At the end of August, I accepted a position as a 1 year SCA (Student Conservation Association) Intern at Wupatki National Monument. One of three monuments run by the National Park Service as the Flagstaff Area National Monuments, Wupatki is the site of many pueblo ruins from the years 1100-1250. At the height of occupation, archaeologists that nearly 3,000 Puebloans lived in this landscape that looks out over the Painted Desert.
From these photos--which I hesitate to post because I have not yet attempted to get "great photos" that really capture what I get to see with my own eyes--you can see a small piece of the landscape. My apartment window looks out on the Painted Desert as the sun illuminates it in the evening (above). There are a couple cottonwood trees, which I am convinced are keeping me from missing New England too much. Below you can see the row of employee apartments in the background behind my side mirror, and the desert landscape during the day is seen in the mirror.
Since my position is 40 miles outside of Flagstaff and 35 miles from a grocery store, I am "required" to have a car. With my trusty sidekick the Camry (for the time being named Silas) and my friend Carmen from Dartmouth, we all set out on a wonderfully successful Road Trip from New Hampshire to Lake Tahoe area, CA. We drove much, laughed a lot, sweated without AC but maximized our fuel efficiency, stayed with great friends, saw a license plate that said GARLIC, camped in random forests, accomplished South Dakota, contemplated tire pressure often, planted a rainbow flag in Wyoming--unintentionally but quite happily, created shenanigans, avoided Nevada but not enough, and exploded fruit.
Below are highlight photos including myself, Carmen, and Silas.
