Cochise County

In the southeast corner of the state, the local Apache found refuge in the mountain range called the Chiricahuas. Among the valleys and mountain tops here lies a spectacular sight: what the Apaches called the "Land of Standing-Up Rocks," a forest of columns of rock. The power of wind and rain have sculpted some of these columns into shapes like Nature's works of art. Other rocks have been eroded away such that they seem to be perilously balanced atop a pillar.

Just as it was for the Apaches, I find the Chiricahuas a personal place of refuge. I go up to the mountains to contemplate the beauty of God's creation and my place in it. Here are a few of the pictures that I've taken from my several trips to Chiricahua National Monument.

©2004 Michael A. Brunke
<brunke@atmo.arizona.edu>