Southwest United States, May 2007

[gary]

Some photos from a trip last month to the Southwestern United States,
including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and California.

The primary purpose of the trip was to attend the Texas Star Party (TSP) near
Fort Davis, Texas and then the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference (RTMC)
near Big Bear Lake, California.

However, between the two events, myself and three colleagues toured the
southwest in a Jeep Cherokee.

All pictures taken with a Canon 400d.

This first picture taken 24th May 2007 on the South Kaibab Trail in the
Grand Canyon.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[Dennis]

Hi Gary

Gosh – that is a masterpiece of landscape photography; the colours, composition, scenery and cloud scapes are gorgeous.

Cheers

Dennis

PS – Only saw 1 photo in the post? (Although I’m not complaining!)

[gary]

Hi Dennis,

Thank you. I will add some as I go. Here is another one also
taken on the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon, 24th May
2007, probably around the 3 mile point into the Canyon.

I will add some more as time permits.

Best Regards

Gary

[gary]

Upon arrival at the Canyon rim, Andrew urged me not to look until
he said to, but I peeked a look anyway. Upon taking this first shot,
I looked up from the viewfinder absolutely awe-struck.

If one were to visit Earth for the first time, surely this would be
the place to come and see.

[iceman]

Brilliant photos Gary, man I'd love to go there. Thanks for sharing, just incredible.

[ballaratdragons]

Stunning photography Gary! And thats an amazingly BIG hole!!!

And to think that the canyon on Mars is deeper :eyepop:

You have captured the scenery with artistic flair, not just photos of a big hole. Very well done.

My niece and her husband have moved to Arizona, so no doubt I'll get lots of Grand Canyon pics emailed to me :lol:

[gary]

Thanks for the kind comments on the Grand Canyon shots.

The Goosenecks in Utah is another 'Wow!' place on the planet, I would
like to continue this series of shots from our recent trip to the Southwest
with some photographs taken of the San Juan River as it meanders through
the Goosenecks State Park in Utah. The buttes of Monument Valley can be seen
in the far distance on the horizon.

Those familiar with the 1980's documentary Koyaanisqatsi may recognize
the Goosenecks which are featured early in the film.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt, Kuring-Gai

[h0ughy]

fantastic, lovely shots, stunning. it must have been a buzz to have been there!

[RB]

Such beautifully captured imagery Gary, you've done a wonderful job.
Just can't imagine what it would be like to visit such beautiful locations.

Looking forward to more.
Thanks for sharing.

[erick]

Stunning, Gary, thanks! Please tell us we are heading for Monument Valley?

[ballaratdragons]

Amazing pics Gary!

You can see which decades had massive Floodwaters by the layers, or maybe soft and hard layers washing away at different rates. Fascinating.

[DobDobDob]

Good stuff Gaz, it great to see you have found the perfect formula for combining work and pleasure, there are many of us that are indeed envious, thanks for sharing seems to be the consistent and pertinent reply :thumbsup:

[iceman]

Unbelievable!
I want go to.. Andrew, let's go there on a photography trip!

[gary]

Thank you everybody for your nice comments. I enjoy the wonderful photographs
you guys contribute here all the time, so my hat is off to you all.

Continuing our journey, not far from the Goosenecks is the community of Mexican Hat,
population approximately 100. The attached three photographs were taken
just outside the community center.

One day it will undoubtedly topple and fall, but the delicately balanced
18m-wide Mexican Hat Rock makes a remarkable spectacle in present times.

Nearby the San Juan River cuts its way through the landscape and the ground
is bent and folded to sometimes form beautiful chevrons in the cliff face.

Best Regards

Gary

[gary]

Monument Valley on the Utah/Arizona border is one of the planets iconic natural spectacles
and a symbol of the American West.

Its rich red coloring comes from iron oxide in the soil and rocks.

Carved by the elements over millions of years, we arrived at sunset after a down
pour of rain.

Best Regards

Gary

[gary]

It was only a week to go to summer, but the wind was bitterly cold in the desert.
However, we grabbed our cameras and kept snapping away as the sun set.
By the time we jumped into the Jeep, our faces and hands were nearly frozen
but we wore broad grins from what we had been privileged to witness.

Best Regards

Gary
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[iceman]

Perfect lighting, perfect compositions, perfect processing.

Wow Gary, I didn't know you had such a photographic eye. Incredible images.

[erick]

Gary, what can I say. Stunning photographs of a place I desperately want to visit. Congratulations, they are wonderful images - the colour, the lighting, the framing - the weather and sky were extremely kind to you, even if you were wet and cold! Thanks so much.

[gary]

Mike & Eric,

Thank you very much. I hope you get the opportunity to get to that part of the
world soon as indeed it is a wonderful experience. As Andrew Murrell pointed
out to me whilst we were there, when driving from one iconic location to the
next, you also drive by countless natural spectacles that for whatever reason
aren't deemed worthy enough to get a mention on the map, yet you and I would
be satisfied if it was the only thing we saw all day. :) Such is the grandeur of
the Southwest.

Again, thank you to everyone for their kind comments and I appreciate the
opportunity IceInSpace provides for us to share.

Best Regards

Gary
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[astroron]

:hi: Gary ,wonderful images ,thanks for showing them.
I hope to go back again in the future and see those places .
I missed thgem on my last visit.:thumbsup:

[DobDobDob]

Hey Gary, were you actually selling the AN over there, how was it received?

[gary]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the question and indeed we were selling there.

Keep in mind that there are a very large number of Argo Navis units in use
around the world and that North America is our largest market. A few years
back, U.S. Sky & Telescope made it one of their much coveted "Hot Products
of the Year". We also have several Argo Navis re-sellers in the United States
and this includes a network down to the telescope shop level. However, we
also sell a large number of units online which ship ex Sydney to North
America and the rest of the world.

Therefore, Argo Navis is already a popular astronomical product in the U.S.
For example a walk around the observing fields of the Texas Star Party
or RTMC at night reveals a considerable number of units in use.

Owing to the email support we provide and forums such as the Argo Navis
DTC Group hosted on Yahoo, there are also a considerable number of customers
I have interacted with over the years and who expressed they were glad
to meet me, which was nice, as it was equally gratifying for myself to put
so many faces to names. It was great to shake hands with so many fabulous
people and to be made felt so welcome. "Got one of your units and absolutely
love it!" was a common remark.

It was also important to meet with some of our re-sellers.

The Tuesday afternoon at TSP provided me with an opportunity to
give a presentation which was an introduction on telescope
pointing, mount errors and mount error analysis. This
dove-tailed half-way through the presentation with an
introduction to the Argo Navis Telescope Pointing Analysis
System (TPAS). Later in the week, a couple of people asked
whether I would give a tutorial in the field on the use of TPAS.
This quickly grew into a modest gathering of Argo Navis owners
and before long we migrated to Pop's Grill
(www.popsgrill.com) to finish the talk over burgers
and sodas.

Like many star parties, there were lucky door prizes. So much gets given
away at TSP, it takes two nights in the "Great Texas Giveaway". On the
second night, an Argo Navis unit, which Wildcard Innovations had donated,
was the Grand Prize.

However, for all those people that know about Argo Navis, there is always
someone who doesn't it and there was ample opportunity to demo and
sell units at the all-day vendors displays at Texas Star Party and at RTMC.
At RTMC, Wildcard Innovations co-shared an outdoor pavillion in the main
vendors area, where you will find organizations such as Meade, TeleVue
Software Bisque and so on. So we were there along side leading astronomical
manufacturers and suppliers.

Finally, I was there to have a great time with fellow amateurs, many of
whom are good friends and to keep the finger on the pulse of what is
for us a very important part of the world with regards it being a major
market for Argo Navis.

Thanks again for the question which allowed me to talk about this aspect
of the trip a little.

Best regards

Gary Kopff
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.

[DobDobDob]

Thank you Gary, for as you know I am only learning about the AN and still have another agonizing 5 to 6 weeks to wait, before I get my scope and then my AN unit. Forgive me if I am ignorant but from your reply it seems that the AN was developed as an Aussie product and then distributed around the world, if this is so, I think that is pretty great that something pretty good is going out from here instead of nearly always the other way around.

I just have to absolutely support anything that is Australian made and developed, I know how hard it must have been for you guys in the beginning. Well done :thumbsup:

[mickoking]

Cool, top images Gary :thumbsup: great colour you got there too. I particually like the Monument Valley images as I have always wanted to visit that part of the world.

Thanks for sharing :)

[gary]

Next on our photographic tour of the Southwest United States, is Spider Rocker, in
the spectacular Canyon de Chelly in Arizona.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[DobDobDob]

It's remarkable how the rock in the central region is left standing when everything around it has been eroded away, an amazing feature,

Btw Gary, do you have to order the Argo Navis off you or can you just ring up in the morning and turn up an hour later to buy one? What's your preferred method?

[gary]

Hi Ron,

Have you seen any images of the scope yet? I gather it is a Guang Sheng 16?
What will be important is how similar it is to the LightBridge, which they also
manufacture for Meade. If the scope ends up being effectively the same, the
installation should be straight forward. Otherwise, we will need to have a look
at it.

As sometimes we need to go to the factory, best to call a day before to make
sure we are here at Mt. Kuring-Gai.

Best Regards

Gary

[gary]

Seeing the pueblo ruins of Canyon de Chelly was for me, a near life-long ambition.
The allure of this place had been with me since I first saw photographs of it when
I was young.

Long before the Navajo, the Anasazi people occupied the southwest probably
between around 1200BC to 1300AD.

The pueblo building period was at its height between 800AD to 1130AD including
the construction of many structures built into the caves and overhangs of
canyon walls in the region.

Around 1150AD, there was a significant climatic change in North America which
resulted in a drought in the region that lasted 300 years. The Anasazi probably
abandoned Canyon de Chelly around 1300AD. However, they left an an amazing
legacy of artifacts, including the mysterious White House ruin which is pictured
below. Note the mysterious petroglyph on the rock face. This is a strange
and beautiful place and signs of ancient human habitation are everywhere.

What a life time of anticipation did not prepare me for was how magnificent
the Canyon was itself geologically. Its sandstone walls sweep hundreds of feet
high.

I am sure if you visit some of the great Anasazi sites of the Southwest, you
will be in awe as I and my traveling companions were.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[iceman]

More incredible images Gary, thanks for posting. Just stunning scenery.

[gary]

Hi Mike,

Thank you! And good to see you keeping astronomers hours too! :)

Best Regards

Gary

[DobDobDob]

I just checked the website again, no news yet :( I'll send another e-mail and try to get a more accurate date.

Also, I understand about ringing in advance, just for the record how do Wednesday's sit with you generally? That is my usual day off, so I would be looking at coming over on a Wednesday sometime next month.

[RB]

That's awesome Gary !

Great shot.

[gary]

Hi Andrew,

Thank you! Much appreciated.



Continuing our journey ...

We drove to the Navajo National Monument in Arizona in teaming rain
and as we drove, we watched the external air temperature gauge on the
dashboard steadily drop. We all gave out a cheer of disbelief when it
finally indicated 32F. That's 0 degrees C to you and me! It was about
a week to go to summer and we are in the desert. It seemed
unbelievable.

A few miles later, the pelting of the rain on the windscreen changed
to a softer 'phut' sound.

"The rain has gone funny", remarked Andrew.

Indeed it had, for it had turned to snow. Soon we were driving through
a white blizzard and when we arrived at the park, the ground was
covered in it.

Being careful not to slip off the edge of the cliff in the icy
conditions, I snapped pictures of the impressive pueblo ruins within
the overhang of the beautiful Betakin Canyon below. Also built
by the Anasazi, they were probably abandoned around 800 years ago.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[gary]

For many of us in Australia, when we think of North American
Indians, we tend to think of the great tribes such as the Navajo,
Apache, Commanche, Cheyenne and Sioux. In days gone by, many of
these peoples were nomadic, following the herds of buffalo and
living in portable dwellings such as tepees.

However, there was an earlier wave of migration into North America
across the land-bridge from Asia. Some of these people settled in
the Southwest and are often referred to as the Anasazi or Ancient
Pueblo people. After initially being nomadic, they settled down to
an agrarian existence and maintained stores of maize. Initially
they constructed moulded adobes but between around 800AD to 1200AD
they were involved in elaborate stone masonry, including using
mortar.

The development of agriculture and and the innovation of stone
masonry were usually precursors to modern civilization as we
think of it today and the Anasazi constructed large and complex
buildings, often with hundreds of rooms. An Indian culture
involved in stone masonry is perhaps something that does not
always come to mind for many of us who live outside of North
America.

One of the most important Anasazi sites was at Chaco Canyon, in
what is now New Mexico, several hours drive north of Albuquerque.
At this place, the structures were very elaborate indeed and the
ruins of many are still there to be admired to this day.

With cameras in hand, we walked around Pueblo Bonito, one of the
largest and most impressive structures still remaining At Chaco
Canyon. A labyrinth of rooms with impressive stone masonry leads
outdoors to large rounded pit houses, called kiva, which were used
for religious gatherings. As a backdrop to the town, the canyon
wall looms tall. In 1941, a large section of the canyon wall which
the Anasazi referred to as Threatening Rock, peeled away and
crushed many of the structures. On the walls of the canyon are
mysterious petroglypths and art.

Visiting Chaco Canyon also gave us an opportunity to drop in say
hello to John Sefick. John was one of the key people who set up
the astronomy outreach facility which is part of the visitor's
center for the Park. John showed us the 25" Obsession on a
platform in the dome as well as the CCD imaging hut and the
outdoor telescope pads complete with power. We visited John in his
cabin where he was analyzing the data from a supernova search from
the night before. John is a regular visitor to Australia and so it
was good to see him on his home turf and in a place he obviously
loves. See http://www.astronomy.org/chaco/mission/index.html

There is much evidence that the Anasazi were keen observers of the
sky. For example, the alignment of some buildings seems
intentional to assist them determining events such as the
solstice. Some suggest one famous petroglyph at Chaco is a
representation of the 1054 Supernova, the remnant of which we
observe today as the Crab Nebula.

When we asked John whether there was anyone we could talk to about
archeoastronomy, he introduced us to G.B. Cornucopia. We all sat
at an outdoor table under the shade of a big umbrella where GB
generously entertained us for about an hour. GB answered all our
questions and raised many interesting points. We departed Chaco
excited and stimulated by our conversation with him. See
http://www.exploratorium.edu/chaco/HTML/refs-bios.html

John insisted that next time we come back, we stay longer and get
some observing in. Chaco's combination of natural beauty,
archeological wonders, dark night skies and a long history of
astronomy along with several large aperture modern telescopes
available for use, it is an offer to good to refuse.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[iceman]

Fascinating story and more amazing images. Every picture you post makes me want to visit there even more.

[DobDobDob]

So let's get this straight Gary, this was primarily a work trip right ;)

[h0ughy]

COFFEE TABLE BOOK REQUIRED!!! there are some fantastic images and stories associated with this lot. They just keep getting better and more spectacular

[NQLD_Newby]

Wow Gary,

Absolutely breathtaking photo's. I have been glued to this thread for over an hour, just looking at your pictures.

[gary]

Thank you to all once again for your kind comments which are very much
appreciated.

The first evening John and I flew into El Paso, we walked a short distance
from our hotel to a nearby restaurant. I glanced at the map and looked across
the freeway to the thousands of twinkling lights just a few short miles away.

"That's Mexico", I said to John.

"No way!", he said.

I then showed him the map. Sure enough, we were right on the border.
It was a pretty sight with the mountains in the background.

The next morning we hopped on a bus and made a visit into El Paso's
twin city across the border, Juarez. Going south, no authority on either side
of the border stopped us. We knew that gettig back would be a somewhat
more scrutinized procedure, on the US side at least.

"Figure they will let us back in?", asked John as the bus crossed the trickle
that is the Rio Grande.

The first of the two photos below I snapped from in front on the Holiday Inn in
El Paso, Texas. The second photo, in juxtaposition, was taken in Juarez, Mexico.

Best Regards

Gary

[little col]

love the stormy images gary , truly amazing detail and depth :thumbsup:

[gary]

Whilst at the Texas Star Party, one day our friend, Van, who lives only a few miles
away from the Prude Ranch, asked Andrew and I would we like to go
to Mexico the following day to have lunch.

It was an offer to good to refuse!

We drove down through Marfa, Texas, home of the not-so-mysterious
"Marfa Lights" and then onto Presidio, a border town on the Texan side
founded in 1683. The place still had a frontier look and feel and I doubt much
had changed there since 1683.

Van pointed out we could purchase duty free alcohol in Presidio if we liked.
We stopped at the duty free store and purchased a few bottles at bargain
prices. The border was probably only a few hundred yards away. We walked
out the front of the store and got into our vehicle. The duty free man
walked out the door at the same time and put our bottles into the back of his
little van. We then both drove to the border proper, where there is no
checkpoint on the south-bound US side. We stopped on the side of the road
and got out of our vehicles. The duty free man walked around to the back of
his van and handed us the bottles. Andrew and I smiled an incredulous
smile to each other. There was nobody to check our bottles, no check-point,
no officials, just an empty road. We could have just turned the car around
then and there. But, the duty free man was doing what he had to do by law.

Van had told us that Ojinaga was nicer than Juarez and he was right.
He explained that fewer people come there from the US side because it
was so far from any major US city. "Ojinaga is just like any town in the
Mexican interior", he explained. It certainly had a sleepy, siesta feel to it
as we wandered around the streets.

Portraits and postcards of Panco Villa were everywhere. He was still clearly
hugely admired and Ojinaga was the scene of a battle between he and
his rebel forces and the Mexican Federales. See http://www.ojinaga.com/villa/

Van said he came to "OJ" for lunch quite often and Andrew and I tweaked
as to what a regular he was when we visited the bakery. A "buenos días"
to the girl on the counter and Van lead us out the back to the bakery proper
itself. We watched the bakers prepare their bread.

The photos below were taken on two day trips into Mexico. The first when
John and I visited Juarez and the second with Van and Andrew
when Van took us for a wonderful lunch in Ojinaga. Both memorable days.

When we crossed back into the US at Presidio, U.S. Customs and Border
Protection called Andrew and I inside for a chat.

After scrutinizing our passports, the officer asked, "What I don't understand
is why on Earth are you here?", which really was a short way of saying,
"why on Earth would two Aussie tourists come to this God forsaken obscure
corner of the United States?".

We knew we were off the beaten track then.

We explained Fort Davis, Star Party, coming down to lunch and he was
happy. The McDonald Observatory is only a few short miles from the
Prude Ranch where the TSP is held and he figured we must be from there
and was satisfied. He smiled as he passed back our passports.

At one point during the drive back, I became conscious of a foul smell within
the vehicle that lasted for a few miles before disappating. I figured one of
my travelling companions was probably the culprit. We had just eaten Mexican
after all. After a few more miles, I noticed something black on the side of the road
and the same smell returned. "Skunk road kill", said Van, "You can smell them
for miles. You may have noticed we passed one earlier". Andrew and I laughed
as he had also been sitting there silently wondering who or what was to blame.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[gary]

Thank you! I see by your signature that you are in Manchester. Greetings!

Best regards

Gary

[ballaratdragons]

Gary,

Fantastic stories, and great images!!!!
Sounds like you really had a great time away from the 'usual' tourist traps.

Thanks for the laugh about 'the smell'. :lol:

I like the brightly painted shop fronts, much contrasted to the rustic bench and street.

:thumbsup:

[gary]

Thanks Ken!

As you can see, we had a ball! :) I loved our little sojourns into Mexico
and it is all interesting - the good, the bad and the ugly. :)

I must point out our Texan hosts were absolutely wonderful.
Dave Kriege has said a couple of times that people from Texas and NSW
are the friendliest people he has ever met, which is a nice thing to say.
They certainly looked after us.

Thanks again!

Best Regards

Gary

[DobDobDob]

Well on closer examination they appear to have quite wealthy street people in Mexico, judging by the chap's 18 carat gold cross around his neck, hmmnnnn that's certainly got to be worth a meal or two :P

[floastro]

Hi Gary,


I am really jealous about your Monument Valley images. What a great sky and color !!!!!!!! :eyepop: I never had this view.

Congratulations for your images.

Warmest Regards,

Florent :)

[gary]

Bonjour Florent,

:welcome: Welcome to IceInSpace and greetings to you there in France.

Thank you very much for your kind comments.

Likewise, I found all of your images absolutely stunning!!!

What was your favourite place for photography in the United States?

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai, Australia

[gary]

Hi Ron,

Put it this way. I wasn't about to get close enough to bite into it to see if
it were real gold from the Sierra Madre. ;)

Perhaps it is for warding off Mexican vampires?

Best Regards

Gary

[floastro]

Hi Gary,

Thank you once again. Your images has touched my heart.

My favorite place in the US is West. I love Yellowstone and Grand Canyon but Antelope Canyon in one of my favorite too.

I would like to visit the Montana and Colorado.........to see Robert Redford :lol:

Great places, Great pictures.

Warmest Regards,

Florent :)

[gary]

Bonjour Florent,

That's excellent! It certainly is a photogenic part of the world.

Thanks for your kind comments. I love the sense of light in your photographs.
After looking at them, it feels like one has just taken a walk in the sun. :)
They certainly inspire me to go back to the U.S.

Whilst we were at the Texas Star Party, we met a couple of really nice
people from the U.K, Gain and Adele.

Gain is a professional photographer. One night, whilst at TSP, he pulled
out his laptop and showed me some photographs of birds he had taken.
They were fabulous! I asked him how long had he been photographing
birds and he replied, "One week." In other words, he had only begun
whilst at TSP. Here is their blog which includes some of the bird photographs -
http://gainandadele.blogspot.com/

I particularly enjoyed watching the hummingbirds whilst we were in
Texas, of which there were a considerable number of species. We don't
have hummingbirds in Australia and they are always captivating to watch
and listen to.

Best regards

Gary