Nile Root

The Intiwatana Pyramid

Nile — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:15:36 +0000

The high natural pyramid has been terraced with attention to the stabilization of the slope.

A carefully crafted wide granite stairway leads to the top. This site apparently had a special significance to the people of Machu Picchu.

The Temple of the Three Windows at the Sacred Plaza

Nile — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:00:57 +0000

The Temple is on the eastern side of the Sacred Plaza. It has three windows that are unusually large. In the foreground is a carefully carved stepped stone next to an upright pillar. The stepped stone may symbolize mountains, a kind of echostone.

The wall at the far right has a niche (see next page) carved into the edges of two adjacent stones to form a support for a large beam which was across the front of the Temple at one time.

This wall at the right is a true “Inca wall” worth a look up close.

Spring in the Tucson Area

Nile — Sun, 21 Mar 2004 05:07:04 +0000

On March 20, 2004, we welcome spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The Vernal Equinox has been celebrated for centuries in the Southwest. On the Equinox this spear of sunlight crosses an ancient solar symbol carved by a Native American. This marker has survived for a millennium. This image is part of my eight-year study of Signal Hill, Arizona, near Tucson. You can see more of this study by going to this web site Contents page and clicking on Archaeoastronomy and then Signal Hill.

Winter in Tucson

Nile — Sun, 25 Jan 2004 05:13:47 +0000

During winter in the Tucson area we often have gentle rains along with the sunshine. This photo was made on January 24, 2004, while Abby and I were on a nature walk with visitors, a few miles from our home. I was standing in the light rain as the rainbow sparkled for a minute or less.

Joshua Tree National Park

Nile — Sun, 11 Jan 2004 05:19:14 +0000

During the Thanksgiving holiday Abby and I spent three days at this park with family. In our travels around the United States we have never been disappointed when we visited a National Park or National Monument. Joshusa Tree National Park exceeded our expectations. I hope to have a section on my web site soon describing this site.

Winter in upstate New York

Nile — Sat, 20 Dec 2003 22:17:34 +0000

Abby and I lived in this house for 14 years. It is located in Pittsford, New York, a suburb of Rochester. When we retired in 1986 we joyfully moved to a warm climate!

Each morning, after one of the many winter snowstorms, we were awakened at 4:00 am by our contracted snowplow service — paving the way up our long, steep driveway so we could drive to work on the icy roads.

Grand Canyon

Nile — Thu, 20 Nov 2003 22:20:39 +0000

Grand Canyon in the fall season remains a photographer’s challenge with its colorful geological landscapes.

The Havasupai tribe has made the canyon its home for over 900 years up to and including the present time. In ancient times the Native American Anazasi occupied some 2000 sites in and near the canyon.

Spanish explorers first recorded seeing the Grand Canyon in 1540 while searching for the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola.

Later, in the summer of 1869, Major John Wesley Powell led the first expedition to explore the length of the canyon. He accomplished this difficult feat with a small boat crew on the treacherous Colorado River.

Support for our National Parks and National Monuments

Nile — Sun, 09 Nov 2003 00:03:17 +0000

As we leave the Park we urge you to contact your Senators and Representatives to increase support for our National Parks and National Monuments. The fragile environments in these areas need more personnel and more resources if we are to protect them for future generations.

There are many interesting sites

Nile — Sun, 09 Nov 2003 00:02:14 +0000

This short essay gives but a hint of the recreational facilities found in the Park. Bicycling, horseback riding and hiking are encouraged as well as mountain climbing by experienced climbers. There are many interesting sites to explore such as Arch Rock, Hidden Valley, Keys View and Skull Rock, to name a few.

Strange-shaped stones which slowly weathered

Nile — Sun, 09 Nov 2003 00:01:09 +0000

The landscape that we see today was born more than 100 million years ago. Molten liquid, heated by continuous movement of the Earth’s crust, oozed upward and cooled while still beneath the surface. Later water and erosion exposed the strange-shaped stones which slowly weathered.