When temperatures rise slightly above freezing after a snowstorm and then freeze again after sunset, icicles form from the eaves.
Icicles
Rodin Museum (Philadelphia, PA)
I was surprised to learn that there was a museum here in Philadelphia of Auguste Rodin's works, thinking that most, if not all, of the originals would be in Paris. This belief is based on a misunderstanding of how Rodin worked. He often made plaster casts of his sculpture to be used to make replicas... Continue Reading →
Masonic Temple (Philadelphia, PA)
The Philadelphia Masonic Temple, built in 1873 and situated directly across the street from City Hall, is one of the city's historic buildings and an architectural wonder. The design of its interior is among the finest of all Masonic temples. Its museum holds many interesting artifacts from American history. The lodge (the full name is... Continue Reading →
Petrified Forest National Park (AZ)
Petrified wood is a mysterious byproduct of geological processes. A petrified log looks just like wood on the outside but is usually a jumble of colorful quartz on the inside. How did this come to be? Here too in Petrified Forest National Park is the Painted Desert, the name given to the “badlands” whose outrageous... Continue Reading →
Hubbell Trading Post (Ganado, AZ)
In 1864, the first group of Navajo was forced from their land by the U.S. government into an internment camp at Bosque Redondo, NM, followed by several other forced migrations. Four years later, they were allowed to return to their homeland in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, but not before the Navajo's traditional way... Continue Reading →
Canyon de Chelly National Monument (AZ)
Spider Rock, where Spider Woman taught the Navajos the art of weaving, towers 800 feet above the canyon floor. Many television commercials were filmed here, notably ones with cars precariously parked on top. It’s arguably the most spectacular physical feature of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, one best appreciated by driving to the overlook along... Continue Reading →
Monument Valley Tribal Park (AZ)
These sandstone monuments that tower above the flat, arid desert are almost clichés of Southwest travel. Ever since John Ford popularized Monument Valley in his films, it seems everyone has come to regard this area with its unique sandstone buttes as iconic symbols of the frontier West. Monument Valley is on Navajo reservation land. As... Continue Reading →
Valley of the Gods (AZ)
After leaving Natural Bridges National Monument, we had to descend the spectacular and cliff-hugging Moki Dugway, down almost 2000 ft, in order to get to Mexican Hat, where we stayed the night. The dugway was carved out of the cliffs for uranium-mining trucks back in 1958 to get from the mine at Fry Canyon to... Continue Reading →
Natural Bridges National Monument (UT)
Many travelers going through the Southwest skip Natural Bridges National Monument because it’s tucked out of the way and maybe because the small park features only three natural stone bridges. But a visit is well worth the time. Bridges are rock spans that are carved out by a river. They typically form where a river... Continue Reading →
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