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The Visual West: Adobe sunrise

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Paul Larmer | Dec 01, 2011 06:00 AM

On a cold morning  two days after Thanksgiving, I drove up into the 'dobes north of Delta, Colorado. Here is what I saw:

shooting shards

Shards of glass, clay skeet and shotgun shells imbedded in the cracked soil, the site where the locals hold thousands of shoot-outs in the apparent wasteland.

spent shells

As the first sun of the day touched the top of Grand Mesa, the light seemed to make the leavings more beautiful.

apple tin light

And suddenly the undulating landscape, pocked with shadow, began to move, like a slow herd of elephants.

smooth dobes

elephant skin

even the faint trails left by motorcycles around the Devil's Thumb blended in with the natural markings on this strange landscape.

devil's thumb

To view more images of the West, or to post your own, go to our Flickr group.

Paul Larmer is the executive director of High Country News.

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