IS PROVIDED BY... CANON.

DEDICATED TO INSPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS TO PRESERVE AND TO PROTECT THE BEAUTY, DIVERSITY, AND GRANDEUR OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

FROM CAPTURE TO DISPLAY, CANON CAMERAS, HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO, PRINTERS, AND PROJECTORS YOU CHASE AFTER MOMENTS.

THE MOMENT THE LIGHT IS JUST RIGHT.

THE MOMENT YOU SEE IT IN THEIR EYES.

A MOMENT OF TRIUMPH OR OF TRAGEDY.

THE MOMENT A SMILE BREAKS OR WHEN THE RAINS COME.

THE MOMENT YOU IMAGINED IS PASSING RIGHT NOW.

AT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, OUR MISSION IS TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT THE WORLD'S MOST PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCES.

BUT EQUALLY, IT IS TO CHAMPION A CAUSE LARGER THAN OURSELVES.

THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST IS LIKE NO OTHER PLACE ON EARTH.

EPIC IN ITS HISTORY, BOTH NATURAL AND HUMAN, JOIN ME ON "TRAVELS TO THE EDGE."

BUT IT WOULD BE A LIFETIME WELL SPENT.

THE SOUTHWEST COVERS A LARGE GEOGRAPHIC AREA, SPANNING SEVERAL STATES.

WE'LL BE FOCUSING ON TWO OF THEM -- ARIZONA AND UTAH.

WHILE THIS UNIQUE REGION WAS SHAPED BY THE FORCES OF NATURE, IT HAS ALSO BEEN TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF MAN.

BECAUSE OF THE DISTANCES, WE'LL BE ROAD-TRIPPING A BIT, CANYON DE CHELLY IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FORMATIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST.

THE NAVAJO NATION REVERE THIS PLACE FOR ITS HISTORY.

I'M FORTUNATE THAT MY GUIDE HERE IN CANYON DE CHELLY IS JAMES YAZZI, A NAVAJO MAN THAT GREW UP IN THIS CANYON.

OF GOLDEN COTTONWOOD THAT GROW ALONG THE RIVER.

IT'S SO OPEN, YOU CAN SEE EVERYWHERE, AND THE PACE OF THE HORSES REALLY ALLOWS YOU TO BRING IN THE BEAUTY, TO REALLY APPRECIATE THE LAND.

OKAY!

NICE!

WHEN YOU FIRST COME ACROSS A PANEL, WHAT ARE YOU FEELING?

ARE YOU FEELING THE SAME KIND OF EXCITEMENT THAT I FEEL WHEN I COME ACROSS THIS?

OH, YEAH, THESE ARE REALLY DIRECT MYTHS, AND THEY'RE A REALLY SPIRITUAL PLACE TO ME.

SO IT GIVES ME THE CHILLS SOMETIMES.

FROM THE VERY FIRST PEOPLEE THAT WOULD PUT SOME FIGURINES ON THIS WALL TO THE LAST?

HOW LONG OF A TIME ARE WE SPANNING HERE?

PROBABLY A LITTLE OVER 4,000 TO 5,000 YEARS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN OCCUPYING THE CANYON.

Wolfe: THEY HAD SUCH DISTINCT STYLES.

FROM THE ANASAZI TO THE NAVAJO TO THE PUEBLAN PEOPLES, AND EVEN US NATIVE HERE, WE KIND OF LIKE STAY AWAY.

SPIRITUALLY, THESE ARE REALLY UNIQUE.

THAT'S WHY WE DON'T TOUCH THESE.

I MEAN, IT'S REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE IN WORDS.

ETCHED INTO THE CANYON WALL.O, AND THE WALLS HERE ARE SANDSTONE, IT'S VERY SOFT, CANYON SANDSTONE.

Wolfe: SO THAT WOULD BE TYPICALLY NOT IN AN ALCOVE, POSSIBLY RIGHT OUT THERE ON A WALL.

Yazzi: USUALLY PETROGLYPHS ARE ON THE OPEN, MAIN CANYON WALLS.

Wolfe: I CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THEY CALL IT "NEWSPAPER ROCK," I MEAN, IT JUST UNFOLDS!

Yazzi: HUMAN FIGURES, ANIMAL FIGURES, BIRD FIGURE.

ASTRONOMY FIGURE, PLANT FIGURE, A LOT OF DIFFERENT DESIGNS.

Wolfe: AND THESE ARE THE PETROGLYPHS.

PETROGLYPHS, THEY'RE ALL CARVED INTO THE MAIN CANYON WALL, RIGHT ABOVE THE LITTLE LIDS HERE.

AND THIS IS LARGELY ANASAZI?

ANASAZI AND ALSO A LOT OF NAVAJO ROCK ART.

IT'S SO OBLIQUE TO THE ROCK THAT THEY STAND OUT SO BEAUTIFULLY!

THERE'S ALMOST A THREE DIMENSIONAL QUALITY TO THE WAY THE LIGHT IS FALLING ACROSS THESE PETROGLYPHS.

YOU KNOW, IT ALMOST GIVES IT VOLUME.

Wolfe: THIS IS ONE OF CANYON DE CHELLY'S CLASSIC LOCATIONS.

IT'S AN ANASAZI RUIN KNOWN AS "HOUSE BENEATH THE ROCK."

IT'S AMAZING HOW THEY'VE BUILT THESE VERY, VERY LARGE STRUCTURES, HIGH ON A WALL, MENT, THE BEAUTIFUL TEXTURE OF THE WALL, AND ALSO THE SHADOWS MAKE IT A REALLY INTRIGUING IMAGE FOR ME.

THIS IS THE PERFECT CONDITIONS TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS SUBJECT.

I'M IN THE SHADOWS OF THESE GREAT WALLS AND EVERYTHING NOW IS BATHED IN EVEN, VERY SOFT LIGHT.

IT'S NOT ABOUT DEPTH, IT'S NOT ABOUT STUNNING ROCK ART, IT'S ALL ABOUT COLOR AND IT'S RIGHT HERE.

I'M HEADING NORTHWEST TO WHERE ARIZONA BORDERS UTAH STEVE DODSON, A LOCAL GUIDE, IS TAKING ME TO HIS FAVORITE SPOT IN VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT.

REE-SIH THOUSAND-FOOT CLIFFS AROUND EACH SIDE.

IT WAS DECLARED IN 1998 AS THE VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN AROUND IT.

I'VE NEVER GONE UP ON THE PLATEAU.

WELL, YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT, THAT'S FOR SURE!

WolfeWolfe: I LOVE THE WAYTHING THE TEXTURE AND THE RED AND THE YELLOW INTRUSIONS KIND OF MIX INTO THIS REALLY ABSTRACT PATTERNS.

Dobson: WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS THE ENTRADA SANDSTONE.

Wolfe: ENTRADA SANDSTONE, HUH?

I'M REALLY LIKING THIS SHOT.

WHAT I TRY TO DO IN A LOT OF THE LANDSCAPES I WORK IS USE A WIDE ANGLE LENS -- AND WITH A WIDE ANGLE LENS IT SLIGHTLY DISTORTS THE REAAND THAT'S EXACTLY OF DEH WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IN THIS PARTICULAR SHOT.

SANDSTONE STRUCTURE.Y UE AS THE LIGHT GOES DOWN, ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE REALLY BROUGHT OUT.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

AND THESE ARE REALLY JUST NARROW COLUMNS OF ROCK THAT FORM AS A RESULT OF A MORE RESISTANT CAP ROCK THAT PROTECTS ALL THE SOFTER MATERIAL UNDERNEATH.

AND THROUGH THE MILLENNIUM OF WEATHERING AND RAIN, IT JUST ERODES EVERYTHING BELOW THIS TOUGHER ROCK ON THE TOP, AND CREATES THESE COLUMNS.

THIS IS SPECTACULAR, AND WE CAUGHT IT IT SEEMS WHEN THE LIGHT IS GREAT IT MOVES SO FAST, IT MAKES PHOTOGRAPHERS LIKE MYSELF PRETTY DARN NEUROTIC.

.

I'M GOING TO CLICK A SHOT JUST AT THAT MOMENT SO THAT IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A STARBURST AND IT'S JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

NOW, IT'S HAPPENING!

VOILA!

ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING FEATURES OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST ARE THE NARROW CHASMS IN THIS NAVAJO SANDSTONE KNOWN AS "SLOT CANYONS."

AND ONE OF THE MOST ENGAGING, THE DEEPER YOU GET INTO THIS CANYON, THE HIGHER THE WALLS BECOME.

AND BASICALLY, AS FLOODS HAVE OCCURRED OVER THE MILLENNIA, THEY KEEP CUTTING DEEPER INTO THIS REALLY SOFT NAVAJO SANDSTONE.

LOCATION TO WORKT IN THIS VERY NARROW-CUT GORGE.

BASICALLY, I'VE FOUND A FAIRLY WIDE CHAMBER THAT ALLOWS THE LIGHT TO FILTER ALL THE WAY DOWN INTO THE DEEPEST RECESSES OF THIS CHASM.

THE THING THAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT IT IS THE WAY THE LIGHT REFLECTS ON THESE WALLS.

IT GIVES EVERY LITTLE ANGLE A TEXTURE.

IT GIVES IT A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT REFLECTIVE QUALITY, OH!

I THINK I AM GETTING TO END OF MY ROPE.

OR THE END OF MY CANYON!

I THINK IT'S TIME TO EXPLORE ANOTHER CANYON.

ONE THAT'S A LITTLE WIDER.

AND AS THE WATER RECEDED, IT REVEALED A VERY SLICK TEXTURE.

WHAT I'M SEEING IN THIS JUST VERY SMALL AREA ARE SOME REALLY NICE CURVES.

THE WAY THE MUD IS REFLECTING THE SKY GIVES IT A VERY SENSUOUS TEXTURE.

LAKE POWELL IS SUCH AN ABERRATION IN THE DESERT -- THIS HUGE BODY OF INTRICATE WATERWAYS, OPEN SKIES, ROUNDED BUTTES JUST RISING OUT OF THE WATER.

THERE'S A LITTLE TREASURE TO DISCOVER.

Walker: YEAH, EACH TURN BRINGS A WHOLE NEW SET TO DISCOVER AND YOU KNOW THE NICE THING IS THERE'S 96 OF THESE CANYONS.

Wolfe: 96 CANYONS?

Walker: 96 CANYONS, SO THERE'S A LOT TO SEE, A LIFETIME TO SEE.

Wolfe: IT'S QUITE A SENSATION TO KAYAK THROUGH THESE REALLY NARROW CANYONS FLOODED BY THE WATERS OF LAKE POWELL.

AS YOU GO AROUND THE BEND, THERE'S NO QUESTION.

YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF YOUR CAR AND LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

YOU'D HAVE TO COME OUT AND SPEND SOME TIME AND WANT TO BE WHERE YOU ARE.

Wolfe: IT'S THE MAGIC HOUR AND ALL THE ORANGES AND BLUES WITH RANGER TOM HARADEN.

Wolfe: THIS IS THE SUBWAY, HUH?

Haraden:HIS IS THE SUBWAY, OFTEN TALKED ABOUT, BUT SELDOM SEEN.

Wolfe: WHAT MADE IT SO SYMMETRICAL?

Haraden: WELL, IT'S A SOFTER LAYER OF ROCK, AND IT JUST ERODES AWAY, LEAVING THIS ARCHED SHAPE.

T. AND I CAN'T THINK OF ANY TREES THAT EXEMPLIFY THIS MORE THAN THE ASPEN.

WHEN MOST PEOPLE TNK OF THE SOUTHWEST, OF COURSE THEY THINK OF THE OPEN BUTTES AND THE DESERT LANDSCAPES.

BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE IN THE SOUTHWEST.

THERE'S THESE MOUNTAINS THAT RISE OUT OF THE DESERT.

THEY BECOME TRULY ALPINE ENVIRONMENTS WITH VAST GROVES OF BEAUTIFUL ASPEN TREES.

PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE BEEN DRAWN TO ASPEN TREES OVER THE YEARS, FROM ANSEL ADAMS TO EDWARD WESTON TO MANY OF MY MODERN COLLEAGUES, AND I THINK IT'S THE TEXTURES, THE BEAUTY OF THESE TREES -- THEY'RE A GREAT, GREAT SUBJECT.

I HAVE FOUND A REALLY NICE GROVE OF TREES HERE.

THE FOG HAS ROLLED IN.

IT MAKES EVERYTHING SO MUCH MORE LIKE A PAINTING.

I'VE BEEN PHOTOGRAPHING THE SOUTHWEST FOR OVER 30 YEARS, AND I'LL PROBABLY KEEP COMING BACK UNTIL I CAN'T PRESS THE SHUTTER ANY LONGER.

THE REGION'S COMBINATION OF GRAND LANDSCAPES, BIZARRE ROCK FORMATIONS, AND INTRICATE DETAILS WILLS FOR $17.95 EACH, PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING.

AN AWARD-WINNING BOOK OF ART WOLFE'S LANDSCAPES FEATURED IN THIS SERIES AND BEYOND, "EDGE OF THE EARTH, CORNER OF THE SKY," IS AVAILABLE FOR $49.95 PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING.

TO ORDER THE BOOK OR DVDs, PLEASE CALL 1-800-440-2651.

YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EPISODE, PHOTO TIPS, AND OTHER DESTINATIONS IN THE SERIES, FUNDING FOR "ART WOLFE'S TRAVELS TO THE EDGE" IS PROVIDED BY... YOU CHASE AFTER MOMENTS.

THE MOMENT A SMILE BREAKS OR WHEN THE RAINS COME.

THE MOMENT YOU IMAGINED IS PASSING RIGHT NOW.

BUT THE MOMENT YOU SEE, WHEN IT ALL COMES TOGETHER, IS A MOMENT YOU'VE CAPTURED FOREVER.

AND BY... CANON.

DEDICATED TO INSPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS TO PRESERVE AND TO PROTECT THE BEAUTY, PRINTERS, AND PROJECTORS HELP TO FUEL THE PASSION AND THE CREATIVITY THAT BRING THIS INCREDIBLE WORLD INTO FOCUS.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING PROVIDED BY... AT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, OUR MISSION IS TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT THE WORLD'S MOST PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCES.