Jan 25 2012

Light, Clouds and Hiking Around Moab

Moab Area Rock Art XVIII | In Search of the Polka Dot Man
Saturday, January 7, 2012

After taking the first weekend of 2012 off to get a little rest, it was time to get back out there and start exploring again. I was up bright and early to drive to Moab so I could meet up with Marty and search for some new petroglyphs that I had been unable to find on two previous trips. On the way I was treated to an awesome sunrise and had to stop a few times to take photos.

As I neared the Fisher Towers the sky and clouds began to light up. It was an amazing display!


Fisher Towers Sunrise by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look at the Fisher Towers.


Sky on Fire by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After finally reaching Moab and meeting up with Marty we drove up the Poison Spider Trail so that we could begin our hike.


Poison Spider Jeep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

We hiked into a land of fins and mazes to try and find the petroglyphs I was looking for. I had tried to find these particular panels twice before from below, but had no luck. I was hoping to reach them from above, but that also proved to be difficult. Eventually we did manage to find the area that I thought the petroglyphs might be in, but we could find no way down from above. We tried scrambling down a steep boulder-filled gap between large fins, but were turned back by a ten foot dryfall that we could not climb down. We climbed back up to the top and made our way back to our Jeeps. We didn’t find the petroglyphs from up here, but it was a beautiful area to hike around in.

We found this arch as we explored around the Poison Spider Trail. When I got back home, I looked it up and found out that it’s known as Longbow Arch.


Longbow Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

 


Jan 25 2012

Mesa Light

Mesa Light

Late afternoon light peeks through openings in between the clouds to light up the mesas in Castle Valley.


Jan 24 2012

Filtered Light

Filtered Light

Late afternoon light filters through the cloudy sky and falls upon Adobe Mesa and the La Sal Mountains.


Jan 23 2012

Sky on Fire

Sky on Fire

I witnessed this amazing sunrise over the Fisher Towers as I drove to Moab in search of rock art a few weeks ago. It was a great way to start the day!


Jan 23 2012

San Rafael Swell Rock Art IX

New Years Eve | Saturday, December 31, 2011

We finally made it…the last trip of the year 2011! On New Years Eve morning I met up with Marty in Green River so that we could head over to the San Rafael Reef and Desert to search for some new rock art sites.

Marty and I on our way to the San Rafael Reef.


To the Reef by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After searching Straight Wash in the Reef for some petroglyphs, this is the only one we managed to find this time.


Lone Man by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look at this lone anthropomorph.


Lone Petroglyph by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr