Shiprock in the distant haze, seen from Far View, Mesa Verde, May 2014, by John Fleck

I was a little kid when I first saw Shiprock, the great volcanic neck on the northeastern edge of Navajo country, and I’ve been staring at it from all conceivable angles, in fascination, ever since.

Most days you can see it through the distant haze from Mesa Verde, the plateau to the north, but only just barely, mysteriously.

Clarence Dutton, in his 1882 “Physical Geology of the Grand Cañon District“, wonderfully described the quality of the light:

Those who are familiar with western scenery have no doubt been impressed with the peculiar character of its haze or atmosphere in the artistic sense of the word and have noted its more prominent qualities. When the air is free from common smoke it has a pale blue color which is quite unlike the neutral gray of the east.