Rustrel

We began our explorations of Provence in the town of Rustrel in the Luberon Valley. The ancient sea that once filled this region left behind these wonderful layers of colored earth, know as ochre.

Roussillon

We also visited the nearby town of Roussillon. The earth really was this color.

More Roussillon

The eroded formations reminded me of Utah.

Gordes

One of the picturesque hill towns we visited made even more picturesque with the clouds.

Andy Goldsworthy Refuge d'Art

This is one of six stone refuges by land artist Andy Goldsworthy located in the Réserve Géologique de Haute-Provence. You can hike the complete 10 day (150 km) circuit or do day hikes. Due to various constraints, we did day hikes and saw two of his Refuge d'Art. This one was near a thermal baths resort near Digne Les Bains.

Black Earth

On our hike to the refuge, we passed this very black earth - it reminded me of a volcanic landscape but it was actually black shale.

Chapelle Ste-Madeleine

The other Refuge d'Art we saw was this chapel. We climbed up 600 feet and got a lovely view of the valley below.

Chapelle Ste-Madeleine

The sculpture inside the chapel was a fun surprise.

Ammonite Fossils

One of the gems in the Réserve Géologique de Haute-Provence is this slope of ammonite fossils, located right alongside the road. The fossils were quite large - 2 feet in diameter.

Aura wave

The late afternoon sun was just right for this self portrait of my shadow in the sandy ochre earth (can you see all the footprints?).

Thank you for taking the time to check out my photo essay!