Bandalier Winter Solstice

Sunrise on the solstice at the transition of the Mayan calendar finds me in Frijoles Canyon at Bandalier National Monument.

The sunrise was dramatic and the sun rose right in line with one of the walls, 119 degrees at 7:30AM. The temperature was 17 degrees fahrenheit and after just a few minutes of shooting, my fingers were too cold to work too well...I need to find some gloves that work on camera controls.

Tyuoyni "ruins" include three kivas, or meeting places, used by the inhabitants of this village. They lived here between approximately 600-1300AD. The roundish rock formation in the foreground is a kiva.

My friend, Faith, and I returned to the visitor's center and waited until the temperature reached 20F, then we went out for a short hike along the Frey trail.. At which point, my camera batteries failed and realized that I should just relax and enjoy the hike; I toted the 7 lb camera back to the car.

For additional pictures, see my Flickr page.