October 27, 2011

0020 UNITED STATES (Utah) - Valley of the Gods


If the first postcard coming from Utah show something built by man, the second reveals the work of some more skilled hands. Valley of the Gods is the sandstone scenic valley in San Juan County, Southeastern Utah, north of Monument Valley across the San Juan River (Colorado River), and has similar tall, red, isolated pinnacles and cliffs. As with his most famous sister, the proeminent peaks in the Valley of the Gods have received strange names, all precisely marked on the topographic map, including Rudolph and Santa Claus, Setting Hen Butte, Rooster Butte, De Gaulle and His Troops or Lady in the Bathtub. But unlike Monument Valley, entirely located in the Navajo Reservation, within the Valley of the Gods you will not find any indian, just well camouflaged rattlesnakes and a lot of dust. The stunning colors of the sunset (or maybe of the sunrise?) highlight the red silhouettes of towering stone pinnacles that seems ruins of some gigantic cathedrals.

About the stamps
Again Michael chose carefully the stamps. The first on the left is the 44-cent first-class Scouting stamp (issued on July 27, 2011), dedicated at the National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, where more than 30,000 scouts from around the nation set up camp for 10 days of premier scouting fun during the organization's centennial anniversary. The design, created by illustrator Craig Frazier, "depicts the spirit and outdoor adventure of scouting through a backpacking scout and a large silhouette of a scout surveying the landscape".

About the second, The American Clock, I wrote here, as about of series which includes the third (Flags of Our Nation) - this time it is another flag, that of Northern Marianas.

References
Valley of the Gods - Wikipedia

Sender: Michael Cleverly (direct swap) 
Send from Kaysville (Utah / United States) on 15.10.2011

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