2012 - May 8th - Colorado National Monument Petroglyphs, Monument Canyon/White Rocks Area

I had a little time one evening and was looking for a short, easy hike.  So, I decided to see if I could find one or two of the popular petroglyph panels on the "front side" of the Colorado National Monument.

I had been neglecting to donate blood until after my Perseverance Arch hike since it usually takes some of my strength for a few days.  So, down a pint, I headed off to something relatively easy.  I started from the Gold Star Trailhead in the Redlands, an unincorporated but developed portion of Mesa County.

There were two sites I wanted to check out, one in Monument Canyon, northwest of the trailhead.  The second was White Rocks, southeast of the trailhead.  I headed for Monument Canyon first, along the boundary.  Eventually, I came to a fork in the trail which didn't necessarily jive with my map.  I elected to take a trail to the left which gained elevation and appeared to make a pass between some higher terrain, the precambrian bench on the left and a sandstone "island" on the right.  Despite not having a lot of energy, I slowly climbed about 350 feet to the top, huffing and puffing and stopping several times along the way.  All the while, I kept my eyes peeled for 'glyphs, which I found none of.

At the pass, I explored a ledge on the "island".  (I call this an island because it is like a smaller version of the larger "Island" which is a large piece of sandstone sheered by the monocline fault which exists along the edge of the Monument.  This smaller island was formed by similar circumstance.  

From the ledge on the little "island" looking across the east portal of Monument Canyon to "The Island".

Looking back to the southeast along the front side of the Monument.

I lingered there for a few minutes, amused by the birds which flew swiftly by, seemingly inches from my head as they paralleled the cliff face.  Woosh!

Eventually, I decided to head carefully off trail and descend into Monument Canyon.  There was not a trail.  I remained on loose sand and slickrock for the entirety and eventually met up with the trail in the bottom of the canyon. 

Looking back the way I came from the little "island".

There, I came across a small, worn panel right beside the trail.  I had walked past this spot several times before without noticing it. 

Monument Canyon trailside petroglyphs. 

This was not the panel I was looking for, however, so I continued searching the area until I eventually found another.  The rock art was somewhat damaged and quite faint.  The strong lighting did not help, but I attempted to take a couple of images to record the scene.

Not wanting to climb the 350 feet back up to the pass, I decided to find an alternative way back.  According to the map, there is a perimeter trail, but I could not find it.  I did find a large, open portion of fenceline which seemed misplaced anyway.  Based on my bearing, it did not match the angle of the Monument's perimeter.  Directly on the other side was a trail which eventually linked back to the fork I spoke of earlier.  It did not appear as if I was on private land, so hopefully I was not inadvertently trespassing. 

I had a bit of energy left in me as I reached the trailhead, so I took the short trip southeast to White Rocks looking for more rock art.  I found a couple of panels there and may have missed another (which I have seen pictures of). 

Deer in an overhang (I think it's legit).

Just a view to the south.

The other panel.

Close-up.

I hiked around the rocks for a while and then decided to head back to my vehicle as the light was getting low.

Here's a useful map:

Sorry, the petroglyph locations are not marked on the map.  If you really want to see them, you should have no trouble finding them yourself.  As always, remember not to touch, disturb or vandalize the rock art in any way.

Dann.

2012 - April 13th - Unaweep Tabeguache Byway, Hanging Flume

I was more than a little excited on this particular April morning.  Though I was at work, I was covering the reconstruction of the historic Hanging Flume.  I left a little early to allow time to stop for photo ops off the clock.

The Hanging Flume is located in the relatively remote Dolores River Canyon near Uravan, Colorado.  To get there, I would have to take Colorado 141 out of Whitewater, a road that is known also as the Unaweep Tabeguache Byway.  It is a scenic byway for a reason. 

The road slowly climbs from the Gunnison River up a canyon that actually gets deeper as the elevation gets higher.  It is believed that this canyon was originally cut by the primeval Gunnison or even Grand (Colorado) Rivers.  The area was then raised by the Uncompahgre Uplift and the river changed its course, leaving the canyon high and dry.  It now has a natural divide in the middle. 

The most scenic part of the Unaweep Canyon is the Thimble Rock Point area.  It is awe-inspiring to round the corner and find yourself there. 

 Thimble Rock Point (left)

I stopped here for a minute or two and took some images from the area.  An earthen dam on West Creek floods the meadow with a shallow reservoir, adding to the scenery.

Standing there, it was hard not to notice the roaring coming from behind me.  Though my images are lackluster, the falls on Fall Creek are relatively spectacular.  Unfortunately, access to the falls is on private land, so the highway is about as close as you can get.  There are several other unnamed waterfalls in this canyon as well that are equally removed from access.

Falls on Fall Creek

I only made one stop on the way as I had to make it to the Hanging Flume by a certain time.  I spent an hour or two observing and interviewing those who were working and snapped a couple of images when I was done. 

The Hanging Flume from across the Dolores River

Before I left, the topic of rock art came up with a gentleman who worked with the resort in Gateway.  He gave me a tip on an easy-to-find panel along the highway. 

The entire drive is gorgeous, but my time constraints and the high cloudcover precluded me from stopping much. 

Dolores Canyon overlook

I did take five minutes to stop and take images of the petroglyphs panel, which was pretty neat.  I forget exactly where it is, but it's right off the road.

 

 

A parting shot of the surroundings

On the way back, I tried to shoot the falls again, but the light was terrible. 

And finally, here's my story on the Hanging Flume from that day:
VIDEO: http://www.kjct8.com/news/Historic-Hanging-Flume-Reconstructed/-/163152/14404230/-/vt02h6z/-/index.html

Full write-up: http://www.kjct8.com/news/Historic-Hanging-Flume-Reconstructed/-/163152/14381968/-/w87eftz/-/index.html

Dann.

2012 - March 19th - Potash Road Petroglyphs

It had already been a full day of adventure, but we weren't done yet.  Just to catch everyone up to speed, my cousin Brad was visiting from Montana and we decided to head into Utah on this particular Monday.

It had been a cool morning with even a light dusting of snow, as seen on our drive through the Richardson Amphitheater Area.  We spent most of the afternoon hiking through the Devils Garden area of Arches National Park, exploring arches and petroglyphs.  After that, we decided to drive along the Colorado River and see the results of a storm that had passed. 

That road is known as Potash Road or more officially as the Utah Highway 279, The Potash-Lower Colorado Scenic Byway.  The road is quite scenic, but unfortunately for my desire to take some images of the area, the light was less than fantastic.  So, I did what I could.

A mesa in Jackson Hole, an abandoned meander of the Colorado River

Jug Handle Arch

Unbeknownst to me before taking this drive, there are petroglyphs alongside the highway.  In fact, there are several signs that note "Indian Writings".  In the days prior, I had encouraged Brad's interest in rock art and we both found ourselves pouring over the canyon walls, looking for etchings.  Along Utah's 279, there are many, many panels to be found. The following set of fifty images or so is the result of our exploration, walking from south to north along the wall, inspecting every area we could. 

A large panel filled with figures.

It almost appears as if a man is standing atop something and conjuring.

Almost-hidden sheep.

Some graffiti photoshopped out of this one.

Sheep hunt.

 

Crane? Heron? Some other bird, perhaps.

Would love to know what this is.  A crab, maybe?

Hidden around a corner.

And my favorite, the bear panel...

It looks like the bear was carved over a previously existing scene.  Also, some of the graffiti is photoshopped out.

The last ten or so images are of a panel that is about twenty to thirty feet above the road.  In the last image, you can see where the debris at the cliff-base was cleared to make way for the road.  Before the road cut, the 'glyphs were at a normal height. 

Through the art is well-known, it was a lot of fun to canvas the roadside, looking for figures.  The ground had been soaked with a recent rain and the air smelled absolutely incredible. 

Light failed us eventually and we made our way into Moab for dinner and a beer at the Moab Brewery, which has excellent beer and food, by the way. 

Then it was back to Grand Junction.  Brad headed back to Montana and I went back to work, but I've had plenty of adventures since then.  More coming soon...

Dann.