Imagine air you can almost taste, and a warm, balmy atmosphere that invigorates your pores and expands your lungs in a way that makes you feel as if you've never breathed before. From the start, you know that something about this place is different. There's an undercurrent of history and culture, but something deeper lingers as well. It's subtle, constantly reminding you that you're not just in a new place: you're standing on ancient grounds in the middle of an equally-ancient frontier....

With a heavy heart, Leon lifted his camera and captured he-knew-not-what, but at that point in time it didn't matter. With battle-weary eyes and cheeks raw with invisible tears, his heart could only half-appreciate the timeworn, vibrant canyons that sat before him like one of Earth's most exquisite treasures. He felt like a peasant at a king's banquet: unable to partake except with his eyes. Then the sun moved. Sandstone carved by water running into Lake Powell, otherwise known as Flashflood...

Who could have foreseen the change that would come? If the land could speak in any language, it would paint a history too dire and sweeping for any canvas to contain. The sky itself could not tell such a story. Both it and the land have witnessed the passing of ages together. Silent, hand in hand, like two ancient brothers destined to watch the beautiful and sometimes cruel cycle of time. Once upon a time, these lands were different. A beautiful hilltop view from Pear Valley Vineyard in Paso...