April 17, 2009
![New Mexico](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2037/2174481713_638022d201_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2174481713&size=l\"> Large </a> view!
<b>New Mexico</b> is a southwestern state in the United States of America. Over its relatively long history it has also been occupied by Native American populations and has been part of the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, a state of Mexico and a U.S. territory. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has simultaneously the highest percentage of Hispanic Americans (some recent immigrants and others descendants of Spanish colonists) and the second-highest percentage of Native American (mostly Navajo and Pueblo peoples). As a result, the demographics and culture of the state are unique for their strong Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. Amerindian cultural influences. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 1,954,599 in 2006, a 7.45% increase since 2000.
<b>Geography</b>
The eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W with Oklahoma, and 3 miles (5 km) west of 103° W with Texas. Texas also lies south of most of New Mexico, although the southwestern boot-heel borders the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. The western border with Arizona runs along 109° W. The 37° N parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in the northwestern corner of New Mexico.
The landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexico's arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state. Part of the Rocky Mountains, the broken, north-south oriented Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range flanks both sides of the Rio Grande from the rugged, pastoral north through the center of the state.
Cacti, yuccas, creosote bush, sagebrush, and desert grasses cover the broad, semiarid plains that cover the southern portion of the state as well as everywhere else.
<b>History</b>
The first known inhabitants of New Mexico were members of the Clovis culture of Paleo-Indians. Indeed the culture is named for the New Mexico city where the first artifacts of this culture were discovered. Later inhabitants include Native Americans of the Anasazi and the Mogollon cultures. By the time of European contact in the 1500s, the region was settled by the villages of the Pueblo peoples and groups of Navajo, Apache and Ute.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado assembled an enormous expedition at Compostela in 1540–1542 to explore and find the mystical Seven Golden Cities of Cibola as described by Cabeza de Vaca who had just arrived from his eight-year ordeal traveling from Florida to Mexico. Coronado's men found several mud baked pueblos in 1541, but found no rich cities of gold. Further widespread expeditions found no fabulous cities anywhere in the Southwest or Great Plains. A dispirited and now poor Coronado and his men began their journey back to Mexico leaving New Mexico behind.
Over 50 years after Coronado, Juan de Oñate founded the San Juan colony on the Rio Grande in 1598, the first permanent European settlement in the future state of New Mexico. Oñate pioneered the grandly named El Camino Real, "The Royal Road", as a 700 mile (1,100 km) trail from the rest of New Spain to his remote colony. Oñate was made the first governor of the new Province of New Mexico. The Native Americans at Acoma revolted against this Spanish encroachment but faced severe suppression.
In 1609, Pedro de Peralta, a later governor of the Province of New Mexico, established the settlement of Santa Fe at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The city, along with most of the settled areas of the state, was abandoned by the Spanish for 12 years (1680-1692) as a result of the successful Pueblo Revolt. After the death of the Pueblo leader Popé, Diego de Vargas restored the area to Spanish rule. While developing Santa Fe as a trade center, the returning settlers founded the old town of Albuquerque in 1706, naming it for the viceroy of New Spain, the Duke of Alburquerque.
<b>Mexican province</b>
As a part of New Spain, the claims for the province of New Mexico passed to independent Mexico following the 1810-1821 Mexican War of Independence. During the brief 26 year period of nominal Mexican control, Mexican authority and investment in New Mexico were weak, as their often conflicted government had little time or interest in a New Mexico that had been poor since the Spanish settlements started. Some Mexican officials, saying they were wary of encroachments by the growing United States, and wanting to reward themselves and their friends, began issuing enormous land grants (usually free) to groups of Mexican families as an incentive to populate the province.
Small trapping parties from the United States had previously reached and stayed in Santa Fe, but the Spanish authorities officially forbade them to trade. Trader William Becknell returned to the United States in November 1821 with news that independent Mexico now welcomed trade through Santa Fe.
William Becknell left Independence, Missouri, for Santa Fe early in 1822 with the first party of traders. The Santa Fe Trail trading company, headed by the brothers Charles Bent and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain, was one of the most successful in the West. They had their first trading post in the area in 1826, and, by 1833, they had built their adobe fort and trading post called Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River. This fort and trading post, located about 200 miles east of Taos, New Mexico, was the only place settled by whites along the Santa Fe trail before it hit Taos. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail follows the route of the old trail, with many sites marked or restored.
The Spanish Trail from Los Angeles, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico was primarily used by Hispanics, white traders and ex-trappers living part of the year in or near Santa Fe. Started in about 1829, the trail was an arduous 2,400 mile round trip pack train sojourn that extended into Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California and back, allowing only one hard round trip per year. The trade consisted primarily of blankets and some trade goods from Santa Fe being traded for horses in California.
The Republic of Texas claimed the mostly vacant territory north and east of the Rio Grande when it successfully seceded from Mexico in 1836. New Mexico authorities captured a group of Texans who embarked an expedition to assert their claim to the province in 1841.
<b>American territory</b>
Following the Mexican-American War, from 1846-1848 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico forcibly ceded its mostly unsettled northern holdings, today known as the American Southwest and California to the United States of America in exchange for an end to hostilities, the evacuation of Mexico City and many other areas under American control. Mexico also received $15 million cash, plus the assumption of slightly more than $3 million in outstanding Mexican debts.
The Congressional Compromise of 1850 halted a bid for statehood under a proposed antislavery constitution. Texas transferred eastern New Mexico to the federal government, settling a lengthy boundary dispute. Under the compromise, the American government established the Territory of New Mexico on September 9, 1850. The territory, which included most of the future states of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, officially established its capital at Santa Fe in 1851.
The United States acquired the southwestern boot heel of the state and southern Arizona below the Gila river in the mostly desert Gadsden Purchase of 1853. This purchase was desired when it was found that a much easier route for a proposed transcontinental railroad was located slightly south of the Gila river. The Southern Pacific built the second transcontinental railroad though this purchased land in 1881.
During the American Civil War, Confederate troops from Texas briefly occupied the Rio Grande valley as far north as Santa Fe. Union troops from the Territory of Colorado re-captured the territory in March 1862 at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The Territory of Arizona was split off as a separate territory on February 24, 1863.
There were centuries of conflict between the Apache, the Navajo and Spanish-Mexican settlements in the territory. It took the federal government another 25 years after the Civil War to exert control over both the civilian and Native American populations of the territory. This started in 1864 when the Navajo were sent on "The Long Walk" to Bosque Redondo Reservation and then returned to most of their lands in 1868. The Apache were moved to various reservations and Apache wars continued until Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886.
The railway encouraged the great cattle boom of the 1880s and the development of accompanying cow towns. The cattle barons could not keep out sheepherders, and eventually homesteaders and squatters overwhelmed the cattlemen by fencing in and plowing under the "sea of grass" on which the cattle fed. Conflicting land claims led to bitter quarrels among the original Spanish inhabitants, cattle ranchers, and newer homesteaders. Despite destructive overgrazing, ranching survived and remains a mainstay of the New Mexican economy.
Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, on the upper Rio Grande, was incorporated in 1889.
<b>Statehood</b>
Congress admitted New Mexico as the 47th state in the Union on January 6, 1912. The admission of the neighboring State of Arizona on February 14, 1912 completed the contiguous 48 states.
The United States government built the Los Alamos Research Center in 1943 amid the Second World War. Top-secret personnel there developed the atomic bomb, first detonated at Trinity site in the desert on the White Sands Proving Grounds between Socorro and Alamogordo on July 16, 1945.
Albuquerque expanded rapidly after the war. High-altitude experiments near Roswell in 1947 reputedly led to persistent but unproven suspicions that the government captured and concealed extraterrestrial corpses and equipment. The state quickly emerged as a leader in nuclear, solar, and geothermal energy research and development. The Sandia National Laboratories, founded in 1949, carried out nuclear research and special weapons development at Kirtland Air Force Base south of Albuquerque and at Livermore, California.
Located in the remote Chihuahuan Desert the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad. Here nuclear wastes are buried deep in carved out salt formation disposal rooms mined 2,150 feet underground in a 2,000-foot thick salt formation that has been stable for more than 200 million years. WIPP began operations on March 26, 1999.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Capitol Reef National Park](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2282555972_495d603bc9_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2282555972/sizes/l/\"> Large </a> view!
<b>Capitol Reef National Park</b> is a United States National Park, in south-central Utah. It is 100 miles (160 km) long but fairly narrow. The park, established in 1971, preserves 378 mi² (979 km²) and is open all year, although May through September are the most popular months.
Called "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s by local boosters Ephraim P. Pectol and Joseph S. Hickman, Capitol Reef National Park protects colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths. About 75 miles (120 km) of the long up-thrust called the Waterpocket Fold, extending like a rugged spine from Thousand Lake Mountain southward to Lake Powell, is preserved within the park boundary. Capitol Reef is the name of an especially rugged and spectacular part of the Waterpocket Fold near the Fremont River. The area was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, each of which looks somewhat like the United States Capitol building, that run from the Fremont River to Pleasant Creek on the Waterpocket Fold. The local word reef referred to any rocky barrier to travel.
Only a few decades ago, Capitol Reef and the Waterpocket Fold country comprised one of the remote corners of the lower 48 U.S. states. Easy road access came only with the construction of a paved Utah State Route 24 through the Fremont River Canyon in 1962.
<b>Geography</b>
Capitol Reef encompasses the Waterpocket Fold, a wrinkle in the earth's crust that is 65 million years old. In this fold, newer and older layers of earth folded over each other in an S-shape. This wrinkle, probably caused by the same colliding continental plates that created the Rocky Mountains, has weathered and eroded over millennia to expose layers of rock and fossils. The park is filled with brilliantly colored sandstone cliffs, gleaming white domes, and contrasting layers of stone and earth.
The area was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, each of which looks somewhat like the United States Capitol building, that run from the Fremont River to Pleasant Creek on the Waterpocket Fold.
The fold forms a north-to-south barrier that even today has barely been breached by roads. Early settlers referred to parallel, impassable ridges as "reefs," from which the park gets the second half of its name. The first paved road was constructed through the area in 1962. Today, Utah State Route 24 cuts through the park traveling east and west between Canyonlands National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, but few other paved roads invade the rugged landscape.
The park is filled with canyons, cliffs, towers, domes, and arches. The Fremont River has cut canyons through parts of the Waterpocket Fold, but most of the park is arid desert country. A scenic drive shows park visitors some of the highlights, but it runs only a few miles from the main highway. Hundreds of miles of trails and unpaved roads lead the more adventurous into the equally scenic backcountry.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Colorado River](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2281643145_69e6c5949d_s.jpg "Get a<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2281643145/sizes/l/\"> large </a>view!
The <b>Colorado River </b>is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California, but the heavy use of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has desiccated the lower course of the river in Mexico such that it no longer consistently reaches the sea.
The Colorado River drains 242,900 sq mi (629,100 km²). Total flows of the river range from 4000 cubic feet per second (113 m³/s) in droughts to 1,000,000 ft³/s (28,000 m³/s) in severe floods. With the construction of massive power dams on the lower course of the river, floods of over 70,000 ft³/s (2000 m³/s) are rare. The mean flow of the total river before diversion is 22,000 ft³/s (620 m³/s). Historically the flow was much higher before water usage began in the basin.
Until 1921, the section of the Colorado River from its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park to its confluence with the Green River in Utah was known as the "Grand River," the origin of several now orphaned names including Grand County, Grand Lake, Grand Valley, and Grand Junction. Colorado's Rep. Edward T. Taylor petitioned the Congressional Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce to rename the Grand River as the Colorado River. On July 25, 1921 the name change was made official in House Joint Resolution 460 of the 66th Congress over the objections of representatives from Wyoming and Utah and the U.S. Geological Survey which noted that the drainage basin of the Green River was more than 70% more extensive than that of the Grand River.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![mesa](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2279658051_752c4c8d39_s.jpg "Get a<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2279658051/sizes/l/\"> large </a>view!
A <b>mesa </b>is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape. It is a characteristic landform of arid environments, particularly the southwestern United States. Many examples are also found in Spain, North and South Africa, Arabia, India, Australia, and the Badlands and Colorado regions of North America. The largest mesa in the world is considered to be the Grand Mesa in western Colorado in the United States. Urraca Mesa in northern New Mexico is particularly famous for being "haunted" in local tradition.
Mesas form in areas where horizontally layered rocks are uplifted by tectonic activity. Variations in the ability of different types of rock to resist weathering and erosion cause the weaker types of rocks to be eroded away, leaving the more resistant types of rocks topographically higher relative to their surroundings. This process is called differential erosion. The most resistant rock types include sandstone, conglomerate, quartzite, chert, limestone, lava flows and sills. Lava flows and sills, in particular, are very resistant to weathering and erosion, and often form the flat top, or caprock, of a mesa. The less resistant rock layers are mainly made up of shale, a softer rock that weathers and erodes more easily.
The differences in strength of various rock layers is what gives mesas their distinctive shape. Less resistant rocks are eroded away on the surface into valleys, where they collect water drainage from the surrounding area, while the more resistant layers are left standing out. A large area of very resistant rock, such as a sill may shield the layers below it from erosion while the softer rock surrounding it is eroded into valleys, thus forming a caprock. Differences in rock type also reflect on the sides of a mesa, as instead of smooth slopes, the sides are broken into a staircase pattern called "cliff-and-bench topography." The more resistant layers form the cliffs, or stair steps, while the less resistant layers form gentle slopes, or benches, between the cliffs. Cliffs retreat and are eventually cut off from the main cliff, or plateau, by basal sapping. When the cliff edge does not retreat uniformly, but instead is indented by headward eroding streams, a section can be cut off from the main cliff, forming a mesa. Basal sapping occurs as water flowing around the rock layers of the mesa erodes the underlying soft shale layers, either as surface runoff from the mesa top or from groundwater moving through permeable overlying layers, which leads to slumping and flowage of the shale.As the underlying shale erodes away, it can no longer support the overlying cliff layers, which collapse and retreat. When the caprock has caved away to the point where only a little remains, it is known as a butte.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![State Route 12](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2249/2280426320_b5187768b5_s.jpg "Get a<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2280426320/sizes/l/\"> large </a>view!
<b>State Route 12 </b>or <b>Scenic Byway 12</b>, also known as "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway", is an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, USA.
Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey, five miles west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30 mile long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![Scenic Byway 12](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/2279648517_e227bcf1fd_s.jpg "Get a<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2279648517/sizes/l/\"> large </a>view!
<b>State Route 12 </b>or <b>Scenic Byway 12</b>, also known as "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway", is an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, USA.
Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey, five miles west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30 mile long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![Utah State Route 12](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2274/2280422590_89e94455f4_s.jpg "Get a<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2280422590/sizes/l/\"> large </a>view!
<b>State Route 12 </b>or <b>Scenic Byway 12</b>, also known as "Highway 12 — A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway", is an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, USA.
Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey, five miles west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30 mile long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![hoodoo](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2049/2258904372_fa6d59614b_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2258904372/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
taken near Wahweap Creek, Page, Arizona
<b>Hoodoos</b> are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a more smooth profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains (both in North America). While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, nowhere in the world are they as abundant as in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. Walt Disney Imagineers notably based the design of the popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction around a series of hoodoos, albeit ones constructed out of steel and concrete. Geology purists note that only a tall formation should be called a hoodoo; any other shape is called a 'hoodoo rock'.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![hoodoo](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2263791546_3fea7e711f_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2263791546/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
taken near Wahweap Creek, Page, Arizona
<b>Hoodoos</b> are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a more smooth profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains (both in North America). While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, nowhere in the world are they as abundant as in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. Walt Disney Imagineers notably based the design of the popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction around a series of hoodoos, albeit ones constructed out of steel and concrete. Geology purists note that only a tall formation should be called a hoodoo; any other shape is called a 'hoodoo rock'.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![hoodoo](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2258899412_b0a9e09784_s.jpg "Get a<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2258899412/sizes/l/\"> large </a>view!
taken near Wahweap Creek, Page, Arizona
<b>Hoodoos</b> are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a more smooth profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains (both in North America). While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, nowhere in the world are they as abundant as in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. Walt Disney Imagineers notably based the design of the popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction around a series of hoodoos, albeit ones constructed out of steel and concrete. Geology purists note that only a tall formation should be called a hoodoo; any other shape is called a 'hoodoo rock'.
From <a href=\"http://wikipedia.org/\"> Wikipedia</a>, the free encyclopedia")
![Bright Angel Point](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2251796567_51604a6a64_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2251796567/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
The <b>Grand Canyon</b> is a colorful steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
The canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of more than a mile (1.6 km). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.
During prehistory, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it.
The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
The Grand Canyon was largely unexplored until after the U.S. Civil War. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran with a thirst for science and adventure, made the first recorded journey through the canyon on the Colorado River. He accomplished this trek with nine men in four small wooden boats, though only six men completed the journey. Powell referred to the sedimentary rock units exposed in the canyon as "leaves in a great story book".
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![river](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2209/2242825510_7d93bd674e_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2242825510/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
The <b>Colorado River</b> is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California, but the heavy use of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has desiccated the lower course of the river in Mexico such that it no longer consistently reaches the sea.
The Colorado River drains 242,900 sq mi (629,100 km²). Total flows of the river range from 4000 cubic feet per second (113 m³/s) in droughts to 1,000,000 ft³/s (28,000 m³/s) in severe floods. With the construction of massive power dams on the lower course of the river, floods of over 70,000 ft³/s (2000 m³/s) are rare. The mean flow of the total river before diversion is 22,000 ft³/s (620 m³/s). Historically the flow was much higher before water usage began in the basin.
Until 1921, the section of the Colorado from its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park to its confluence with the Green River in Utah was known as the "Grand River," the origin of several now orphaned names, including Grand County, Grand Valley and Grand Junction. Colorado's Rep. Edward T. Taylor petitioned the Congressional Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce to rename the Grand River "Colorado". On July 25, 1921 the name change was made official in House Joint Resolution 460 of the 66th Congress.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![tree](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2411/2242249322_707f7a2027_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2242249322/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
The <b>Grand Canyon</b> is a colorful steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
The canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of more than a mile (1.6 km). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.
During prehistory, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it.
The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
The Grand Canyon was largely unexplored until after the U.S. Civil War. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran with a thirst for science and adventure, made the first recorded journey through the canyon on the Colorado River. He accomplished this trek with nine men in four small wooden boats, though only six men completed the journey. Powell referred to the sedimentary rock units exposed in the canyon as "leaves in a great story book".
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![canyon](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2153/2241229321_5d31139bd9_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2241229321/sizes/l/in/photostream/\"> Large view! </a>
The <b>Grand Canyon</b> is a massive rift in the Colorado Plateau that exposes uplifted Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata and is also one of the six distinct physiographic sections of the Colorado Plateau province. The Grand Canyon is unmatched throughout the world for the vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. It is not the deepest canyon in the world — both the Cotahuasi Canyon (11598 feet or 3535 m), Colca Canyon (10499 feet or 3200 m), both in Arequipa, Peru and Hell's Canyon on the Oregon-Idaho border are deeper — but Grand Canyon is known for its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.
Uplift associated with mountain building events later moved these sediments thousands of feet upward and created the Colorado Plateau. The higher elevation has also resulted in greater precipitation in the Colorado River drainage area, but not enough to change the Grand Canyon area from being semi-arid. The uplift of the Colorado Plateau is uneven, and the north-south trending Kaibab Plateau that Grand Canyon bisects is over a thousand feet higher at the North Rim (about 1,000 ft/300 m) than at the South Rim. The fact that the Colorado River flows in a curve around the higher North Rim part of the Kaibab Plateau and closer to the South Rim part of the plateau is also explained by this asymmetry. Ivo Lucchitta of the U.S. Geological Survey first suggested that, as the Colorado River developed before significant erosion of the region, it naturally found its way across or around the Kaibab Uplift by following a "racetrack" path to the south of the highest part of the plateau. Almost all runoff from the North Rim (which also gets more rain and snow) flows toward the Grand Canyon, while much of the runoff on the plateau behind the South Rim flows away from the canyon (following the general tilt). The result is deeper and longer tributary washes and canyons on the north side and shorter and steeper side canyons on the south side.
Temperatures on the North Rim are generally lower than the South Rim because of the greater elevation (averaging 8,000 ft/2,438 m above sea level). Heavy rains are common on both rims during the summer months. Access to the North Rim via the primary route leading to the canyon (Arizona State Route 67) is limited during the winter season due to road closures. Views from the North Rim tend to give a better impression of the expanse of the canyon than those from the South Rim.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![river](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2199/2241232829_f9757edc32_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2241232829/sizes/l/in/photostream/\"> Large view! </a>
The <b>Grand Canyon</b> is a colorful steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
The canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of more than a mile (1.6 km). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.
During prehistory, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it.
The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
The Grand Canyon was largely unexplored until after the U.S. Civil War. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran with a thirst for science and adventure, made the first recorded journey through the canyon on the Colorado River. He accomplished this trek with nine men in four small wooden boats, though only six men completed the journey. Powell referred to the sedimentary rock units exposed in the canyon as "leaves in a great story book".
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![clouds](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/2242018402_7533c6d876_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2242018402/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
The <b>Grand Canyon</b> is a colorful steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park — one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
The canyon, created by the Colorado River over a period of 6 million years, is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of more than a mile (1.6 km). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.
During prehistory, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it.
The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
The Grand Canyon was largely unexplored until after the U.S. Civil War. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War veteran with a thirst for science and adventure, made the first recorded journey through the canyon on the Colorado River. He accomplished this trek with nine men in four small wooden boats, though only six men completed the journey. Powell referred to the sedimentary rock units exposed in the canyon as "leaves in a great story book".
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![desert](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/2242006950_878586efac_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/2242006950/sizes/l/\"> Large view! </a>
<b>Painted Desert</b> is the name for a broad area of colorful badlands located in Northern Arizona in the United States. The desert stretches from the Grand Canyon National Park into the Petrified Forest National Park and runs roughly astride and just north of the Little Colorado and the Puerco Rivers. The area within the Petrified Forest National Wilderness is also known as the Painted Desert Wilderness. Much of the Painted Desert region is located within the Navajo Nation. The region is also home to a number of county parks such as the Little Painted Desert County Park found just north of Winslow. The Navajo and the Hopi people have lived in the region for at least one thousand years, however the modern name for the desert comes from the Spaniards who named it "el Desierto Pintado" due to its brightly colored landscape.
The desert comprises stratified layers of mineral and decayed organic matter. Many hardened dunes can be found. These hardened dunes are visually distinct due to the bands of grays, reds, oranges and yellows which are then shaped by natural wind and rain patterns. The area is noted to be especially beautiful at sunset and sunrise when the land appears to glow in hues of violet, blue, red and gold. Other key features include the many mesas and buttes that rise sharply from the desert floor. Sparse desert flora and fauna can also be found.
In the southern portions of the desert the remains of a Triassic Era coniferous forest have fossilized over millions of years. Wind, water and soil erosion continue to change the face of the landscape by shifting sediment and exposing layers of the Chinle Formation. An assortment of fossilized prehistoric plants and animals are found in the region, as well as dinosaur tracks and the evidence of early human habitation.
Much of the region is accessible only by foot or unpaved road though major highways and paved roads cut across the area. Depending on use, location and duration of stay, travelers might be required to purchase permits from the appropriate authorities. The towns of Cameron and Tuba City, both within the Navajo Nation, are two major settlements. One interesting side note about Tuba City and Cameron is that parking lots and yards are often covered by bright red dust that is blown in from the surrounding lands by dust storms. Currently coal and petroleum mining operations are active in the region and red clay is retrieved from the desert by locals. This clay is then used to produce handmade pottery to be sold at roadside stands and souvenir shops.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Navajo Girl](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2033/2195373631_93d46fe22f_s.jpg "Klick <a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2195373631&size=l\"> here </a> for a large view!
<b>Navajo-Nation</b>
Die Navajo-Nation (auch Navajo Indian Reservation) ist mit 55.900 km² die größte Indianerreservation in den USA. Sie wurde den Diné-Indianern 1868 durch General Sherman vertraglich zugesichert. Die Hauptstadt ist Window Rock, Arizona.
<b>Lage </b>
Die Navajo-Nation liegt in den Four Corners der Sandsteinwüste zwischen Utah, Arizona und New Mexico. Sie ist Teil des Colorado-Plateaus auf einer Höhe von 1.500 bis 2.000 m ü. d. Meeresspiegel Nebst verschiedenen Canyons und großen Flusssystemen ist das Land für seine Tafelberge (span. Mesa) und für weitere Sehenswürdigkeiten wie das Monument Valley, den Canyon de Chelly und den Antelope Canyon bekannt.
Eingeschlossen in die Navajo Nation Reservation ist die Hopi-Reservation.
<b>Lebensituation</b>
Die Navajos haben eine eigene Regierung, die frei gewählt wird, sowie eine eigene Polizei. Die Kinder besuchen Schulen außerhalb des Reservates und kehren erst spät am Nachmittag von dort zurück. Die traditionelle Wohnform sind Hogans, ein Rundbau aus Holz und Steinen, die teilweise in die Erde gebaut werden und weit über das Land verstreut sind. Die Armut in der Reservation gleicht derjenigen in einem Land der Dritten Welt. Über die Hälfte der rund 269.000 Einwohnern (Census 2000) lebt unterhalb der Armutsgrenze. Das durchschnittliche Jahreseinkommen liegt bei knapp 11.885 US-Dollar pro Kopf, rund ein Drittel von dem der übrigen USA. Die Arbeitslosenrate beträgt rund 40%.
Alkohol- und Drogenabhängigkeit sind ein großes Problem, vor allem unter Jugendlichen.
Viele Diné betreiben Schaf- Rinder- oder Pferdezucht. Weitere Verdienstmöglichkeiten bestehen lediglich in der Herstellung und im Verkauf von Kunsthandwerken, Decken, Silber- und Türkisschmuck, im Tourismus und im Bergbau. Junge Leute mit gutem Schulabschluss verlassen die Reservation um zu studieren und werden als Experten, vor allem im Bauwesen, sowohl in den USA als auch im Ausland sehr geschätzt. Sie unterstützen dann ihre oft sehr großen Familien in der Reservation.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia"> here for a large view!")
![Gallup New Mexico](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2277/2183951710_2a22e7da4f_s.jpg "Klick <a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=2183951710&size=l\"> here </a> for a large view!
<b>Gallup</b> (Navajo: Naʼnízhoozhí) is a city in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 20,209 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McKinley County.
Gallup was founded in 1891 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.
Gallup was the setting as the center of activity in a 2006 Sci Fi Channel mini-series The Lost Room starring Peter Krause.
Gallup is sometimes called the "Indian Capital of the World", for its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other tribes.
Route 66 runs through Gallup, and the town's name is mentioned in the lyrics to the song, Route 66.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Nebraska](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/508214747_c7056ce682_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=508214747&size=l\"> Large </a> view!
<b>Nebraska</b> is a Great Plains state of the United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Chiwere word meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the state. Once considered part of the Great American Desert, it is now a leading farming state. Nebraskans have practiced scientific farming to turn the Nebraska prairie into a land of ranches and farms. Much of the history of the state is the story of the impact of the Nebraska farmer. Nebraskans are sometimes colloquially referred to as "Cornhuskers" (which is derived from the state nickname).
<b>Geography</b>
Nebraska is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska has 93 counties; it also occupies the central portion of the Frontier Strip.
Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The easternmost portion of the state was scoured by Ice Age glaciers; the Dissected Till Plains were left behind after the glaciers retreated. The Dissected Till Plains is a region of gently rolling hills; Omaha and Lincoln are located within this region.
The Great Plains occupy the majority of western Nebraska. The Great Plains itself is comprised of several smaller, diverse land regions, including the Sandhills, the Pine Ridge, the Rainwater Basin, the High Plains and the Wildcat Hills. Panorama Point, at 5,424 feet (1,653 m), is the highest point in Nebraska; despite its name and elevation, it is merely a low rise near the Colorado and Wyoming borders.
A past Nebraska tourism slogan was "Where the West Begins"; locations given for the beginning of the "West" include the Missouri River, the intersection of 13th and O Streets in Lincoln (where it is marked by a red brick star), the 100th meridian, and Chimney Rock.
<b>History</b>
On May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory, divided by the Parallel 40° North. The territorial capital of Nebraska was Omaha.
In the 1860s, the first great wave of homesteaders poured into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. Many of the first farm settlers built their homes out of sod because they found so few trees on the grassy land.
Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867, shortly after the American Civil War. At that time, the capital was moved from Omaha to Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United States Abraham Lincoln.
The Arbor Day holiday began in Nebraska, and the National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City.
Prohibition in the U.S. was adopted in 1918, with Nebraska as the thirty-sixth state necessary to make the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution .
Nebraska has a long history of civil rights activism, starting in 1912 with the foundation of Omaha's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter. Recent legislation proposed by Senator Ernie Chambers continues a legacy that includes the Black Panthers, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Creighton University's unique DePorres Club.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![New Mexico](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/231/505725543_c8471e0a1f_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=505725543&size=l\"> Large </a> view!
<b>New Mexico</b> is a southwestern state in the United States of America. Over its relatively long history it has also been occupied by Native American populations and has been part of the Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, a state of Mexico and a U.S. territory. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has simultaneously the highest percentage of Hispanic Americans (some recent immigrants and others descendants of Spanish colonists) and the second-highest percentage of Native American (mostly Navajo and Pueblo peoples). As a result, the demographics and culture of the state are unique for their strong Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. Amerindian cultural influences. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the state population was 1,954,599 in 2006, a 7.45% increase since 2000.
<b>Geography</b>
The eastern border of New Mexico lies along 103° W with Oklahoma, and 3 miles (5 km) west of 103° W with Texas. Texas also lies south of most of New Mexico, although the southwestern boot-heel borders the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. The western border with Arizona runs along 109° W. The 37° N parallel forms the northern boundary with Colorado. The states New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah come together at the Four Corners in the northwestern corner of New Mexico.
The landscape ranges from wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks. Despite New Mexico's arid image, heavily forested mountain wildernesses cover a significant portion of the state. Part of the Rocky Mountains, the broken, north-south oriented Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range flanks both sides of the Rio Grande from the rugged, pastoral north through the center of the state.
Cacti, yuccas, creosote bush, sagebrush, and desert grasses cover the broad, semiarid plains that cover the southern portion of the state as well as everywhere else.
<b>History</b>
The first known inhabitants of New Mexico were members of the Clovis culture of Paleo-Indians. Indeed the culture is named for the New Mexico city where the first artifacts of this culture were discovered. Later inhabitants include Native Americans of the Anasazi and the Mogollon cultures. By the time of European contact in the 1500s, the region was settled by the villages of the Pueblo peoples and groups of Navajo, Apache and Ute.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado assembled an enormous expedition at Compostela in 1540–1542 to explore and find the mystical Seven Golden Cities of Cibola as described by Cabeza de Vaca who had just arrived from his eight-year ordeal traveling from Florida to Mexico. Coronado's men found several mud baked pueblos in 1541, but found no rich cities of gold. Further widespread expeditions found no fabulous cities anywhere in the Southwest or Great Plains. A dispirited and now poor Coronado and his men began their journey back to Mexico leaving New Mexico behind.
Over 50 years after Coronado, Juan de Oñate founded the San Juan colony on the Rio Grande in 1598, the first permanent European settlement in the future state of New Mexico. Oñate pioneered the grandly named El Camino Real, "The Royal Road", as a 700 mile (1,100 km) trail from the rest of New Spain to his remote colony. Oñate was made the first governor of the new Province of New Mexico. The Native Americans at Acoma revolted against this Spanish encroachment but faced severe suppression.
In 1609, Pedro de Peralta, a later governor of the Province of New Mexico, established the settlement of Santa Fe at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The city, along with most of the settled areas of the state, was abandoned by the Spanish for 12 years (1680-1692) as a result of the successful Pueblo Revolt. After the death of the Pueblo leader Popé, Diego de Vargas restored the area to Spanish rule. While developing Santa Fe as a trade center, the returning settlers founded the old town of Albuquerque in 1706, naming it for the viceroy of New Spain, the Duke of Alburquerque.
<b>Mexican province</b>
As a part of New Spain, the claims for the province of New Mexico passed to independent Mexico following the 1810-1821 Mexican War of Independence. During the brief 26 year period of nominal Mexican control, Mexican authority and investment in New Mexico were weak, as their often conflicted government had little time or interest in a New Mexico that had been poor since the Spanish settlements started. Some Mexican officials, saying they were wary of encroachments by the growing United States, and wanting to reward themselves and their friends, began issuing enormous land grants (usually free) to groups of Mexican families as an incentive to populate the province.
Small trapping parties from the United States had previously reached and stayed in Santa Fe, but the Spanish authorities officially forbade them to trade. Trader William Becknell returned to the United States in November 1821 with news that independent Mexico now welcomed trade through Santa Fe.
William Becknell left Independence, Missouri, for Santa Fe early in 1822 with the first party of traders. The Santa Fe Trail trading company, headed by the brothers Charles Bent and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain, was one of the most successful in the West. They had their first trading post in the area in 1826, and, by 1833, they had built their adobe fort and trading post called Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River. This fort and trading post, located about 200 miles east of Taos, New Mexico, was the only place settled by whites along the Santa Fe trail before it hit Taos. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail follows the route of the old trail, with many sites marked or restored.
The Spanish Trail from Los Angeles, California to Santa Fe, New Mexico was primarily used by Hispanics, white traders and ex-trappers living part of the year in or near Santa Fe. Started in about 1829, the trail was an arduous 2,400 mile round trip pack train sojourn that extended into Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California and back, allowing only one hard round trip per year. The trade consisted primarily of blankets and some trade goods from Santa Fe being traded for horses in California.
The Republic of Texas claimed the mostly vacant territory north and east of the Rio Grande when it successfully seceded from Mexico in 1836. New Mexico authorities captured a group of Texans who embarked an expedition to assert their claim to the province in 1841.
<b>American territory</b>
Following the Mexican-American War, from 1846-1848 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico forcibly ceded its mostly unsettled northern holdings, today known as the American Southwest and California to the United States of America in exchange for an end to hostilities, the evacuation of Mexico City and many other areas under American control. Mexico also received $15 million cash, plus the assumption of slightly more than $3 million in outstanding Mexican debts.
The Congressional Compromise of 1850 halted a bid for statehood under a proposed antislavery constitution. Texas transferred eastern New Mexico to the federal government, settling a lengthy boundary dispute. Under the compromise, the American government established the Territory of New Mexico on September 9, 1850. The territory, which included most of the future states of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, officially established its capital at Santa Fe in 1851.
The United States acquired the southwestern boot heel of the state and southern Arizona below the Gila river in the mostly desert Gadsden Purchase of 1853. This purchase was desired when it was found that a much easier route for a proposed transcontinental railroad was located slightly south of the Gila river. The Southern Pacific built the second transcontinental railroad though this purchased land in 1881.
During the American Civil War, Confederate troops from Texas briefly occupied the Rio Grande valley as far north as Santa Fe. Union troops from the Territory of Colorado re-captured the territory in March 1862 at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The Territory of Arizona was split off as a separate territory on February 24, 1863.
There were centuries of conflict between the Apache, the Navajo and Spanish-Mexican settlements in the territory. It took the federal government another 25 years after the Civil War to exert control over both the civilian and Native American populations of the territory. This started in 1864 when the Navajo were sent on "The Long Walk" to Bosque Redondo Reservation and then returned to most of their lands in 1868. The Apache were moved to various reservations and Apache wars continued until Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886.
The railway encouraged the great cattle boom of the 1880s and the development of accompanying cow towns. The cattle barons could not keep out sheepherders, and eventually homesteaders and squatters overwhelmed the cattlemen by fencing in and plowing under the "sea of grass" on which the cattle fed. Conflicting land claims led to bitter quarrels among the original Spanish inhabitants, cattle ranchers, and newer homesteaders. Despite destructive overgrazing, ranching survived and remains a mainstay of the New Mexican economy.
Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, on the upper Rio Grande, was incorporated in 1889.
<b>Statehood</b>
Congress admitted New Mexico as the 47th state in the Union on January 6, 1912. The admission of the neighboring State of Arizona on February 14, 1912 completed the contiguous 48 states.
The United States government built the Los Alamos Research Center in 1943 amid the Second World War. Top-secret personnel there developed the atomic bomb, first detonated at Trinity site in the desert on the White Sands Proving Grounds between Socorro and Alamogordo on July 16, 1945.
Albuquerque expanded rapidly after the war. High-altitude experiments near Roswell in 1947 reputedly led to persistent but unproven suspicions that the government captured and concealed extraterrestrial corpses and equipment. The state quickly emerged as a leader in nuclear, solar, and geothermal energy research and development. The Sandia National Laboratories, founded in 1949, carried out nuclear research and special weapons development at Kirtland Air Force Base south of Albuquerque and at Livermore, California.
Located in the remote Chihuahuan Desert the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad. Here nuclear wastes are buried deep in carved out salt formation disposal rooms mined 2,150 feet underground in a 2,000-foot thick salt formation that has been stable for more than 200 million years. WIPP began operations on March 26, 1999.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Arizona](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/505208000_a0c0c878f9_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=505208000&size=l\"> Large </a> view!
<b>Arizona </b> is a state located in the Southwestern United States. It is noted for its desert landscape, exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. Less well-known is the pine-covered high country in the north-central portion of the state, which contrasts with the lower deserts of the state.
Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It borders New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, touches Colorado, and has a 389 mi (626 km) international border with the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. Aside from the Grand Canyon, many other National Forests, Parks, Monuments, and Indian reservations are located in the state. Arizona was the 48th and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union on February 14, 1912. Residents are called Arizonans.
<b>Geography</b>
Arizona is located in the Western United States as one of the Four Corners states. Arizona is the sixth largest state in area, after New Mexico and before Nevada. Of the state's 118,000 square miles, approximately 15% is privately owned. The remaining area is government forest and park land, recreation areas and Native American reservations.
Arizona is best known for its desert landscape, which is rich in xerophyte plants such as cactus. It is also known for its climate, which presents exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. Less well known is the pine-covered high country of the Colorado Plateau in the north-central portion of the state, which contrasts with the desertic Basin and Range region in the southern portions of the state.
Like other states of the Southwest, Arizona has an abundance of topographical characteristics in addition to its desert climate. More than half of the state features mountains and plateaus and contains the largest stand of Ponderosa pine in the United States. The Mogollon Rim, a 2000-foot (600 m) escarpment, cuts across the central section of the state and marks the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, where the state experienced its worst forest fire ever in 2002. Arizona belongs firmly within the Basin and Range region of North America. The region was shaped by prehistoric volcanism, followed by a cooling-off and related subsidence. The entire region is slowly sinking.
The Grand Canyon is a colorful, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River, in northern Arizona. The canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is largely contained in the Grand Canyon National Park—one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of designating the Grand Canyon area, visiting on numerous occasions to hunt mountain lion and enjoy the scenery.
The Canyon was created by the Colorado River cutting a channel over millions of years, and is about 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6 to 29 kilometers) and attains a depth of more than 1 mile (1.6 km). Nearly 2 billion years of the Earth's history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment as the Colorado Plateaus have uplifted.
Arizona is home to one of the largest and most well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world. The Barringer Meteorite Crater (better known simply as "Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in the middle of the high plains of the Colorado Plateau, about 25 miles west of Winslow. A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 feet above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570 feet deep.
Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, except in the Navajo Nation, located in the northeastern region of the state.
<b>Climate</b>
Due to its large area and variations in elevation, the state has a wide variety of localized climate conditions. In the lower elevations, the climate is primarily desert, with mild winters and hot summers. Typically, from late fall to early spring, the weather is mild, averaging a minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15°C). November through February are the coldest months with temperatures typically ranging from 40–75 °F (4–24 °C), although occasional frosts are not uncommon. About midway through February, the temperatures start to rise again with warm days, and cool breezy nights. The summer months of May through August bring a dry heat ranging from 90–120 °F (32–48 °C), with occasional high temperatures exceeding 125 °F (52 °C) having been observed in the desert area. Due to the primarily dry climate, large temperature swings often occur between day and night, with some as large as 50 °F (28 °C) in the summer months.
However, the northern third of Arizona is a plateau at significantly higher altitudes than the lower desert, and has an appreciably cooler climate, with cold winters and mild summers. Extreme cold temperatures are not unknown; cold air systems from the northern states and Canada occasionally push into the state, bringing temperatures below 0 °F (–18 °C) to the higher parts of the state.
Arizona has an average annual rainfall of 12.7 inches (322 mm), which comes during two rainy seasons, with cold fronts coming from the Pacific Ocean during the winter and a monsoon in the summer. The monsoon season occurs from the middle of July through August and brings lightning, thunderstorms, wind, and torrential, if usually brief, downpours. It is rare for tornadoes and hurricanes to occur in Arizona, but there are records of both occurring.
Indicative of the variation in climate, Arizona is the state which has both the metropolitan area with the most days over 100 °F (37.8 °C) (Phoenix), and the metropolitan area in the lower 48 states with nearly the most days with a low temperature below freezing (Flagstaff)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Texas](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/504526585_d4363e5c09_s.jpg "<a href=\"http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=504526585&size=l\"> Large </a> view!
<b>Texas</b> is a state of the United States of America located in the country's Southern and Southwestern regions. With an area of 678,051 km² (261,797 square miles) and a population of 23.5 million in 254 counties, the state is second-largest in both area, behind Alaska, and population, behind California. About half the state's population resides in either the Dallas–Fort Worth or Houston metropolitan areas.
The state's name derives from a word in the Caddoan language of the Hasinai, táyshaʔ, "Friend".Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 and existed as the independent Republic of Texas for nearly a decade. In 1845, it joined the United States as the 28th state.
Texas is internationally known for its energy and aeronautics industries, and for the ship channel at the Port of Houston—the largest in the U.S. in international commerce and the sixth-largest port in the world. The state is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and has the second-largest economy in the United States. The Texas Medical Center contains the world's largest concentration of research and healthcare institutions.
<b>History</b>
Texas boasts that "Six Flags" have flown over its soil: the Fleur-de-lis of France, the national flags of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.
American Indian tribes who once lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Kiowa, Tonkawa, Wichita, Hueco and the Karankawa of Galveston. Currently, there are three federally recognized Native American tribes which reside in Texas: the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas.
On November 6, 1528, shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European in Texas. Most of Texas was immediately claimed by Spain (mostly western Texas) as part of the Spanish dominions of New Spain. However, France took advantage of Spain's failure to settle the land and in 1685 established Fort St. Louis and claimed most of Texas. The first Spanish colonization did not come until a few years after Fort St. Louis, as Spain was spurred by France to enforce its claims. The French claim was inherited by the United States as they bought the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Spanish claim was later inherited by Mexico during the Mexican Revolution of 1821, setting the stage for the Mexican–American War. The French settlement was massacred by American Indians, and Spain only started sparse settlements, so most permanent settlements by Europeans did start until long after the first explorer arrived in 1521.
In the 1800s, two main ethnic groups settled the land: Tejanos and eventually Anglo Americans. Smaller numbers of Europeans also came. Moses Austin bought 200,000 acres (800 km²) of land of his choice, and moved to San Antonio in August of 1821. His son, Stephen F. Austin, joined him. In 1821, Texas became part of the newly independent Republic of Mexico and, in 1824, became the northern section of Coahuila y Tejas. On January 3, 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 300 Anglo American families known as the "Old Three Hundred" along the Brazos River, after Austin was authorized to do so by Governor Antonio María Martínez and then successive Mexican officials as Mexico went through tumultuous political regime changes. Austin soon organized even more groups of immigrants, with authorization from the Mexican government. Meanwhile, more Tejanos were also settling in Texas, and as Antonio Menchaca writes in "Memoirs" in 1907, many Tejanos were already desirous of joining the United States. Tejanos were mostly full-blooded Spanish immigrants, few partly or entirely of American Indian heritage as most Mexicans south of the Rio Grande were.
The "Conventions" of 1832 and 1833 were a response to rising unrest at the policies of the ruling Mexican government, which included the end of duty free imports from the United States and the potential end to the special allowance for slavery in the state. Slavery had been abolished in Mexico with the independence. Spain's policy of allowing only full-blooded Spaniards to settle Texas also ended with independence. In 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico, proclaimed a unified constitution for all Mexican territories, including Texas. The new Constitution ended the republic and the federation, imposed a central style of government with power concentrated in the President, and turned states into provinces with governors appointed from Mexico City. Some states around Mexico rebelled against this imposition, including Chihuahua, Zacatecas and Yucatan. Texans were also irritated by other policies including the forcible disarmament of Texan settlers, and the expulsion of immigrants and legal land owners originally from the United States. The example of the Centralista forces' suppression of dissidents in Zacatecas also inspired fear of the Mexican government.
On March 2, 1836, the Convention of 1836 signed a Declaration of Independence, declaring Texas an independent nation. On April 21, 1836, the Texans—led by General Sam Houston—won their independence when they defeated the Mexican forces of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured and signed the Treaties of Velasco, which gave Texas firm boundaries; Mexico repudiated the treaties, considered Texas a breakaway province, and vowed to reconquer it. Later in 1836, the Texans adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery in Texas. The Republic of Texas included the area of the present state of Texas, and additional unoccupied territory to the west and northwest.
Texans wanted annexation to the United States. Texas was fast-growing, but still poor and had great difficulty maintaining self-defense. Events such as the Dawson Massacre and two recaptures of Béxar in Texas of 1842 helped add momentum to the desire for statehood. However, American politics intruded; strong Northern opposition to adding another slave state blocked annexation until the election of 1844 was won on a pro-annexation platform by James K. Polk. On December 29, 1845, Texas was admitted to the U.S. as a constituent state of the Union. The Mexican–American War followed, with decisive American victories. Soon after, Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands.
Just prior to the American Civil War, elected delegates met in convention and, in an act whose legality was later upheld by the Texas Legislature, authorized secession from the U.S. on February 1, 1861. After a thundering majority of its voters approved the measure in referendum, Texas was accepted as a state by the provisional government of the Confederate States of America on March 1, 1861. Partly due to its distance from the front lines of the war, a major role for Texas was to supply hardy soldiers for Confederate forces (veterans of the Mexican–American War), especially in cavalry. Although Texan regiments fought in every major battle throughout the war.
Texas was largely considered a "supply state" for the Confederate forces until mid-1863, when the Union capture of the Mississippi River made large movements of men or cattle impossible. The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas, at Palmito Ranch, on May 12, 1865, well after Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.
Texas descended into near-anarchy during the two months between the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia and the assumption of authority by Union General Gordon Granger, as Confederate forces demobilized or disbanded and government property passed into private hands through distribution or plunder. Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Galveston by General Gordon Granger; nearly 1-1/2 years after the original announcement of January 1, 1863. On March 30, 1870, although Texas did not meet all the requirements, the United States Congress readmitted Texas into the Union.
The first major oil well in Texas was drilled at Spindletop, a little hill south of Beaumont, on the morning of January 10, 1901. Other oil fields were later discovered nearby in East Texas, West Texas, and under the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting “Oil Boom” permanently transformed the economy of Texas. Oil production eventually averaged three million barrels of oil per day at its peak in 1972.The economy, which had experienced significant recovery since the American Civil War, was dealt a double blow by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
From 1950 through the 1960s, Texas modernized and dramatically expanded its system of higher education. Under the leadership of Governor John B. Connally, the state produced a long-range plan for higher education, a more rational distribution of resources, and a central state apparatus designed to manage state institutions more efficiently. Because of these changes, Texas universities received federal funds for research and development during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
<b>Geography</b>
The geography of Texas spans a wide range of features and timelines. Texas is the southernmost part of the Great Plains, which ends in the south against the folded Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. It is in the south-central part of the United States of America. It is considered to form part of the U.S. South and also part of the U.S. Southwest.
The Rio Grande, Red River and Sabine River all provide natural state lines where Texas borders Oklahoma on the north, Louisiana and Arkansas on the east, and New Mexico and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south.
By residents, the state is generally divided into North Texas, East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, and West Texas, but according to the Texas Almanac, Texas has four major physical regions: Gulf Coastal Plains, Interior Lowlands, Great Plains, and The Basin and Range Province. This is the difference between human geography and physical geography.
Some regions of Texas are associated with the South more than with the Southwest (primarily East Texas, Central Texas, and North Texas), while other regions share more similarities with the Southwest (primarily far West Texas and South Texas). The upper Texas Panhandle and the South Plains parts of West Texas do not easily fit into either category. The former has much in common with the Midwestern United States, while the latter, originally settled primarily by anglo Southerners, yet with a notable Hispanic population, is somewhat of a blend of South and Southwest.
The size of Texas prohibits easy categorization of the entire state wholly in any recognized region of the United States; geographic, economic, and even cultural diversity between regions of the state preclude treating Texas as a region in its own right.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Joshua Tree National Park](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/87/278935125_d7cd07e8b0_s.jpg "Der <b>Joshua-Tree-Nationalpark</b> ist eine Wüstenlandschaft im Südosten Kaliforniens. die den Übergang zwischen der Mojave-Wüste und der Colorado Wüste bildet. Der Park ist nach dem auffälligen Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) benannt, der die größte Art der Palmlilien (Yucca) darstellt.
<b>Geographie, Geologie & Klima</b>
Der Joshua-Tree-National-Park liegt im Süden Kaliforniens, etwa 225 km östlich von Los Angeles in der Nähe von Palm Springs. Der Nationalpark verfügt über drei Eingänge, den Haupteingang in der Nähe der Stadt Twentynine Palms, den Westeingang in Joshua Tree Village, und den Südeingang in Cottonwood Springs. Die Höhen innerhalb des 3.196 km² großen Parks reichen von 305 Meter im Pinto Basin bis zu 1.772 Meter auf den Gipfeln des Quail Mountain. Das Gebiet verbindet zwei Wüstentypen, die – getrennt durch ihre unterschiedliche Höhenlage – zwei verschiedenartige Ökosysteme hervorbringen. Unterhalb von 900 m liegt im östlichen Teil des Parks die Colorado-Wüste deren Landschaft Buschland, Kakteen und Fächerpalmen kennzeichnet. Höher gelegen und damit kühler und feuchter ist die Mojave-Wüste im Nordwesten. Hier befindet sich die Heimat der Joshua Trees, die dem Park ihren Namen gaben.
Die im Park vorzufindenden Monzogranit-Formationen entstanden nach dem Magma unter der Erdoberfläche abkühlte und nach Millionen von Jahren durch Erosion aufgedeckt wurde. Die faszinierendsten und spektakulärsten Gesteinsformen sind bei Jumbo Rocks, Wonderland of Rocks und im Indian Cove zu entdecken.
Das Klima im Joshua-Tree-National-Park ist insgesamt sehr trocken, differiert jedoch je nach Höhenlage. Im Durchschnitt herrschen rund 25 Prozent Luftfeuchtigkeit. Die Temperaturen im Frühling und Herbst liegen tagsüber um die 20 °C, nachts um die 10 °C. Im Sommer sind 35 °C und mehr keine Seltenheit. Während der Wintermonate sinken die Temperaturen nachts leicht unter den Gefrierpunkt, tagsüber können sie jedoch bis plus 15 °C erreichen.
<b>Geschichte</b>
Mormonen, die einst die Mojave-Wüste durchquerten, gaben dem Joshua Tree Park seinen Namen. Sie erkannten in den Bäumen die Gestalt des Propheten Joshua, der seine Arme gen Himmel hob. 1936 wurde der Park zum National Monument erklärt, doch erst 1994 erhielt er den Rang eines National Parks.
<b>Flora und Fauna</b>
Insgesamt zählt der Park ungefähr 700 verschiedene Pflanzenarten. Es gibt fünf natürliche Wasserstellen, an denen sich das tierische Leben konzentriert. Größtes Tier ist das Desert Bighorn Sheep, ferner sind zahlreiche Vogelarten zu beobachten. Wie in den meisten Wüstengegenden ist auch hier die Tierwelt überwiegend nachtaktiv.
Die auffälligsten Pflanzen sind die seltsamen anmutenden Joshua Trees, die ausschließlich in der Mojave-Wüste im Nordwestteil des Parks vorkommen, und ihm seinen Namen gaben. Der Josua Tree ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des regionalen Ökosystems und liefert vielen Wüstentieren Nahrung und Schutz. Die Pflanzen, die aussehen wie Kakteen, aber zu den Liliengewächsen gehören, werden bis 18 Meter hoch und bis zu 900 Jahre alt. Ihre Blütezeit ist im April und Mai. Der Josua Tree ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des regionalen Ökosystems und liefert vielen Wüstentieren Nahrung und Schutz. In der Mojave Wüste gibt es sehr viele dieser Bäume, aber in tieferen Lagen ist die Vegetation eher vom Kreosotbusch geprägt.Den Namen bekamen sie von Mormonen, die in den 1840er Jahren durch die Gegend des Parks zogen und meinten dass sie ihnen den Weg nach Westen zeigten.
<b>Tourismus</b>
Die touristische Infrastruktur des Parks ist relativ wenig entwickelt. Einzige Übernachtungsmöglichkeit sind einige einfache Campingplätze, die jedoch meist nicht über fließendes Wasser verfügen. In den umliegenden Orten gibt es die Möglichkeit der Hotelübernachtung. Straßen und Wanderwege sind nicht sehr zahlreich.
Der Park ist mit dem Auto befahrbar, es gibt jedoch nicht viele Straßen. Die "Basin Road" führt von Norden nach Süden durch den Park und bietet Möglichkeiten zum Anhalten und Aussteigen. Eine nicht befestigte Straße im Süden des Parks gibt einen Überblick über dessen Geologie. Der Aussichtspunkt bei Keys View bietet einen Ausblick auf das Coachella Valley und den Salton Sea. Außerdem gibt es geführte Touren zu einer verlassenen Goldmine. Wettermäßig ist der Besuch vor allem im Winter empfehlenswert. Viele verbringen hier Silvester. Im Hochsommer ist der Park sehr leer - und ab neun Uhr morgens brütend heiß.
Es gibt drei Visitor Center, die über den Joshua-Tree-Nationalpark informieren. Es gibt Ausstellungen über das Ökosystem des Parks, dessen Tier- und Pflanzenwelt, geologischer Formationen sowie der ersten Menschen die diese Gegend bewohnten. Freizeitaktivitäten des Parks schließen Wandern, Camping, Radfahren, Klettern, Ranch Touren und Informationsveranstaltungen der Ranger ein.
Der Park ist bei Kletterern sehr beliebt (von diesen oft als "J-Tree" bezeichnet). Ursprünglich war der Park eher ein Ausweichrevier für den Winter während die Gebiete im Yosemite-Nationalpark und der Sierra Nevada eingeschneit waren, aber mit der Zeit entwickelte der Park seine eigene Anziehungskraft. Es gibt tausende Kletterrouten aller Schwierigkeitsklassen. Die Routen sind typischerweise recht kurz, da die Felsen selten höher als 70 Meter sind, dafür ist aber der Zugang in der Regel recht einfach. Der Fels besteht aus rauem Granit, da es nie Eis oder Schnee gibt, der ihn polieren könnte, wie es in nördlicheren Gebieten der Fall ist. Die meisten Routen sind selbst abzusichern.
Neben den Joshua-Tree-Wäldern bietet der Park eine der interessantesten geologischen Formationen die man in den kalifornischen Wüsten findet. Es herrschen kahle Felsen vor, die in der Regel in einzelne Felsformationen aufgebrochen sind.
Joshua-Tree wurde 1936 zum National Monument und 1994 zum Nationalpark erklärt. Er wird jährlich von über einer Millionen Menschen – darunter Tausende von Felskletterern aus aller Welt – besucht.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Joshua Tree National Park](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/120/278935124_87f0c99220_s.jpg "<b>Joshua Tree National Park</b> is located in south-eastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994, it was previously a U.S. National Monument. It includes 1,234 mi² (3,196 km²) of land. A large part of the park is designated wilderness area; some 914 mi² (2,367 km²).
Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. Below 3,000 feet (900 m), the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the southwest edge of the park.
The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), from which the park gets its name. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are a bonanza for rock climbing and scrambling enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles, the trees make the landscape otherworldly. Five Washingtonia fan palm oases in the park are the few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.
At least 240 species of birds have been observed in the park. A good place to view wildlife is at Barker Dam, a short hike from a parking area near Hidden Valley. Desert Bighorn Sheep sometimes stop by the dam for a drink. Tours of the Barker Dam area are available.
<b>Recreation in Joshua Tree National Park</b>
Campgrounds in the park are few, mostly without a supply of water, so most visitors are required either to day-trip or stay at a hotel in a nearby town. Roads and hiking trails are also quite sparse. A dirt road in the south of the park showcases the region's geology. The lookout point at Keys View, also towards the south, offers views of the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea. Tours of an abandoned gold mine are available. The easiest ways to enjoy the park are to drive around and climb some boulder hills.
The park is extremely popular with rock climbers (who often refer to it as "J-Tree"). It was originally a winter practice area while Yosemite Valley and other parts of the Sierra Nevada were snowbound, but later became an area of interest in its own right. There are literally thousands of named climbing routes, at all levels of difficulty. The routes are typically short, the rocks being rarely more than 70 m (230 ft) in height, but access is usually a short, easy walk through the desert, and it's possible to do a number of interesting climbs in a single day. The rocks are all composed of quartz monzonite, a very rough type of granite made even more so as there is no snow or ice to polish it as in places like Yosemite. Most climbs are single pitch with all possible difficulty levels.
Musician Gram Parsons was a frequent visitor and rock climber. Upon his death, his friends hijacked his coffin and performed an amateur cremation near his favorite rock. Legend has it that Parson's ghost haunts the area, manifesting itself in faint guitar music.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Keys View](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/278899697_0444c7b99f_s.jpg "Der <b>Joshua-Tree-Nationalpark</b> ist eine Wüstenlandschaft im Südosten Kaliforniens. die den Übergang zwischen der Mojave-Wüste und der Colorado Wüste bildet. Der Park ist nach dem auffälligen Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) benannt, der die größte Art der Palmlilien (Yucca) darstellt.
<b>Geographie, Geologie & Klima</b>
Der Joshua-Tree-National-Park liegt im Süden Kaliforniens, etwa 225 km östlich von Los Angeles in der Nähe von Palm Springs. Der Nationalpark verfügt über drei Eingänge, den Haupteingang in der Nähe der Stadt Twentynine Palms, den Westeingang in Joshua Tree Village, und den Südeingang in Cottonwood Springs. Die Höhen innerhalb des 3.196 km² großen Parks reichen von 305 Meter im Pinto Basin bis zu 1.772 Meter auf den Gipfeln des Quail Mountain. Das Gebiet verbindet zwei Wüstentypen, die – getrennt durch ihre unterschiedliche Höhenlage – zwei verschiedenartige Ökosysteme hervorbringen. Unterhalb von 900 m liegt im östlichen Teil des Parks die Colorado-Wüste deren Landschaft Buschland, Kakteen und Fächerpalmen kennzeichnet. Höher gelegen und damit kühler und feuchter ist die Mojave-Wüste im Nordwesten. Hier befindet sich die Heimat der Joshua Trees, die dem Park ihren Namen gaben.
Die im Park vorzufindenden Monzogranit-Formationen entstanden nach dem Magma unter der Erdoberfläche abkühlte und nach Millionen von Jahren durch Erosion aufgedeckt wurde. Die faszinierendsten und spektakulärsten Gesteinsformen sind bei Jumbo Rocks, Wonderland of Rocks und im Indian Cove zu entdecken.
Das Klima im Joshua-Tree-National-Park ist insgesamt sehr trocken, differiert jedoch je nach Höhenlage. Im Durchschnitt herrschen rund 25 Prozent Luftfeuchtigkeit. Die Temperaturen im Frühling und Herbst liegen tagsüber um die 20 °C, nachts um die 10 °C. Im Sommer sind 35 °C und mehr keine Seltenheit. Während der Wintermonate sinken die Temperaturen nachts leicht unter den Gefrierpunkt, tagsüber können sie jedoch bis plus 15 °C erreichen.
<b>Geschichte</b>
Mormonen, die einst die Mojave-Wüste durchquerten, gaben dem Joshua Tree Park seinen Namen. Sie erkannten in den Bäumen die Gestalt des Propheten Joshua, der seine Arme gen Himmel hob. 1936 wurde der Park zum National Monument erklärt, doch erst 1994 erhielt er den Rang eines National Parks.
<b>Flora und Fauna</b>
Insgesamt zählt der Park ungefähr 700 verschiedene Pflanzenarten. Es gibt fünf natürliche Wasserstellen, an denen sich das tierische Leben konzentriert. Größtes Tier ist das Desert Bighorn Sheep, ferner sind zahlreiche Vogelarten zu beobachten. Wie in den meisten Wüstengegenden ist auch hier die Tierwelt überwiegend nachtaktiv.
Die auffälligsten Pflanzen sind die seltsamen anmutenden Joshua Trees, die ausschließlich in der Mojave-Wüste im Nordwestteil des Parks vorkommen, und ihm seinen Namen gaben. Der Josua Tree ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des regionalen Ökosystems und liefert vielen Wüstentieren Nahrung und Schutz. Die Pflanzen, die aussehen wie Kakteen, aber zu den Liliengewächsen gehören, werden bis 18 Meter hoch und bis zu 900 Jahre alt. Ihre Blütezeit ist im April und Mai. Der Josua Tree ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des regionalen Ökosystems und liefert vielen Wüstentieren Nahrung und Schutz. In der Mojave Wüste gibt es sehr viele dieser Bäume, aber in tieferen Lagen ist die Vegetation eher vom Kreosotbusch geprägt.Den Namen bekamen sie von Mormonen, die in den 1840er Jahren durch die Gegend des Parks zogen und meinten dass sie ihnen den Weg nach Westen zeigten.
<b>Tourismus</b>
Die touristische Infrastruktur des Parks ist relativ wenig entwickelt. Einzige Übernachtungsmöglichkeit sind einige einfache Campingplätze, die jedoch meist nicht über fließendes Wasser verfügen. In den umliegenden Orten gibt es die Möglichkeit der Hotelübernachtung. Straßen und Wanderwege sind nicht sehr zahlreich.
Der Park ist mit dem Auto befahrbar, es gibt jedoch nicht viele Straßen. Die "Basin Road" führt von Norden nach Süden durch den Park und bietet Möglichkeiten zum Anhalten und Aussteigen. Eine nicht befestigte Straße im Süden des Parks gibt einen Überblick über dessen Geologie. Der Aussichtspunkt bei Keys View bietet einen Ausblick auf das Coachella Valley und den Salton Sea. Außerdem gibt es geführte Touren zu einer verlassenen Goldmine. Wettermäßig ist der Besuch vor allem im Winter empfehlenswert. Viele verbringen hier Silvester. Im Hochsommer ist der Park sehr leer - und ab neun Uhr morgens brütend heiß.
Es gibt drei Visitor Center, die über den Joshua-Tree-Nationalpark informieren. Es gibt Ausstellungen über das Ökosystem des Parks, dessen Tier- und Pflanzenwelt, geologischer Formationen sowie der ersten Menschen die diese Gegend bewohnten. Freizeitaktivitäten des Parks schließen Wandern, Camping, Radfahren, Klettern, Ranch Touren und Informationsveranstaltungen der Ranger ein.
Der Park ist bei Kletterern sehr beliebt (von diesen oft als "J-Tree" bezeichnet). Ursprünglich war der Park eher ein Ausweichrevier für den Winter während die Gebiete im Yosemite-Nationalpark und der Sierra Nevada eingeschneit waren, aber mit der Zeit entwickelte der Park seine eigene Anziehungskraft. Es gibt tausende Kletterrouten aller Schwierigkeitsklassen. Die Routen sind typischerweise recht kurz, da die Felsen selten höher als 70 Meter sind, dafür ist aber der Zugang in der Regel recht einfach. Der Fels besteht aus rauem Granit, da es nie Eis oder Schnee gibt, der ihn polieren könnte, wie es in nördlicheren Gebieten der Fall ist. Die meisten Routen sind selbst abzusichern.
Neben den Joshua-Tree-Wäldern bietet der Park eine der interessantesten geologischen Formationen die man in den kalifornischen Wüsten findet. Es herrschen kahle Felsen vor, die in der Regel in einzelne Felsformationen aufgebrochen sind.
Joshua-Tree wurde 1936 zum National Monument und 1994 zum Nationalpark erklärt. Er wird jährlich von über einer Millionen Menschen – darunter Tausende von Felskletterern aus aller Welt – besucht.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Joshua Tree National Park](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/278899699_e319f316ae_s.jpg "<b>Joshua Tree National Park</b> is located in south-eastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994, it was previously a U.S. National Monument. It includes 1,234 mi² (3,196 km²) of land. A large part of the park is designated wilderness area; some 914 mi² (2,367 km²).
Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. Below 3,000 feet (900 m), the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the southwest edge of the park.
The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), from which the park gets its name. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are a bonanza for rock climbing and scrambling enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles, the trees make the landscape otherworldly. Five Washingtonia fan palm oases in the park are the few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.
At least 240 species of birds have been observed in the park. A good place to view wildlife is at Barker Dam, a short hike from a parking area near Hidden Valley. Desert Bighorn Sheep sometimes stop by the dam for a drink. Tours of the Barker Dam area are available.
<b>Recreation in Joshua Tree National Park</b>
Campgrounds in the park are few, mostly without a supply of water, so most visitors are required either to day-trip or stay at a hotel in a nearby town. Roads and hiking trails are also quite sparse. A dirt road in the south of the park showcases the region's geology. The lookout point at Keys View, also towards the south, offers views of the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea. Tours of an abandoned gold mine are available. The easiest ways to enjoy the park are to drive around and climb some boulder hills.
The park is extremely popular with rock climbers (who often refer to it as "J-Tree"). It was originally a winter practice area while Yosemite Valley and other parts of the Sierra Nevada were snowbound, but later became an area of interest in its own right. There are literally thousands of named climbing routes, at all levels of difficulty. The routes are typically short, the rocks being rarely more than 70 m (230 ft) in height, but access is usually a short, easy walk through the desert, and it's possible to do a number of interesting climbs in a single day. The rocks are all composed of quartz monzonite, a very rough type of granite made even more so as there is no snow or ice to polish it as in places like Yosemite. Most climbs are single pitch with all possible difficulty levels.
Musician Gram Parsons was a frequent visitor and rock climber. Upon his death, his friends hijacked his coffin and performed an amateur cremation near his favorite rock. Legend has it that Parson's ghost haunts the area, manifesting itself in faint guitar music.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Joshua Tree National Park](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/110/277493018_78f0dc1cc8_s.jpg "<b>Joshua Tree National Park</b> is located in south-eastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994, it was previously a U.S. National Monument. It includes 1,234 mi² (3,196 km²) of land. A large part of the park is designated wilderness area; some 914 mi² (2,367 km²).
Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. Below 3,000 feet (900 m), the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the southwest edge of the park.
The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), from which the park gets its name. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are a bonanza for rock climbing and scrambling enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles, the trees make the landscape otherworldly. Five Washingtonia fan palm oases in the park are the few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.
At least 240 species of birds have been observed in the park. A good place to view wildlife is at Barker Dam, a short hike from a parking area near Hidden Valley. Desert Bighorn Sheep sometimes stop by the dam for a drink. Tours of the Barker Dam area are available.
<b>Recreation in Joshua Tree National Park</b>
Campgrounds in the park are few, mostly without a supply of water, so most visitors are required either to day-trip or stay at a hotel in a nearby town. Roads and hiking trails are also quite sparse. A dirt road in the south of the park showcases the region's geology. The lookout point at Keys View, also towards the south, offers views of the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea. Tours of an abandoned gold mine are available. The easiest ways to enjoy the park are to drive around and climb some boulder hills.
The park is extremely popular with rock climbers (who often refer to it as "J-Tree"). It was originally a winter practice area while Yosemite Valley and other parts of the Sierra Nevada were snowbound, but later became an area of interest in its own right. There are literally thousands of named climbing routes, at all levels of difficulty. The routes are typically short, the rocks being rarely more than 70 m (230 ft) in height, but access is usually a short, easy walk through the desert, and it's possible to do a number of interesting climbs in a single day. The rocks are all composed of quartz monzonite, a very rough type of granite made even more so as there is no snow or ice to polish it as in places like Yosemite. Most climbs are single pitch with all possible difficulty levels.
Musician Gram Parsons was a frequent visitor and rock climber. Upon his death, his friends hijacked his coffin and performed an amateur cremation near his favorite rock. Legend has it that Parson's ghost haunts the area, manifesting itself in faint guitar music.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Main Street](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/80/273008820_b3b7485537_s.jpg "<b>Bodie</b>, California, is a ghost town on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, United States, about 75 miles (120 km) southeast of Lake Tahoe. It is located at 38°12′42″N, 119°00′46″W, at an elevation of 8369 feet (2550 m).
<b>Discovery</b>
Gold was discovered in 1859 by prospector W. S. Bodey (also spelled Body), after whom the town was named. Bodey died in November after making a supply trip to Monoville and perishing in a blizzard.
In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of gold, which transformed Bodie from an isolated mining camp of few prospectors and company employees to a Wild West boomtown. Rich discoveries in the adjacent Bodie Mine during 1878 attracted even more hopeful people. By 1880 Bodie boasted a population of nearly 10,000.
As a bustling gold mining center, Bodie was famous for its lawlessness. At its peak it had 60 saloons. Murders, barroom brawls, and stagecoach holdups were regular occurrences. Legend has it that a little girl, upon finding out that her family was moving there, prayed one night, "Goodbye God, we are going to Bodie." But a local editor claimed she had really prayed, "Good. By God we are going to Bodie."
Gold bullion from the town's nine stamp mills was shipped to Carson City, Nevada by way of Aurora, Wellington, and Gardnerville. Most shipments were accompanied by an armed guard. Once the bullion reached Carson City, it was delivered to the mint or sent by rail to the mint in San Francisco.
<b>A first in electrical power</b>
In 1893 the Standard Company built its own hydroelectric plant, located approximately 13 miles away on Green Creek, above Bridgeport, California. The plant developed a maximum of 130 horsepower and 6,600 volts alternating current to power the company's 20-stamp mill. This pioneering installation is marked as one of the first transmissions of electricity over long-distance.
<b>Interesting points about town</b>
Bodie had its own Chinatown, which had several hundred Chinese residents at one point, and even included a Taoist temple. Chinese workers earned their incomes mainly from selling vegetables, operating laundries, and cutting, hauling, and selling firewood.
Bodie has a cemetery on the outskirts of town and a nearby mortuary which is the only building in the town built of red brick three courses thick, most likely for insulation from the intense summer heat which would make undertaking a malodorous job.
As with most remote mining towns, Bodie had a popular, though clandestinely important red light district on the north end of town. From this is told the unsubstantiated story of Rosa May, a prostitute who, in the style of Florence Nightingale, came to the aid of the town menfolk when a serious epidemic struck the town at the height of its boom. She was attributed to giving life-saving care to many, but was denied burial within the gates of the town cemetery, remaining a social outcast even to her death.
In town's center stands the Miners Union Hall, a general meeting place for residents. It now serves as a quasi town museum. As a State Park, the ranger station is located in one of the original homes on Green Street.
<b>Weather</b>
Summers in Bodie were hot, but in winter, temperatures often plummeted well below 0°F, and winds could sweep across the valley at close to 100 miles per hour. These days nights stay plenty cold even throughout the summer months, and to this day the ghost town most often holds the nightly records for coldest temperature in the nation. The harsh weather is due to a particularly bad combination of a very high altitude, (8,400 ft.), and a very exposed plateau, with little in the way of a natural surrounding wall to protect the long, flat piece land from the elements. Plenty of firewood was needed to keep residents warm through the long winters, possibly related to the fact that there are very few trees today in the area. Many inadequately prepared residents perished during the winter of 1878–1879, which was particularly harsh.
<b>Authentic ghost town</b>
Though greatly reduced in prominence, Bodie held a permanent residency through most of the 20th century. Bodie is now the Wild West's most authentic, intact ghost town, even after a fire ravaged much of the downtown business district in 1932. The town was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and in 1962 it became <b>Bodie State Historic Park</b>
Today, Bodie is preserved in a state of arrested decay. Only a small part of the town survives. Visitors can walk the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of over 10,000 people. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Bodie is open all year, but the most comfortable time to visit is during the summer months.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Badwater Basin](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/100/267310946_a0a7f58bf0_s.jpg "Badwater is a basin in California's Death Valley, noted as the lowest point in North America, with an elevation of 282 feet (86 m) below sea level.
The site itself consists of a small spring-fed pool of water next to the road; however, the accumulated salts of the surrounding basin make it undrinkable, thus the name "Badwater". The pool does have animal and plant life, including pickleweed, aquatic insects, and the Badwater Snail.
The pool is not actually the lowest point of the basin, which is several miles to the west and varies in position. However, the salt flats are hazardous to traverse (in many cases being only a thin white crust over mud), and so the sign is at the pool.
Badwater is the starting point of the Badwater Ultramarathon, which ends high on Mount Whitney, 85 miles to the west.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Hoover Dam](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/109/266414403_fae783dcd7_s.jpg "Hoover Dam (36°0′56″N, 114°44′16″W), also known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete gravity-arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. The dam, located 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Las Vegas, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as Secretary of Commerce and then later as President of the United States. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1936, over two years ahead of schedule. The dam is operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.
Before the construction of the dam, the Colorado River Basin periodically overflowed its banks when snow from the Rocky Mountains melted and drained into the river. These floods endangered downstream farming communities. In addition to essential flood control, a dam would make possible the expansion of irrigated farming in the parched region. It would also provide a dependable supply of water for Los Angeles and other Southern California communities.
One of the major obstacles for the project was determining the equitable allocation of the waters of the Colorado River. Several of the Colorado River Basin states feared that California, with its vast financial resources and great thirst for water, would be the first state to begin beneficial use of the waters of the Colorado River and therefore claim rights to the majority of the water. It was clear that without some sort of an agreement on the distribution of water, the project could not proceed.
Groundworks
To isolate the construction site, and protect it from flooding, two cofferdams were constructed. Construction of the upper cofferdam began in September 1932, even though the river had not yet been diverted. A temporary horseshoe-shaped dike protected the cofferdam on the Nevada side of the river. After the Arizona tunnels were completed, and the river diverted, the work was completed much faster. Once the coffer dams were in place and the construction site dewatered, excavation for the dam foundation began. In order for the dam to rest on solid rock, it was necessary to remove all loose material until solid rock was reached. Work on the foundation excavations was completed in June 1933. During excavations for the foundation, approximately 1,500,000 yd³ (1,150,000 m³) of material was removed, including material that was the result of canyon wall stripping operations.
River diversion
To divert the river's flow around the construction site, four diversion tunnels were driven through the canyon walls, two on the Nevada side and two on the Arizona side. These tunnels were 56 feet (17.07 m) in diameter. Their combined length was nearly 16,000 feet (4877 m, more than three miles). Tunneling began at the lower portals of the Nevada tunnels in May 1931. Shortly after, work began on two similar tunnels in the Arizona canyon wall. In March 1932, work began on lining the tunnels with concrete. First the base or invert was poured. Gantry cranes, running on rails through the entire tunnels were used to place the concrete. The sidewalls were poured next. Moveable sections of steel form were used for the sidewalls. Finally, using pneumatic guns, the overheads were filled in. The concrete lining is 3 feet (914.4 mm) thick, reducing the finished tunnel diameter to 50 ft (15.24 m).
Rock clearance
Before construction could begin on the dam itself, loose rock had to be removed from the canyon walls. Special men were required for the job, men called "high-scalers." Their job was to climb down the canyon walls on ropes, where they worked with jackhammers and dynamite to strip away the loose rock.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Flash Flood Area](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/115/266414419_7e1a34edec_s.jpg "A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas, rivers and streams, that is caused by the intense rainfall associated with a thunderstorm, or multiple training thunderstorms. Flash floods can also occur when ice jams block the normal course of a river, or when a man-made structure, such as a dam, collapses, i.e.; the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Flash flooding occurs when the ground becomes saturated with water that fell so quickly that it could not be absorbed. The runoff collects in low-lying areas and rapidly flows downhill with sudden rising water. Flash floods most often occur in normally dry areas that have recently received precipitation, but may also be seen anywhere downstream from the source of the precipitation (even dozens of miles from the source).
The U.S. National Weather Service gives the advice "Turn Around, Don't Drown" in reference to flash floods; that is, it recommends that people get out of the area of a flash flood, rather than trying to cross it. Most people tend to underestimate the dangers of flash floods.
Flash floods are extremely dangerous because of their sudden nature. Being in a vehicle provides little to no protection against being swept away; it may make people overconfident and less likely to avoid the flash flood. More than half of the fatalities attributed to flash floods, are people swept away in vehicles when trying to cross flooded intersections . As little as 6 inches of water can be enough to carry away most SUV-sized vehicles. In the United States, the National Weather Service (part of NOAA) reported in 2005 that in a national 30-year average more people die yearly in floods (127 on average) than by lightning (73), tornadoes (65), or hurricanes (16).
The desert southwestern U.S. is especially dangerous for both hikers and vehicles from the sudden onslaught of water from isolated thunderstorms over nearby mountains or mesas. These rains fill poorly-absorbent and often claylike dry riverbeds. A moving flood will usually be headed by a debris pile that may have wood branches and/or logs. Deep slot canyons can be especially dangerous to hikers as they may be flooded by a storm that occurs on a mesa miles away, sweeping through the canyon, making it dificult to climb up and out of the way to avoid the flood. Valley roads frequently cross dry river and creek beds without bridges. From the driver's perspective, there may be clear weather, when unexpectantly a river forms ahead of or around the vehicle in a matter of seconds.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Wahweap Hoodoo](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/241459746_7bcbc2e16a_s.jpg "Hoodoos are tall thin spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and badlands. They are composed of soft sedimentary rock, and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily-eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. In common usage, the difference between hoodoos and pinnacles or spires is that hoodoos have a variable thickness often described as having a "totem pole-shaped body." A spire, on the other hand, has a more smooth profile or uniform thickness that tapers from the ground upward. Hoodoos are most commonly found in the High Plateaus region of the Colorado Plateau and in the Badlands regions of the Northern Great Plains (both in North America). While hoodoos are scattered throughout these areas, nowhere in the world are they as abundant as in the northern section of Bryce Canyon National Park. Walt Disney Imagineers notably based the design of the popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction around a series of hoodoos, albeit ones constructed out of steel and concrete. Geology purists note that only a tall formation should be called a hoodoo; any other shape is called a 'hoodoo rock'.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Butte](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/238369471_e6f336e6b3_s.jpg "<b>Butte</b>
A butte (IPA: [bju:t]) is an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top, smaller than mesas and plateaus. Buttes are prevalent in the western United States and on the Hawaiian Islands, especially around Honolulu. The word "butte" comes from a French word meaning "small hill."
Buttes are formed by erosion when a cap of hard rock, usually of volcanic origin, covers a layer of softer rock that is easily worn away. This hard rock avoids erosion while the rock around it wears down. One example of a noted butte is Chimney Rock.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia")
![Highway #12](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/97/238335191_9bcb098d0f_s.jpg "Desert of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah
State Route 12 or Scenic Byway 12, also known as "Highway 12 - A Journey Through Time Scenic Byway", is an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah, USA.
Proceeding west to east for 122 miles (nearly 200 km), the highway starts south of Panguitch, crosses part of Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon National Park, continues through the small towns of Tropic, Cannonville, and Henrieville. It crosses various parts of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GS-ENM), continues northeast through Escalante and over the Escalante River, then north through more of GS-ENM, Boulder, the Aquarius Plateau, Grover, ending in Torrey, five miles west of Capitol Reef National Park. The 30 mile long portion of the highway that ascends and descends Boulder Mountain on the Aquarius Plateau is known as Boulder Mountain Highway.")
![Yucca](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/230040408_727f8e91ef_s.jpg "The <b>yuccas</b> comprise the genus Yucca of 40-50 species of perennials, shrubs, and trees in the agave family Agavaceae, notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal clusters of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North America, Central America, and the West Indies.
Yuccas have a very specialized pollination system, being pollinated by the yucca moth; the insect purposefully transfers the pollen from the stamens of one plant to the stigma of another, and at the same time lays an egg in the flower; the moth larva then eats some of the developing seeds, but far from all.
Yuccas are widely grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Many yuccas also bear edible parts, including fruits, seeds, flowers, flowering stems, and more rarely roots, but use of these is sufficiently limited that references to yucca as food more often than not stem from confusion with the similarly spelled but botanically unrelated yuca.
The "yucca flower" is the state flower of New Mexico. No species name is given in the citation.
From <b>Wikipedia</b>, the free encyclopedia")
Die Mojave-Wüste (Mojave Desert), auch bekannt als Mohave-Wüste, ist eine Wüste im Westen Nordamerikas. Sie umfasst 35.000 km² auf dem Gebiet der US-Bundesstaaten Kalifornien, Utah, Nevada und Arizona. Die Wüste bildet ein typisches amerikanisches Wüstenbecken, das von den Tehachapi-Bergen und den Höhenzügen von San Bernardino begrenzt wird. Ihre westlichen Ränder sind sehr deutlich erkennbar, da sie aus den beiden größten kontinentalen Störungszonen Kaliforniens, der San-Andreas-Spalte und der Garlock-Störungszone bestehen.
Die Mojave hat eine Niederschlagsmenge von maximal 150 Millimetern pro Jahr. In dieser Wüste befindet sich einer der heißesten Orte, das Death Valley. Hier werden in den Monaten Juli bis August durchschnittlich Temperaturen von über 45 °C erreicht. Außerdem befindet sich hier der Mojave National Preserve, ein Wüstenschutzgebiet. Die wichtigste Wasserquelle der Wüste ist der Mojave River, der in den abflusslosen Mojave Sink übergeht.
Text: Aus Wikipedia, der freien Enzyklopädie
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