Nikon D810, 1/13 sec, f/14, 38mm, ISO 200
This image shows a stairwell leading to a room in the Gila Cliff Dwellings. After capturing this image, I spent some time pondering which came first: the stair or the room at the top of the stairs? On the one hand, you want the room for protection against the elements. On the other hand, without the stairway it would be very difficult to transport the blocks to where you were building the room.
I guess this is one of the great mysteries of life…
Gila Cliff Dwellings: 33.227263° -108.267446°
Nikon D810, 1/100 sec, f/16, 1/100 sec, 24mm
This image shows the right side of the main Gila dwellings. You can see how high up some of these dwellings are, and the fact that there is no direct way to reach this particular room. I guess for ease of construction, and defensive purposes, there is a limited number of access points to the various dwellings. On a particle level, the limited number of access points increases the walking distance when carrying water and food. I wonder if they even cared about the number of “steps” they logged on a daily basis like some of my fiends do today!
Gila Cliff Dwellings: 33.227263° -108.267446°
Nikon D810, 1/250 sec, f/16, 24mm, ISO 200
Here is the right side of the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The entire group of dwellings is visible from the ridge across from the site. However, none of this site is visible from the top of this ridgeline. It is amazing that this series of 46 rooms in the five caves along this cliff side are completely hidden.
I wish it were possible for me to capture a single panoramic image of the whole cliff side. It might be possible to capture such an image from the opposite ridge, but I did not have time to actually hike up there.
Gila Cliff Dwellings: 33.227263° -108.267446°
