This page is for anyone interested in scenery from the American Southwest. The page shows photos taken while visiting various places; click on any small image for a larger one.
The Route All of the photos on this page are from the route highlighted in yellow on these two maps. For convenience, they're arranged in geographical order, along the route of a trip from Oklahoma, west to New Mexico, north into Colorado, then west to Utah, followed by South to Arizona and then back east into New Mexico.
Oil Inn, Woodward OK Starting in Woodward Oklahoma is this image of the Oil Inn at night. The motel sits alongside highway 412 which runs west into the Oklahoma panhandle; the distinctive drilling rig that supports the sign is the last real sign of "civilization" for many miles!
Oklahoma Panhandle The landscape is fairly desolate across the high country of the Oklahoma panhandle; flat rangeland is visible for endless miles under a huge sky. Buildings of any kind are rare; the abandoned farmhouse shown is a distinctive landmark on the highway. 
Optima Lake, OK About one third of the way west into the Oklahoma Panhandle is Optima Lake, officially known as the Optima Wildlife Refuge. Built just a few decades ago, this large engineering project was intended to result in a huge lake several square miles in area; the lake would have been a recreational highlight of the Panhandle. However, due to an engineering miscalculation, evaporation exceeded rainfall and the lake never filled. A sign listing boating regulations stands beside a dry boat ramp, easily over a mile from the small pool of water that lingers at the base of the massive dam. Decaying recreational facilities and crumbling parking lots are scattered across the south side of the dry lake. 
Three Corners Region Continuing west to the far end of the Oklahoma Panhandle, highway 325 passes by Kenton, Oklahoma. Just north of the town is a landform called Black Mesa, on which stands Oklahoma's highest point at 4972 feet above sea level.
Black Mesa The high point of the state can be reached via a 5-mile hike via the north side of the mesa. After parking at the trailhead, the trail meanders by scenic cedars and yucca plants before climbing the face of the 700 foot mesa.
Oklahoma's Highest Point A trail cutting nearly a mile across the mesa leads to the obelisk marking the state's high point. From here, the volcanic peaks of New Mexico are clearly visible, as are the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. At the base of the obelisk is the benchmark, along with a military box containing a notebook for visitors to record any thoughts they might have. With only 300 visitors per year, relatively few people ever see this highlight of Oklahoma.
Northeastern NM Heading west out of Oklahoma and into northeastern New Mexico, highway 325 passes Wedding Cake Mound. Being newlyweds, we felt it highly appropriate to stop and get a picture.
Capulin Mountain Continuing across the upper edge of New Mexico, highway 325 eventually passes Capulin Mountain National Monument. The mountain is a near perfectly symmetrical cinder cone, remnants of the prolific volcanic activity in the area. The views from the top of Capulin (8800 feet) are stunning, with many volcanic mountains visible in the distance.
Western Colorado Further west, and slightly north, highway 50 cuts across southwest Colorado. After crossing the Continental Divide, the highway skirts past Curecanti National Recreation Area. This stunning lake is approximately 10 miles long, and is surrounded by snow-capped mountains on both sides.
Ouray Further west, in the southwest corner of Colorado, is the small alpine town of Ouray. Some beautiful 4-wheel drive roads cross through the area, providing ample driving challenge. Many routes are "shelf roads", notched into the side of sheer rock cliffs. The combination of steep hills, loose gravel, wet or icy surfaces, and frightening drop-offs makes driving in the area quite exciting.
Arches NP West of Colorado is Utah, home of many majestic National and State parks. Following highway 191 south from I-70 leads the traveler past Arches National Park. Intense colors and otherworldly rock formations abound in this park.
DHP State Park Dead Horse Point is located just southwest of Arches. The park's name name is derived from an old tale about abandoned horses who died of thirst on top of the massive mesa while in view of the Colorado River below, and views from the park are absolutely stunning. Multi-hued eroded landforms surround the serpentine river below, while snow-capped peaks provide a backdrop.
Wilson Arch Highway 191 continues South, and passes through several beautiful areas. Natural arches, formed from a combination of buckling sandstone and eroding wind and water, are sometimes visible from the highway. Wilson Arch, standing right next to 191, is one such beautiful landform.
Moki Dugway and Muley Point In southeast Utah is Natural Bridges National Monument. Running south of Natural Bridges is highway 261, a seldom-used road which runs into Arizona. Highway 261 drops over a 1000-foot vertical cliff via a series of breathtaking narrow switchbacks at a place called Moki Dugway. Just before the highway descends, a dirt road leads west to Muley Point. This stunning, terribly isolated, incredibly quiet area provides dramatic views directly over the cliff edge, with Monument Valley in Arizona visible in the distance. No signs point to the spectacular area, and it's not on any modern road maps; locals say that Muley Point was taken off state road maps due to the hazards to pets and children.
Monument Valley Traveling south of Utah into northeastern Arizona leads to Monument Valley, a very isolated yet highly recognizable area (featured in many films and television commercials).
Grand Canyon, South Rim Traveling west in Arizona, following the Colorado River, leads to the scenic Grand Canyon.
Tucumcari, NM From the Grand Canyon, following Interstate 40 east, come the cities of Flagstaff, Wilson, Gallup, Albequerque, and Tucumcari. I-40 follows the path of Route 66; many remnants of Route 66's heyday are evident along the side of the road. Tucumcari in particular is famous for its motor hotels. The Blue Swallow Motel, pictured, boasts 100 Percent Refrigerated Air and $10 per night rooms; it's a true landmark on the Tucumcari Strip.
Photography (c) 2000 Dave and Melanie Productions. Images were made on 35mm Fujichrome slide film, and scanned via HP Photosmart S-20 slide scanner to produce 1 MB high-resolution JPEG files. Images on this page are 1/4 size versions of the scanned pictures. Contact us if you would like to obtain any of these images.
Oklahoma and Colorado maps excerpted from non-copyrighted State Highway Maps
USA map from The National Atlas (public domain, USGS).
Last revised: February 25, 2000.
