The most compelling aspect of native architectural ruins in the American southwest is scale. "These are four-story structures?" I asked the tour guide during a visit to the cliff dwellings at Canyon de Chelley in Arizona a few years ago. "Yep," he replied. "Count the window sets vertically."...

The most compelling aspect of native architectural ruins in the American southwest is scale. "These are four-story structures?" I asked the tour guide during a visit to the cliff dwellings at Canyon de Chelley in Arizona a few years ago. "Yep," he replied. "Count the window sets vertically."

I must have misunderstood him. The sandstone structure we were standing below was barely twenty feet tall. "How tall were the adults who lived here?" I asked.

"Around four feet, six inches; four feet, eight inches. Rarely five feet."

And suddenly, the tiny T-shaped doors, small windows, miniature footholds and low ceilings seemed possible for someone my size to understand. What were otherwise dysfunctional architectural decisions, in reality, just weren't meant to suit someone like me. Then again, neither were the low ceilings at Taliesin West.

For the Chapel in the Rocks in Sedona, Arizona, scale comes naturally. Architectural Record awarded the building an AIA award in 1957 and wrote:

"The Chapel does not seem bothered by the problem of scale. It does not feel called upon to feign modesty or bow to the hills in feeble imitation. Nor does it try self-assertiveness in the manner of a bantam rooster. Rather it seems to appreciate its magnificent setting and react to it like a well-mannered guest."

Despite spending two weeks of consecutively record-breaking high temperatures in Arizona, I enjoyed the solitude afforded by the desert during the first leg of my road trip. Heading away from the salt flats in Phoenix, the next 500 miles ascended through the entire range of southwestern woodland ecosystems. The byways rose, crested and fell before finally averaging out above the spruce and fir trees in Colorado, the highest state in the union. Even the smoker in me loves the air up here.

Thank you to the corporate sponsors of Archinect Travels, certainly. It's also incredibly humbling to see that individuals have donated to help keep this project going. It means the world to me, and donations go directly toward making this series possible, so thank you.

Watch your head!
Marlin