IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Moab Area Rock Art XIX
Sunday, January 15, 2012

On Sunday I drove back to Moab to meet up with Marty again to do a little more exploring. I didn’t have any plans for the day in mind when I left home, so I thought we could just figure things out as we went. We ended up hiking an area within Arches National Park that I had not visited before. It was a nice area with some great views along the way. We even managed to come across a new petroglyph panel as we explored the area.

As I was driving to Moab, I saw there was probably going to be a nice sunrise. I quickly looked for an interesting setting to take a photo from, but came up with nothing. So I found a dirt road, pulled off the highway, and put my Jeep in the foreground. I think it turned out pretty good.

Jeep Sunrise by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

As I drove along the icy Colorado River I came across this awesome scene and had to pull over for another photo.

Icy Reflection by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After meeting up with Marty and deciding to visit a new area inside Arches, we drove over to the Copper Ridge Jeep Trail to start our hike. We had hoped to drive closer to the park on this road, but were stopped by this sign. We would be hiking a few extra miles.

End of the Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

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
 

Monday, December 26, 2011

Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year I was off from work on Monday. What better way to spend the day than searching for more rock art near Moab? However, this was no ordinary Moab rock art trip; this time Marty had received permission from a friend of his so that we could access some petroglyphs from his private property.

After finding a way down the snow covered slickrock to this point, we started the climb back up the other side. If this ladder weren’t here, we never would have had a chance. Even with the ladder, there were still a few other sections that were kind of tricky to climb up for us.

Keep Out by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Marty took this photo of me climbing up from the ladder. It was still tricky to climb up the crack from this point.

Climbing by Marty, on Flickr

Marty admires the first large panel of petroglyphs we visited. There were a ton of them here!

Admiring the Big Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Hidden Valley & Moab Rim Loop
Saturday, December 17, 2011

On Saturday, Marty and I set out to hike the Hidden Valley and Moab Rim Loop. We had both hiked Hidden Valley before, and driven the Moab Rim trail in our Jeeps, but we both had wanted to hike the whole loop in one shot. Not only so we could enjoy the scenery on a nice winter day, but also so that we could revisit some rock art sites and hopefully find some new ones.

There was a layer of snow on the ground in Hidden Valley, but once we got up above the pass there wasn’t much of it.

Hidden Valley by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There are many excellent petroglyphs found in the Hidden Valley area, but this figure is one of my favorites.

Inside by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A wider view of the panel.

Inside Out Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Lunar Eclipse, Sand Flats & Mill Creek
Saturday, December 10, 2011

I left my house early on Saturday morning so I could photograph the lunar eclipse just before the sunrise. I didn’t plan on going to any specific location, so I figured that I would stop somewhere between Grand Junction and Moab, since I was headed back to Moab again to search for rock art with Marty. As I drove west on I-70 I was able to watch the eclipse as the earths shadow grew larger on the full moon. When I reached the Yellow Cat exit I decided to get off the highway and take a side road to find a place to take some photos. It was pretty cold out this morning and my hands were freezing. I tried to keep my gloves on as much as possible, but kept having to remove them to change the settings on my camera.

From the Yellow Cat area I was able to get this shot of the almost fully eclipsed moon over the Book Cliffs. I tried to get a photo when it was closer to the Book Cliffs, but the haze in the atmosphere made the moon pretty much completely disappear shortly after I took this photo.

Eclipse Over the Book Cliffs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After packing up my tripod and warming my hands up in the Jeep I turned around to head back to the interstate and continue my drive to Moab. Just before the sun was up I took this photo of the two-track I was on as the sky turned pink.

Morning Two-Track by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Driving back to I-70 on the Yellow Cat Road with the La Sal Mountains in the background.

Yellowcat by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr