Petroglyphs: The Writing on the Wall

Petroglyphs are images scratched into rocks using other rocks or instruments. In the desert, rocks often gather a dark patina that can be chipped away to reveal a lighter surface underneath. These are ideal surfaces for creating petroglyphs.

These drawings are found in many locations around the world. and those created by ancient peoples tend to hold a certain mystique.

NOTE: – Paintings on rocks are referred to as pictographs or petrographs.

Some Petroglyphs are relatively recent, perhaps as young as the early twentieth century while others are tens of thousands of years old.

During our many hikes across the United States, we have seen a number of established petroglyph sites.

One of the most interesting encounters was Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument in Utah which can be found along the main road leading into the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park.



The photo above was of the left-hand side of the main display. A number of the images are self-explanatory while others remain mysterious. These are estimated to be 2,000 years old according to the park’s website.



This lighter section was a less “populated” area even farther left of the area shown above. It is amazing how well the petroglyphs have stood the rigors of weather over time. Notice that some drawings such as the feet and the quartered circle are repeated in a number of areas shown in the photographs.



The last section, located on the right-hand side of the monument, is carved on very dark rock. A variety of animals and hunters can clearly be seen.

What I find almost equally astounding is that these images do not seem to have been defaced. There is only a short fence blocking off this ancient canvas which could easily be breeched. Kudos to the thousands of visitors who have admired this precious view into the past and have kept it safe for others to witness.

Read more abut Newspaper Rock HERE


Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

We were fortunate enough to have time to visit petroglyphs at the Valley of Fire State Park. Although these were not at ground level, a scaffolding was erected to enable easy viewing of the ancient artistry.



Picture courtesy of Park Ranger John website

Valley of Fire State Park

A number of the images were similar to those at other sites.


 


 

Unfortunately there was some alteration, or more accurately, violation of these ancient treasures, shown in the picture below via the circle.


 

The names Herman and Janine were carved into the face of the large rock.


Painted Desert – Another Rock, Another Newspaper

The Painted Desert also has a Newspaper Rock although it is not as easy to “read” as the Canyonland’s Edition.

The artifacts can be viewed from a fenced-off, elevated area just a short walk from the large parking lot. Don’t expect to get a good picture of the actual drawings unless you have a camera with a fairly large telephoto lens.

This is what you will see from the viewpoint above the rock formation. I have placed yellow arrows where the petroglyphs are located. On a sunny day, there is shade covering much of the surface (obviously depending on the the time of the day) making them difficult to see with the naked eye.


 

There are free viewing machines (mechanical binoculars) that assist visitors in visualizing some of the drawings. These are not always optimal as dust and dirt on the lenses and loss of definition related to location in such a harsh environment degrades the lenses.

NOTES:

I am not suggesting that people be allowed to approach these ancient treasures and, as demonstrated above, perhaps it is a good thing for their own protection.

The pictures below were not captured with a standard 35mm camera and thus the ranges given are approximately estimated for a full-frame digital camera.

With a telephoto lens ( 80mm +/-), we can get closer…





At approximately 300 mm (+/-) the drawings become quite clear:


 



Moving in a bit closer, we can see even more detail.


 

At the maximum length of the crop sensor lens on my canon HS50xs Powershot, we get a closer look, but some detail is blurred.



Once again, we see similarity to petroglyphs from other sites.

 

Tours by the Old Pueblo Archaeology Center are available for some of the petroglyph sites at the Petrified Forest.

Read more about Petroglyphs and Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico

If you enjoyed this post, you can read more miscellaneous stories on JBRish HERE


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Taliesin West Evening Tour Photo Essay – Part 4

In yesterday’s post about our evening tour of Taliesin West, I showed photographs of the drafting studio where students do their work based on the design principals taught at the school.

In those photographs, the reflecting pool was not visible. This water feature adds a very nice element to the landscaping that is both visually and auditorily pleasing. The pictures below show the pool located in front of the steps and lawn.


Reflecting pool in front of the studio
The lights reflect artistically in the pool at night and add visual interest


More detail can be seen when lit with a flash
Using a flash to light the scene reveals more reflecting pool details

NOTE – We were allowed to enter the drafting studio briefly, but we were not allowed to take any photographs or make any noise. Interacting with students was understandably not permitted.

It will become obvious to the most casual observer that Frank Lloyd Wright was a collector. He had a variety of interests such as petroglyphs (see post #2) and other types of art. Guests walking around the grounds will notice different statues and artwork prominently displayed.


Moon over statue of archer
This metal sculpture of an archer was partnered with a full moon this evening

 

Read more about Taiesin West HERE.

Previous posts and photographs in the Taliesin West series in chronological order:


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All content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross



Taliesin West Evening Tour Photo Essay – Part 2

Before leaving the studio/office area for the introduction to the tour, the docent pointed to a concept drawing dubbed “The Oasis” which Wright submitted for the construction of the Arizona Capitol building. Apparently too innovative for its time, the design was not accepted. – Read more about it HERE.


AZ State Capitol Rendering
Wright’s concept drawing for Arizona State Capitol Building

Taliesin West backs up to the McDowell Mountains, a beautiful range in Scottsdale, AZ. While the development of Taliesin ensued, petroglyphs were located in the area and collected by Wright who found them of great interest. You can read about a petroglyph project on the property HERE.

“Frank Lloyd Wright was fascinated by the petroglyphs he saw in southern Arizona. It is not a coincidence that he located his winter home adjacent to a cluster of petroglyphs at the foot of the McDowell Mountains outside of Scottsdale.”


Petroglyph located at Taliesin
Wright was intrigued by Petroglyphs and collected some

This (below) is an interesting anomaly we come across in the desert on occasion. A seed of one plant or another finds the smallest of crevices and decides to make it home. Most of these volunteer plants live a shortened life because of the generally less-than-ideal location. This cactus has made its home in a hole in the wall; so to speak.

NOTE – There is a chance that this particular cactus was deliberately planted in the wall, but there is no way to know for sure.


Cactus living in a rock wall
Some plants volunteer to grow in the strangest places.

 

Read more about Taiesin West HERE.

Previous posts and photographs in the Taliesin West series in chronological order:


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All content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross



Valles Canyon – Sierra de las Uvas, NM

After several days of hiking the trails of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (OMDP) National Monument, we headed for Valles Canyon located about 25 miles to the northwest. The hiking guide described it as slightly challenging, and would likely provide different terrain and vistas than the OMDP.

As cited on the websites below, there are dips in the road and warnings about flooding, but on this sunny (but very windy day) the roads were basically fine. (Note: Read the location directions carefully as Valles Canyon is somewhat tricky to find)

It was a bit of a trek from the parking area to the canyon itself. The road has some tire tracks and a number of rocky spots. Although there was evidence of 4×4’s use, rocks and high spots preclude the use of most vehicles
Road to the Canyon

One of the first landmarks that assured the accuracy of the trail was the correct one was a defunct windmill and nearby water basins.

Defunct Windmill

Old walls (ruins) now provide a nesting places for birds and (likely) other critters.

Rock wall ruin

Mountains surrounding the canyon provided an impressive backdrop of color and form.
Vista near canyon start

River bed canyon trail

The geology of the canyon was very interesting. Here is a wall of one of the side canyons. Notice how it is made of sand that is embedded with rocks of various shapes and sizes and several that are rather large.

Canyon geology

There were times that the path was not obvious and required the “most likely this way” option. We generally mark a waypoint on our GPS so we can readily backtrack if necessary.

Path hard to discern at times

Petroglyphs were noted and initially thought to be bogus, but further review apparently supported their credibility.

First of several petroglyphs

Some of the descriptions of the trail remarked about “boulder scrambles”!!!

Boulders to climb over

And perhaps this is a more dramatic version!

Narrow rock crevice to navigate

Nearly halfway into the floor of the canyon we noticed something partially buried in the sand of the canyon. Can you tell what it is?

Buried tin coffee cup

This handmade tin coffee mug was carefully exhumed for a photo, but then returned to the place and orientation it was originally found.

Artsy version of artifact

There were areas where the walls were high and the trail was narrow.

Steep canyon walls

Other spots had a wide river bed that permitted easy walking.

Wide riverbed trail

Valles Canyon connects with Broad Canyon. A 500 foot segue into this latter canyon was strewn with light colored boulders and rock formations.

Where Broad Canyon meets Valles Canyon

On the “long and winding road” back to the car, a section of a decayed Yucca holding water for insects and other small denizens was spotted.

Part of a dead yucca

There were more petroglyphs. Is that a whale on the top? A dinosaur?

More petroglyphs

Still more petrogylphs

A barbed wire fence tied around a tree required some tricky negotiation to continue through the dry canyon riverbed.

barbed wire to climb over
En route out of the canyon, a bull enjoyed a welcome drink oblivious to passing hikers.

Thirsty bull drinking

Leaving Valles Canyon, a sign caught our eye (and apparently many other things as well!!)
Bullet riddled sign

Heading back to Las Cruces on Route 10, a large statue of a Road Runner about 20-25 feet tall caught our attention! Being an enthusiastic bird watcher, I needed to have a picture!!

Large Road Runner Sculpture

If you go, read these:

2012-09-09 Valles Canyon

Southern New Mexico Explorer – A blog about exploring the natural areas of New Mexico focusing on but not limited to Dona Ana, Luna, Otero, Sierra, Grant, Lincoln,Socorro and Catron counties.

 

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