Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Monday, February 19, 2007
"Such Great Heights"
The assignment: Show off a picture taken from a height.
I have pictures taken from planes. I even have some taken from the top of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. One of my favorites was not taken from a conventional structure. Of course, there's a story involved.
In 1998 we vacationed in Mexico and took a group tour to see some pyramids. One of the spots was Nohoc Mul, the highest Mayan pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula. This is one of the smaller pyramids nearby:
We were allowed to climb to the top. I decided to make the climb in spite of bad knees and asthma. After all, they told us the height was the equivalent of an eight story building, and I worked in an eighth floor office at the time. If I could handle the stairs...
Famous last words. The steps are very narrow and the incline was rather steep. Apparently the priests climbed up sideways!
That's Chris. I made it to the top, but had to use my asthma inhaler before I took in the view. Does this look familiar?
Yes, it's the rebel base at the fifth moon of Yavin!
I am a geek, but this is not why I climbed the pyramid. This is, in fact, something I'd wanted to do since I was about the age Chris was at the time we went. Of course, once the guys got to the top I pointed out the significance of the location. They were unimpressed.
The view was truly amazing, and at the time it was pretty much unspoiled by modern structures. I'm sorry these pictures don't do it justice. We had one of the best consumer digital cameras on the market at the time, but that isn't saying a lot these days.
Tags:
Pictures,
Monday Photo Shoot