the website of Mark S Bailen. . . writer, illustrator, and fake-nature photographer
Support beams at Square Tower.
There is something quixotic (oxymoronic?) about preserving ruins. Especially sandstone ruins, patched with clay and mud, and built below large sandstone cliffs. Everything is moving. Everything is collapsing. The mesa is a great sand-filled wave, cresting in slow motion. And if you sit still, you can watch it roll.
Below are some other attempts used by the park to stop entropy. A chain to hold back a giant rock and liquid nails.
Wild horses are considered an invasive species at Mesa Verde (here is one we saw above Mug House). According to the Denver Post,
Besides damaging water lines and ice machines outside tourist facilities, they [horses] have collided with vehicles and torn up wires at a weather station. They have also compacted the ground over some unexcavated archaeological sites.
Canyon barriers…
Maybe I can be one of those cool photographers who do everything in black and white, just like Ansel Adams? Let me Google him. Hmmm. Ansel Adams said, “a true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.”
Oops.
Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?
Pink Floyd, “Hey You”
Number three
In the cliff above Spruce Tree House, a pinyon pine can be seen growing out of the rock (top right corner). In the bottom left corner can be seen its roots breaking through. Eventually the tree will cause the cliff to collapse. When asked about the tree, the ranger shrugged. “It’s winning,” he said with a smile.
At Mesa Verde, some cliff dwellings simply can’t be saved. For these structures, you can sit off to the side and watch the buildings collapse, stone by stone, in real time.
Cliff Palace reflected in a mud puddle
Maybe I can be one of those photographers who shoot immense panoramic photos of ancient ruins? And then I will hang them in my yoga room and meditate while listening to flute music. And then I will also pretend that I belong to an ageless race of wise and peaceful aliens who shun both technology and violence. And I will join my alien brothers and sisters on frequent transcendental journeys across the galaxy in which I explore the universal consciousness, wearing only a loin cloth and flip-flops.