The eye can be deceiving

| Sunday, February 15, 2009




Model Civilization - Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings, Colorado

If you've never been to Mesa Verde, it is worth the trip. The Cliff Palace, shown here is very large in scale and is the largest cliff dwelling in America. That is why I like this vantage point. At first you swear it is a model, then you rethink what you are looking it. Without something to gauge your perspective, it hard to tell just how large it is and that is the fun of this photo.

I watched people at the exhibit stare at it for quite sometime. Glancing at the Storm over Mesa Verde photo that was displayed right next to it. They'd compare the trees, the windows, the landmarks to try to figure out what they were looking at. It was surprising the attention it got.

If you look in the lower left corner of the photo, the red dot is a person. The latters are probably 8-10 feet tall. The doorways are over 5 ft. tall. The average person 1400 years ago was only about 5'1"-5'4" tall. More than 100 people lived in this one dwelling. There are over 600 smaller dwellings in the park.

My friends are planning our next motorcycle trip back to Durango this summer. This just makes me get in the mood for vacation and more photos!

©2009 Laura Smetak All rights reserved.
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3 comments:

Dan said...

Wow Laura, what a great pic. You are right it looks like a model, a little surreal.

I love Durango! I have been there several times but would you believe I never stopped in Mesa Verde? Shame on me ;(

Lipsmack Studio said...

Thanks! It looks even more surreal in print. The print I have was an 13 x 19 and was really cool to see. I have done this on an aerial of downtown McKinney as well. It is just kind of makes you doubt what you are seeing.

Anonymous said...

Cool picture!! Cant wait to see it in person on our next trip to TX.