CharlPe's Most Recent Favorites

Mexican Hat from the San Juan

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:05:51 Z

by CharlPe "I took the reference photos for this synth while on a float trip down the San Juan river between Bluff, Utah and Mexican Hat, Utah in late August, 2009. We went with Wild Rivers Expeditions http://www.riversandruins.com/ on their 1-day upper canyon tour. The guide who took us was named Marcos, and he had deep knowledge of the geology of San Juan Canyon. He also had a tremendous knowledge of the archeological sites in the canyon and was able to draw on his Navajo background to help interpret many of the petroglyphs we saw. But back to Mexican Hat. The legend, paraphrased from the story Marcos told (Marcos was also good with legends, stories, and bad jokes,) is this: a Mexican fellow fell in love with a ravishingly beautiful Navajo woman. The problem was that the woman was married. The woman would go down to the San Juan river to bathe every day. The man watched her every day and eventually started talking to her. Soon, they fell in love. Finally one day the Mexican man and Navajo woman decided to consummate their love, and it was that fateful day that the Navajo woman's husband decided to see why his wife enjoyed bathing every day. Well, he found out, and in a fit of rage, the Navajo husband killed his wife. The Mexican man was so overwhelmed with grief that he threw his large, Mexican sombrero high into the air where the wind caught it and left it atop this pinnacle of rocks. The sombrero remains to this day as a testament of the Mexican man and Navajo woman's love. Aren't legends fun?"

Butler Wash Beach Ruin

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:12:26 Z

by CharlPe "This is an amazing little ruin just a ways up the trail near Butler Wash on Cedar Mesa near Blanding, Utah. This is a smaller ruin just up the trail from Ballroom Cave and Target Ruins. I visited this ruin on May 2nd, 2009, during a very rainy spring. Indeed while I was in the ruin taking photos a tremendous thunderstorm dumped right outside. That storm proved to me how smart it was to build shelter inside the cave. Toward the back of the cave it was warm without a fire and well-lit. I'd have to imagine that this ruin was quite the home site for some lucky Ancestral Puebloan family. For more info on Butler Wash, follow this link: http://www.cdarc.org/pages/what/exhibits/visit/butler_wash.php You can view my synth of the Butler Wash Target Ruins here: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=1b75483f-c22b-42e0-a5c0-a5c5989eb466#"

Interior Garden

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:01:48 Z

by CharlPe "This synth is of "Interior Garden" by Michael Singer. The art installation is Denver International Airport in Concourse "C". According to the DIA website: “Interior Garden” utilizes plant material along with sculptural and architectural elements to convey a connection to human history, the cycle of life and the natural world. Layers of patterns and combined elements of wood, stone, cast concrete panels and plant life repeat throughout the design of the garden and the main floor below, implying a process of discovery and an accumulation of meanings. You can learn more about public art at DIA by following this link: http://www.flydenver.com/guide/art/public.asp Special thanks to the Public Art Administrator at DIA for providing special access to the artwork so I could complete the synth from more interesting angles."

Sipapu Bridge

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:34:33 Z

by CharlPe "This is the final of the three bridge synths in National Bridges National Monument. Sipapu Bridge is absolutely huge and challenging to get to. But it certainly is worth the hike. The two other bridges I've synthed in this park are: Kachina Bridge: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=5f65e087-8de5-45ff-9455-b1bcfb25ad82 Owachomo Bridge: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=e24e7ec8-b6ff-4946-9cf1-26602b9335f5 For more detail about Natural Bridges National Monument, visit the National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/nabr/index.htm I took the photos of both Sipapu and Kachina bidges during an April, 2009 trip."

Kachina Bridge

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:25:05 Z

by CharlPe "This is one of three star sandstone attractions at the Natural Bridges National Monument near Blanding, Utah. I hiked the canyon with a friend in 2008 and 2009 and took the nearly 1,000 reference photos to make this synth. Yes, you can find us if you look hard enough. :-) The new highlights feature of Photosynth works very well for this synth. There are pictographs and petroglyphs all around the base of the bridge, and you can easily get to them now. You can learn more about Natural Bridges National Monument here at the National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/nabr/historyculture/index.htm You can also see my synths of the other bridges in the Natural Bridges National Monument: Owachomo Bridge: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=e24e7ec8-b6ff-4946-9cf1-26602b9335f5 Sipapu Bridge: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=2829b1a3-4d8d-4e5f-9247-d8dcb4a6ad65"

Moon House

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:13:15 Z

by CharlPe "I took these photos of Moon House in McLoyd's Canyon on the morning of Saturday, October 25th, 2008. Moon House was one of the stops I made as a friend took me on a guided tour of ruins and natural sites on Cedar Mesa near Blanding, Utah. Moon House is an amazing site. There is a section of the ruins INSIDE the visible face of the ruins. It is in that interior section where visitors can see the moons of Moon House. ------ From the website of the first link below, here is more descriptive text of Moon House: Moon House makes an interesting visit because it's so well-preserved. The original timbers are in place in several rooms. (These have produced tree-ring dates suggesting occupancy about 1260 C. E.) It's actually three ruins in one. The middle site, which Bloomer calls M-1, contains living quarters. The site to the west (M-3) is ceremonial, with remains of a kiva, while around the corner to the east lies a site (M-2) of storage rooms that probably once held corn. But it's the unusual construction and pictographs that bring the visitors. M-1 has both an inner and outer section, with two walls that could well have been fortifications. Some of the peepholes in the outer wall look directly on the main path that ascends to the ruin. Room I in the middle of site M-1 is decorated in white, with a crescent moon uncolored on one wall, and a full moon uncolored on the other. ------ For more information on Moon House, paste one of these links into your browser: http://www.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~shallit/moonhouse.html http://climb-utah.com/CM/moonhouse.htm"

Owachomo Bridge

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:53:15 Z

by CharlPe "Owachomo Bridge is one of the three large natural bridges at Natural Bridges National Monument. Owachomo is very easy to get to, just about a half-mile from the roadside. June 2009 Update: I have now completed my synths of the other two bridges in the monument. You may view them at these links: Kachina Bridge http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=5f65e087-8de5-45ff-9455-b1bcfb25ad82 Sipapu Bridge: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=2829b1a3-4d8d-4e5f-9247-d8dcb4a6ad65 For more detail about Natural Bridges National Monument, visit the National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/nabr/index.htm I took these photos of Owachomo Bridge on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 between 10am and noon MST. Natural Bridges National Monument was one of the stops I made as a friend took me on a guided tour of ruins and natural sites on Cedar Mesa near Blanding, Utah."

Chaco Culture - Pueblo Bonito

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:21:39 Z

by CharlPe

Canyon de Chelly - Spider Rock

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:39:30 Z

by CharlPe

Mesa Verde - Cliff Palace

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:01:29 Z

by CharlPe "In May of 2008 I travelled with a friend to the desert Four Corners region to tour several Native American sites. I documented several sites in detail in anticipation of the release of this tremendous product. One thing I REALLY like about this Synth is the pointcloud. It's amazing. Navigate to the front of Cliff Palace and then zoom in and out until you get the donut, then hold down CTRL and spin around. Also note, this Synth goes 360 degrees. Some other synths from this trip that worked quite well are: Canyon de Chelly - Spider Rock Chaco Culture - Pueblo Bonito (646 images!) To find these Synths, just click on my user name above. "