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2008 COVER

2007 MONTHLY IMAGES

2006 MONTHLY IMAGES

2006 Backcover

2005 MONTHLY IMAGES

2004 MONTHLY IMAGES

2004 Backcover

2003 MONTHLY IMAGES

2003 Backcover

2002 MONTHLY IMAGES

2002 Backcover  

About the Calendar

First and Foremost, this is a scenic calendar of the region in and around The Colorado Plateau.  That means most of the images will be taken in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.  In other words “the four corners area”.  Monument Valley typifies the landscape in the four corners.  However, I do not want to limit the images in the calendar to strictly the red rock regions.  The Colorado Plateau, even in its quasi-official boundaries, encompasses much more than red rock country.  Not only do I consider all of the four primary states as part of this area I also consider eastern Nevada, southern Idaho and most of Wyoming fair game in any consideration of this region. 

View a map with the boundary of the Plateau delineated “Map of Colorado Plateau Region”

Second, the calendar is a travel guide.  Anybody who wishes to explore this region will benefit from a series of three captions below each monthly image that provide a wide range of site-specific information.  With this information the traveler can visit the exact location of the photographs. 

The first caption briefly describes the primary object in the image for example “Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River,” “Bow Tie Arch”, or “The Grand Canyon”.

Many of the roads in these areas are unpaved and a few are unsuitable for standard automobile traffic.  My personal opinion is that the best adventures will be found on unpaved roads.  Many of the images in the calendar are taken from unpaved backroads and I assure you that if you seek any of the locations in this calendar you will have a good little adventure.

The third caption provides the latitude, longitude, and elevation above sea level from the position of the camera.  If you have a GPS unit you can load the coordinates from the caption and follow the pointer to the exact location the image was taken.  If you own one of the retail computer mapping programs you can also load the coordinates and see exactly where the image was taken on a map.  If you have a USGS quad of the area you can interpolate from the hard copy and determine the location.   I use a Garmin etrex Vista to generate the coordinates and I cross check with Delorme’s Topo USA.   If you are into geocaching you could consider this similar to tracking a cache.  However, instead of a cache you are rewarded with a great view.   The third caption also provides a brief description of the road conditions and vehicle that in my opinion is required to access the site.  If a hike is required the one-way distance is described and the difficulty rated.  Obviously, these opinions and ratings are my own and will not apply to every vehicle or human being on the planet. 

Third, the calendar provides the establishment dates of all National Parks and Monuments west of the 100^th meridian in the monthly date blocks.  The 100^th meridian is considered the official demarcation between the eastern and western United States.  The 100^th meridian runs north to south thru approximately the western 1/3^rd of Kansas.  The establishment dates are included because the National Park System and to a lesser extent the BLM are charged with preserving and making available to the public some of the most impressive landscapes in the world.  These landscapes are maintained in the form of parks and monuments and we certainly appreciate our governments protection and stewardship.    If you think the rest of the world does not appreciate these places you would be mistaken.  Any visit to the National Parks on the Colorado Plateau will demonstrate that travelers from every country in the world routinely visit these very rare landscapes.   Please support the The National Parks, Monuments, Forests, and all public lands. 

The following are abbreviations used in the calendar in regard to parks and monuments:

Fourth, the calendar covers thirteen (13) months providing a January of the following year because We think it makes a very user-friendly calendar.  Before producing calendars we accidentally bought a thirteen-month calendar and did not think much about it at the time.  The extra month was appreciated after the change of year.  The last thing you want to think about on New Years Day is changing calendars.   To clarify this issue further, the physical process of printing calendars forces the calendar designer to include two extra pages.  Most designers simply generate a sixteen-month calendar that consumes both of the extra pages.  Some produce a sixteen-month calendar and compile some type of text to consume both extra pages.  We have opted to use the extra pages to provide an additional image and month that extends to the next year.