Cliff Palace Pano
#29522
05/15/10 10:00 AM
05/15/10 10:00 AM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie
OP
Addict
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OP
Addict
Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
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When we were planning our trip to Colorado for the Rottie National, I received lots of great advice about places to see when we finally had some time to explore. One area that was suggested was Mesa Verde in the Southwest corner of the state and the Anastazi cliff dwellings that are there. Linda has always been interested in that sort of thing so we put it on the agenda for the way home. If any of you are ever in the area, I strongly suggest you visit this area. It is well worth your time. We drove the Mesa Top Loop which took us by many ruins which we got to explore and also put us on the cliffs opposite some of the most amazing ruins I've ever seen. The day we were there, it was very windy so I left my tripod in the car and just carried my 17-55 F2.8IS and my 200 F2.8L. These two lenses allowed me to get some wonderful broad perspectives from across the canyon and some very interesting close-ups with the 200. As I was shooting, other tourists would come up with their camera phones and I could imagine the conversations once they got home: "yes, this is the view of the Cliff Palace from across the canyon. You can see it right there in the middle. It's that little black dot." As we got to a point almost directly across from the Cliff Palace, I decided to shoot a panorama with the 7D and the 200. For this shot, I took 5 vertical images and stitched them together in Photoshop to create a final image that is 30 inches wide by 14 inches tall at 310 dpi with no interpolation. Here's that image at viewable resolution. If you'd like to see this image full-sized, go to this pbase link and just click on "original" to see it at original resolution. Cliff Palace Pano You might notice at 200% it's a little grainy in the shadow area probably due to the small amount of tone mapping I did on this version in Photomatix. I've saved the original pano as a .psd file so I can work on it when I have more time. Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their advice. Wish we had been able to visit all the places that were recommended. Maybe next time, we'll actually get there for a vacation. Jim
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Re: Cliff Palace Pano
[Re: Jim Garvie]
#29523
05/15/10 11:31 AM
05/15/10 11:31 AM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Helena, MT
Don Edwards
Venturer
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Venturer
Joined: Mar 2007
Helena, MT
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Jim you should see them up close and personal, did it a couple years ago. In the left corner of your pic there is a stair case that leads you down to the ruins, and to the right stairs that go back up. Can't remember what the fee is but a tour guide takes you down to them and gives a very informative talk about the natives that lived there, it's amazing to see up close.
Don
"I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight."
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Re: Cliff Palace Pano
[Re: Tucson Jim]
#29526
05/16/10 08:34 AM
05/16/10 08:34 AM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Helena, MT
Don Edwards
Venturer
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Venturer
Joined: Mar 2007
Helena, MT
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There's also another smaller one further in that is easier to manage, it has a paved trail that leads to it from a visitor center. I'll have to find our map to see the name of it. Tucson Jim you are correct about the ladders, that was the reason my wife didn't go with me when we were there. We're planning on going back as well, we only spent a day there.
Don
"I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight."
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Re: Cliff Palace Pano
[Re: Jim Garvie]
#29528
05/16/10 10:46 AM
05/16/10 10:46 AM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Donner Summit, CA
glamson
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Feb 2006
Donner Summit, CA
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Jim, Mesa Verde is one of the South West's real archeological treasures (along with Chaco Canyon and Canyon de Chelly). The Anasazi were truly remarkable people. I have visited several times over the years and I highly recommend staying a couple of days to really explore the cliff dwellings. The Cliff House is relatively easy to visit compared to the Balcony House which can be physically demanding and certainly not for an acrophob. Here are a few of my images from some of my visits Cliff House from the trail A pano of Cliff house at ground level Here is how you get up to the Balcony House The entrance to the ruin is pretty narrow But once you get up there it is very interesting to see the ruins and the view And getting back out is probably the trickiest part of the excursion
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