinating as those in the national park, but where, instead of crowds, we will hear only the sounds of birds and the wind in the pines. We will also visit a hidden ruin in southeast Utah where broken pieces of ancient pottery and chipped stone still litter the ground, where hand-prints of red, blue, green and white cover the walls, and where it is again very unlikely that we will encounter other visitors.

My fascination with the "Ancient Ones" led me to several years of work in the field of archaeology, and on this trip we will discuss the natural and cultural history of the land and its inhabitants, both ancient and contemporary. I will show you how to start a fire with a bow & drill and how to flintknap, and you are guaranteed to leave with not only outstanding photographs, but with a deeper understanding of this magical land.

Dates: April 8-12

Cost: $1,100

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