IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Sunday, March 19, 2011

On Saturday, the plan was to head to Arches for the day and hike the Devils Garden primitive loop. Then we were then planning on sticking around to get some photos of the Super Moon rising that evening. Unfortunately, the skies were cloudy and overcast the entire day, and it was pretty windy. We ended up hiking the loop and visiting the petroglyphs near Dark Angel, but we decided to grab dinner and head home instead of waiting for the moonrise. It was a good choice, since the moon never did end up making an appearance…

While on the primitive loop, I never even bothered to pull out my camera for any photos of the arches since the skies were all gray, but luckily we did end up visiting those petroglyphs.

Unique Petroglyphs

You’ve Found Something Unique. This sign was located near one of the many panels of petroglyphs.

Oval Zoomorphs

Bighorn sheep and an elk with large oval-shaped bodies walk along the crack in this sandstone.

Busy Dark Angel Panel

One of the larger and interesting petroglyph panels.

Lines Through Sheep

While searching around for more petroglyphs, I found this lone sheep away from all the rest. The cracks and lines through the sheep made for an interesting composition, even though it was a tough shot to get the sheep to show up well enough.

Dark Angel High Panel

A panel of petroglyphs located up high.

High Anthropomorphs

A closer look at the two larger anthropomorphs on the High Panel.

Dark Angel Sheep

One of the better preserved bighorn sheep petroglyphs.

The Spacemen

Two round-headed figures holding hands that kind of look like spacemen.

Elk Lineup

A line of elk.

Snake Charmer

An interesting figure with a few snake petroglyphs next to it.

Party Line

A line of anthropomorphs wearing headdresses with a strange figure on the right.

Funny Looking

A very funny looking anthropomorph.

Dark Angel Designs

Designs carved into the sandstone.

Kill Shot

A bighorn sheep that appears to have an atlatl in it’s back.

Even though the Super Moon was a bust for us, we had fun hiking in Devils Garden again and checking out these petroglyphs.

Check out my other posts in the Moab Area Rock Art Series:

Moab Area Rock Art I | Colorado River Gorge / Golf Course / Kane Creek
Moab Area Rock Art II | Kane Creek Canyon & Potash Road
Moab Area Rock Art III | Mill Creek Canyon / Kane Creek / Bartlett Panel
Moab Area Rock Art IV | The Secret Grotto & More
Moab Area Rock Art V | Hidden Valley & Behind the Rocks
Moab Area Rock Art VI | Yellow Comet Alcove
Moab Area Rock Art VII | Solstice Snake
Moab Area Rock Art VIII | Dark Angel Petroglyphs
Moab Area Rock Art IX | Mill Creek Canyon

Sunday, March 14, 2011

On Sunday I had some stuff I wanted to get done around the house, so I decided to stay close to home and take a short hike to some petroglyphs I haven’t been to before on Palisade Point. The panoramic photo above was taken over the Grand Valley from Palisade Point near the petroglyphs.

Here’s a few photos of the petroglyphs I found. Most of them were of bighorn sheep and elk.

In Command

Palisade Hunting Scene

Palisade Elk 2

Glowing Elk

Palisade Point Sheep

The following two photos are the only petroglyphs I found that are not of an animal (bighorn or elk). The first one is just one concentric circle I found all by itself away from the rest of the panels. I’m not sure what the petroglyphs are in the second photo below, but they sure are different from the rest of them. They were hidden between two panels containing bighorn sheep. Any ideas?

Palisade Circles

Faded Design

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Well, here’s the last set of photos I’m going to post from our trip to the McConkie Ranch in Dry Fork on Saturday . You can check out Set 1 , Set 2, Set 3, and Set 4 for more.

Sun Carrier

A closer look at The Sun Carrier, also known as the Three Kings. One of the most impressive panels we came across. You can’t get too close to it, but luckily I had my 100-400mm lens with me. Click on the image and look at it in a larger size to see more of the detail.

Fading Partners Overview

An overview of the ‘Fading Partners’ on what turned out to be a pretty nice day.

Knife in Hand

Looking up at this large anthropomorph that appears to be holding a knife.

Trophy Head 2

A close-up of another figure holding a trophy head. This one looks a bit meaner than the others.

The Line-Up

A straight-on view of this large pictoglyph panel along the Main Trail.

Small Shield Figure

Just a small shield figure petroglyph.

Lichen man

Another view of this medium-sized figure that is next to a colorful display of lichen.

The Couple 2

I liked the setting of this set of petroglyphs, so I took a few different photos. This is a nice overview.

Head Hunter Panel

Another of my favorite panels that I took a few different photos of. Look closely and you can even find the Red Spiral pictoglyph I posted earlier.

Trail End

The end of the Main Trail. I thought this photo might be a fitting end to my sets of photos from the trip. Hope you enjoyed 🙂

Saturday, March 12, 2011

More photos from our trip to the McConkie Ranch in Dry Fork on Saturday. Be sure to check out Set 1 , Set 2 and Set 3for more.

Head-Hunters

A panel with a few life-sized anthropomorphs and a trophy head with weeping eyes.

The Balloon

A small petroglyph panel with a shield figure and concentric circle designs.

Between the Cracks

Two small anthropomorphs along the Main Trail.

Find Them All

There are a number of petroglyph panels visible in this photo if you look closely. The most prominent one is a shield-like figure with wavy arms and hands.

Square Head

More life-sized petroglyphs. The one on the right has a square head.

Gears

A couple concentric circles along the Three Kings Trail.

Layers

Geometric designs and other petroglyphs sandwiched between layers of stone.

Man-in-Circle

A small anthropomorph surround by a large circle.

Waving Hands Panel

A petroglyph panel along the Three Kings Trail with some smaller figures. The largest figure in the middle appears to be waving both of his hands.

There’s a few more to go…..stay tuned…..

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Here are even more photos from our trip to the McConkie Ranch in Dry Fork on Saturday. Be sure to check out Set 1 and Set 2 for more.

Hula Hoop Man

I had visited this petroglyph panel earlier in the day when it was overcast and had taken a few photos, however once the clouds started to clear and the sun was shining again I revisited it to take a few more photos. I’m glad I did since I got a nice orange glow reflecting off of the rock, plus a nice blue sky with some white clouds in the background.

Family Portrait

A wall filled with petroglyphs and pictoglyphs along the Main Trail.

Looking Up at the Gears

Looking up at some small petroglyphs that Jackson thinks looks like gears along the Three Kings Trail.

Fading Partners

Two life-sized anthropomorphs next to each other. The one on the left is barely visible anymore.

Fremont Shield

Looking up at a large shield petroglyph on a beautiful day in Dry Fork.

Bird Man

This life-sized anthropomorph appears to have feathers on it’s arms like a bird.

From the Lichen

This faint anthropomorph seems to be emerging from the colorful lichen growing on the rock below it.

The Couple

A closer look at the figured I have called ‘The Couple’ located along the Three Kings Trail.

Weeping Man

Another of the many life-sized anthromorphic figures along the Main Trail. This one has the ‘weeping eyes’ and seems to be holding an object, perhaps a knife or other kind of weapon?

Don’t worry, there’s still more photos to go, so stay tuned…..