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Red Canyon – a very strange and beautiful place

    Red Canyon, 2011

    The ground moved some sixty million years ago an so the Wind River mountain range and Red Canyon was formed.

    If you want to see it, drive 24 miles south of Lander, Wyoming. The area is bordering Wind river indian reservation where Shoshones and Arapahoes live today.

    Some places in the world are nice , some even beautiful.  But some places has magic and they make you feel wonder and awe. A feeling of  joy to be part of it all.  Red Canyon is just such a place for me.

    It is a desolate place with dirt roads, ghost towns and memories of once booming goldmines.

    There is evidence of over 10 000 years of human presence here. Nearby you can see prehistoric pictographs and petroglyphs almost 6 000 years old. Messages from ancient times and ancient peoples. The meaning of these strange artworks is lost to us now. It was a wonderful sight for us , when we visited. And perhaps also for the rattlesnakes who had made this site their home.

    From Red Canyon the Red Canyon creek feeds into the Popo Agie river. This river is a mystery. The waters rush down to suddenly disappear right in front of your eyes into a dark cave at the bottom of a cliff. So- the river disappears only to reappear again some hundred meters down in to a big dark pool. The river is, apparently, inside the mountain, rushing through invisible channels for miles and miles. If you would put a big red ball in the river as it enters the cave, you would have to wait for two hours before it can be seen again as the waters reach the cave exit.

    Strange place…

    A peaceful river

      A peaceful river, 2008

      A whole bunch of capybaras finds themselves on a floating island in the big, quiet river. In the forest, strange beings are doing strange things. But it´s all right, don´t worry! Two responsible wolfs makes sure nothing bad happens. And the aspen trees with their black eyes see everything.

      In the dawn of mankind

        In the dawn of mankind, 2011

        This is the short story of mankind. Just to remind us.

        00-04.00 o´clock: Nothing

        04.00-20.30: Life forms with only one cell

        20.30: Sea plants

        20.50: Jellyfish and diacrara fauna

        21.04: Trilobites

        22.00: Plants on land and first land animals

        22.24: Forests and the first flying insects

        23.00: Dinosaurs

        23.40: Dinosaurs dies out, era of mammals begins

        23.59: Humans enter the world.

        Oden

          Oden, 2001

          Oden was the wisest of all asa gods, and sad just because of that. He knew the end of time was close. He also knew that even the gods must die when Ragnarök, the twilight of gods, would come. Oden had power and wisdom but he also had unpleasant traits and was strongly associated with death. Among grave findings in the Oseberg ship in Norway (ad 850) there were woven pictures showing sacrificial offerings to honor Oden. He was sometimes called “the god of the hanged”. He even offered himself, to himself. In Havamal you can read that he hanged in the sacrificial-tree for nine nights.

          It was through his own suffering that he, like a shaman, could get hold of his great knowledge and magical skills. His power was great. He could kill fire, calm the waves of the sea, turn swords around in the air, and seduce any woman and many other remarkable things. He could, like so many other mythological beings, change his appearance and transform himself to anything. But also he, the greatest of them all, must perish one day.

          Loke, the trickster

            Loke, the trickster, 2002

            Loke was a complex figure in Nordic mythology. He was born the son of a giant but used to hang around the gods in Asgård. He was beautiful to look at but he could never be trusted. Often he put the asagods in embarrassing situations although he could sometimes be helpful to them with his cunning schemes.

            Loke was married to Sigyn although it seems he had it going with lots of other women. With the giantess Angerboda (the one who causes fear) he got three horrible children, one worse than the other. They were Hel, The Midgårdssnake and the wolf Fenrir. From these three awful beings the asagods could only expect misery. To keep track on them they were taken from the giant world Jotunheim where they lived. The snake was thrown in the deep that surrounded the whole world. The girl, Hel, was sent down to the underworld with the dead. The wolf was kept in shackles in Asgård, where the gods themselves could keep an eye on him.

            Loke, the father of destructive forces, is complex in nature as most trickster figures are. He was the great joker amongst the gods, always with mischief in his mind. He is witty and obscene. He is not afraid of authorities and boldly insults the all the time, especially about their morally shortcomings.

            Lokes worst crime was his involvement in the gruesome murder of the noble, good god Balder, the son of Oden. Loke was severely punished for the deed. After the murder he fled from the gods and built himself a house near the river. In daytime he transformed himself to a salmon to elude his pursuers. But they tracked him down anyhow and captured him. Loke was put in a cave where he was tied firmly with the intestines of one of his own sons. A venomous snake was hanging down over him with its poison dripping in Lokes face. Lokes wife Sigyn held a bowl over his face to stop the poison from hurting her husband, but every now and then the bowl was full and had to be emptied. Then the poison hit Lokes face and the whole world quivered when Loke cried with pain.

            And there he had to remain until Ragnarök, the doom of gods.

            A dream

              A dream, 2002

              When you dream some parts of your brain are very busy. The blood pressure rises and so does the pulse. But the big muscles in the body are fast asleep. Luckily, considering how crazy some of your dreams can be. During dream sleep the frontal lobes of your brain, the ones that control order, planning, time concept, impulse inhibition and many other good mechanisms, are shut off. They sure need a rest!

              On the other hand the parts of the brain that consists of feelings, memories, sight and hearing are working at its maximum level. No wonder your dreams are so wild and unreal. It is this absurd mix of uncensored impressions because the controlling front lobe area is having a break. So many strange scenes can roam freely and crazy. You miss your flight; you lose your teeth and make a fool of yourself. But you can also fly like a bird and visit beautiful places.

              The story of Sigurd Fafnersbane

                The story of Sigurd Fafnersbane, 2003

                The dwarf Regins brother used to fish in the stream in the guise of an utter. One day Oden, Loke and Höner were out strolling around. They saw Utter who was feasting on a salmon. Loke killed Utter right away and thought it was extra fun to succeed in killing two creatures with one stone. At night the three of them arrived at someone´s house. It was suppertime and Loke gave his catch to the host. The host was, as it turned out, the dwarf Regin and his father Reidmar. Reidmar was not so pleased when he recognized his own son Utter on the dinner table. The dinner was quickly called off and Oden, Höner and Loke became prisoners and had to promise Reidmar to fill the empty otter skin with gold to get released. Loke was sent away to arrange this. He went to Ran, the sea god Aegir´s wife. Ran lures drowning men with a fishnet and keeps them with her at the bottom of the sea. Ran lent her fishnet to Loke who went to a certain stream where he knew a big treasure was kept. The golden treasure was watched carefully by a dwarf in the transformed shape of a big pike. Loke caught the dwarf and took the gold away from him. The dwarf warned him; the gold would only bring unhappiness to whoever stole it.

                Loke gave Reidmar the treasure and they were thus free again, all three of them. The dwarf Regin had a brother, Fafne, who could also master the art of transformation. He took the shape of a snake (or dragon). He wanted to be the sole owner of the gold, so he took it and kept watch over it. Before that he made time to kill the present owner of the treasure, his father Reidmar. Regin told the story to Sigurd, his foster son. He then forged a sword to Sigurd because he wanted him to kill his evil brother Fafne. Sigurd did as he was told and together they roasted the heart of Fafne. Sigurd got some blood from the meat and suddenly he was able to understand the language of birds. A titmouse talked to him and warned him of the falsehood of Regin. He strongly recommended Sigurd to cut the head off his foster father and thus be the owner of the gold himself. Sigurd did again as he was told. He owned the treasure now but as it was prophesized it would only bring unhappiness. And sure enough, only bad things happened to him in later years.

                Summer in Colorado

                  Summer in Colorado, 2005

                  The dragonflies crowd together in the dense aspen forest. They sure have lots of things to do before their short lives are over.

                  Moon eclipse

                    Moon eclipse, 2009

                    In the dark night we saw the moon change its colors. An astronomical phenomena or simply effects of a late summer party in 2007.

                    My aquarium

                      Hajakvariet, 2010
                      My aquarium, 2010

                      If a shark misbehaves you can always hypnotize it a little. Then it will be compliant as a little lamb.