IntrepidXJ
04-29-2012, 09:29 PM
Saturday & Sunday, April 7-8, 2012
The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO (http://adventr.co/2012/04/easter-weekend-ruins-rock-art/)
I set out this weekend with one goal in mind- I was searching for a specific ruin known as the Painted Granary or Nestled Granary. I had done some research and thought I figured out which canyon it might be hidden in. The only way to know for sure was to get out there, hike around and search for it...so that's what I did!
While trying to find a way into the canyon, I came across these 'bird tracks' in a very shallow alcove.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7126593539_27a68e38cc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126593539/)
Bird Tracks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126593539/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Eventually I managed to find my way into the mouth of the canyon and started hiking upstream while searching the canyon walls for ruins. I hadn't hiked very long when I spotted the ruin I was looking for...I was excited to find it and scrambled up the loose talus slope to reach it. There were a few other ruins below it that weren't in as good of shape.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/6974260664_849ccd92b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6974260664/)
Ruins Below (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6974260664/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
There was also one nice reverse handprint painted on the sandstone inside the large alcove. There were a couple other one's that were pretty faint and hard to see, too.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5333/6923592372_aa87b23f58_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6923592372/)
Hand & Painted Granary (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6923592372/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Here's a closer look that the interesting paintings on this ruin that make it very unique.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/6980521122_4129b85a05_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980521122/)
Ruin Paintings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980521122/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
I think this alcove contained the highest concentration of corncobs on the ground that I have ever come across in one place. This is just a photo of a few of them.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6980545548_290f9348e7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980545548/)
Corncobs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980545548/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
This is a very photogenic ruin and I had a lot of fun taking photos of it from different angles.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5239/6917149194_23164bf45e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6917149194/)
Painted Ruin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6917149194/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
I was very drawn to the curved lines in the sandstone just above the granary. This is probably my favorite photo of the ruin.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/7058611529_515b218693_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7058611529/)
Painted Granary Ceiling (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7058611529/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Since I managed to find the ruin much quicker than I had anticipated, I needed to find something else to do for the rest of the day. I decided to head back to Cave 7 (http://adventr.co/2011/01/cave-7/) so that I could get a few better photos of the ruins in the area. I also wanted to explore some of the nearby canyons to see what else I could find.
On my way to Cave 7 I found another large alcove that had a few ruins and a little rock art. These red anthropomorphs were found in the back of the alcove.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7126668595_745d3e0ba3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126668595/)
Red Family (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126668595/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7114534495_14d213e795_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114534495/)
Father & Son (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114534495/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
There were also some more recent pictographs found here...most likely Ute. You can also see a few holes drilled in the back of the alcove that used to support wood beams for the structures that once stood here.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/6980599568_18f0c11b37_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980599568/)
Black Buffalo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980599568/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
A few interesting handprints that I almost missed before leaving.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5193/7114495089_e0b083d395_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114495089/)
Stripes & Circles (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114495089/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Here we have some older pictographs and petroglyphs, plus some newer pictographs that are probably Ute. There's even a little graffiti...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6980633420_3ac0a69f6e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980633420/)
Old & New (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980633420/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
I did finally make it to the Pastel Alcove Ruin found near Cave 7.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/7114194825_753539ac3e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114194825/)
Pastel Alcove Ruin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114194825/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
One wall remains of a ruin that was built in Cave 7.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/7126703495_25c005b375_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126703495/)
Cave 7 Wall (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126703495/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
A view into Cave 7.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7126731417_327e90ce41_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126731417/)
Cave 7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126731417/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
After leaving Cave 7 I bushwhacked my way into another small canyon nearby to see if I could find anything. I did manage to find a few very faded petroglyphs and a strange fence, but not much else. There's a few more areas I want to explore around here one day, so I'll have to return.
Before heading back to camp for the night, I stopped by Comb Ridge to catch the sunset. As the sun was getting closer to setting behind Cedar Mesa it appeared that there wasn't going to be much of a sunset since the sun went behind some clouds. Right before I was ready to pack up and hike back to my Jeep the sun struck the very top of the ridge for a just about a minute.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7114596577_f4e4665532_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114596577/)
End of the Comb & Light (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114596577/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
After a very cold night camping along Comb Wash, I packed up camp and and headed up onto Cedar Mesa. Today I was searching for some nice petroglyph panels, and I had a pretty good idea on where they were located. Once I found the hidden route down to reach them, I searched and searched but came up empty. After about two hours of searching I finally gave up and hiked back to my Jeep to leave. Before leaving I decided to walk the rim of the canyon and see if I could spot them from above. Less than five minutes later I had found them! I guess I should have done that first ;) I had practically walked right next to them when I was searching below, but had still managed to miss them. I did not feel like climbing back down there, plus the lighting was bad, so I decided I would have to come back another day to visit them. I did take a few quick photos from above...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6980844554_7e36ae3772_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980844554/)
In the Shadows (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980844554/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/6973927970_2679ec577e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973927970/)
Anthropomorph & Tracks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973927970/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7119989319_006ca9fca3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7119989319/)
Duck on Head (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7119989319/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
To get back home I drove off of Cedar Mesa via the Moki Dugway and looped around through Bluff. As I passed through Bluff I stopped to visit another new petroglyph panel that includes a large ladder.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7120001683_42445e2e11_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7120001683/)
Bluff Ladder Panel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7120001683/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
A closer look at some of the other interesting figures to the left of the ladder.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/6973895642_e4c9bcc315_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973895642/)
Circle with Tail (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973895642/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
This was another large Basketmaker panel that was located near the Ladder Panel, but was pretty difficult to see...let alone photograph.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7099/6973882846_282ed1aa84_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973882846/)
Many Men Panel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973882846/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
From Bluff the rest of the drive home was uneventful. As always, it was another great weekend on Cedar Mesa and along Comb Ridge (well, aside from the very cold night camping...but I survived), and it's even better since I found the ruin I was really searching for this weekend!
>> Easter Weekend Ruins & Rock Art Photo Gallery (http://flic.kr/s/aHsjzqJ2BB)
The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO (http://adventr.co/2012/04/easter-weekend-ruins-rock-art/)
I set out this weekend with one goal in mind- I was searching for a specific ruin known as the Painted Granary or Nestled Granary. I had done some research and thought I figured out which canyon it might be hidden in. The only way to know for sure was to get out there, hike around and search for it...so that's what I did!
While trying to find a way into the canyon, I came across these 'bird tracks' in a very shallow alcove.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7126593539_27a68e38cc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126593539/)
Bird Tracks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126593539/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Eventually I managed to find my way into the mouth of the canyon and started hiking upstream while searching the canyon walls for ruins. I hadn't hiked very long when I spotted the ruin I was looking for...I was excited to find it and scrambled up the loose talus slope to reach it. There were a few other ruins below it that weren't in as good of shape.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/6974260664_849ccd92b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6974260664/)
Ruins Below (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6974260664/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
There was also one nice reverse handprint painted on the sandstone inside the large alcove. There were a couple other one's that were pretty faint and hard to see, too.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5333/6923592372_aa87b23f58_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6923592372/)
Hand & Painted Granary (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6923592372/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Here's a closer look that the interesting paintings on this ruin that make it very unique.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/6980521122_4129b85a05_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980521122/)
Ruin Paintings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980521122/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
I think this alcove contained the highest concentration of corncobs on the ground that I have ever come across in one place. This is just a photo of a few of them.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6980545548_290f9348e7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980545548/)
Corncobs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980545548/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
This is a very photogenic ruin and I had a lot of fun taking photos of it from different angles.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5239/6917149194_23164bf45e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6917149194/)
Painted Ruin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6917149194/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
I was very drawn to the curved lines in the sandstone just above the granary. This is probably my favorite photo of the ruin.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/7058611529_515b218693_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7058611529/)
Painted Granary Ceiling (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7058611529/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Since I managed to find the ruin much quicker than I had anticipated, I needed to find something else to do for the rest of the day. I decided to head back to Cave 7 (http://adventr.co/2011/01/cave-7/) so that I could get a few better photos of the ruins in the area. I also wanted to explore some of the nearby canyons to see what else I could find.
On my way to Cave 7 I found another large alcove that had a few ruins and a little rock art. These red anthropomorphs were found in the back of the alcove.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7126668595_745d3e0ba3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126668595/)
Red Family (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126668595/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7114534495_14d213e795_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114534495/)
Father & Son (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114534495/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
There were also some more recent pictographs found here...most likely Ute. You can also see a few holes drilled in the back of the alcove that used to support wood beams for the structures that once stood here.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/6980599568_18f0c11b37_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980599568/)
Black Buffalo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980599568/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
A few interesting handprints that I almost missed before leaving.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5193/7114495089_e0b083d395_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114495089/)
Stripes & Circles (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114495089/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
Here we have some older pictographs and petroglyphs, plus some newer pictographs that are probably Ute. There's even a little graffiti...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6980633420_3ac0a69f6e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980633420/)
Old & New (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980633420/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
I did finally make it to the Pastel Alcove Ruin found near Cave 7.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/7114194825_753539ac3e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114194825/)
Pastel Alcove Ruin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114194825/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
One wall remains of a ruin that was built in Cave 7.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/7126703495_25c005b375_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126703495/)
Cave 7 Wall (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126703495/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
A view into Cave 7.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/7126731417_327e90ce41_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126731417/)
Cave 7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7126731417/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
After leaving Cave 7 I bushwhacked my way into another small canyon nearby to see if I could find anything. I did manage to find a few very faded petroglyphs and a strange fence, but not much else. There's a few more areas I want to explore around here one day, so I'll have to return.
Before heading back to camp for the night, I stopped by Comb Ridge to catch the sunset. As the sun was getting closer to setting behind Cedar Mesa it appeared that there wasn't going to be much of a sunset since the sun went behind some clouds. Right before I was ready to pack up and hike back to my Jeep the sun struck the very top of the ridge for a just about a minute.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7114596577_f4e4665532_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114596577/)
End of the Comb & Light (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7114596577/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
After a very cold night camping along Comb Wash, I packed up camp and and headed up onto Cedar Mesa. Today I was searching for some nice petroglyph panels, and I had a pretty good idea on where they were located. Once I found the hidden route down to reach them, I searched and searched but came up empty. After about two hours of searching I finally gave up and hiked back to my Jeep to leave. Before leaving I decided to walk the rim of the canyon and see if I could spot them from above. Less than five minutes later I had found them! I guess I should have done that first ;) I had practically walked right next to them when I was searching below, but had still managed to miss them. I did not feel like climbing back down there, plus the lighting was bad, so I decided I would have to come back another day to visit them. I did take a few quick photos from above...
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6980844554_7e36ae3772_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980844554/)
In the Shadows (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6980844554/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/6973927970_2679ec577e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973927970/)
Anthropomorph & Tracks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973927970/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7119989319_006ca9fca3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7119989319/)
Duck on Head (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7119989319/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
To get back home I drove off of Cedar Mesa via the Moki Dugway and looped around through Bluff. As I passed through Bluff I stopped to visit another new petroglyph panel that includes a large ladder.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7120001683_42445e2e11_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7120001683/)
Bluff Ladder Panel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/7120001683/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
A closer look at some of the other interesting figures to the left of the ladder.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/6973895642_e4c9bcc315_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973895642/)
Circle with Tail (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973895642/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
This was another large Basketmaker panel that was located near the Ladder Panel, but was pretty difficult to see...let alone photograph.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7099/6973882846_282ed1aa84_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973882846/)
Many Men Panel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rlngstrt/6973882846/) by IntrepidXJ (http://www.flickr.com/people/rlngstrt/), on Flickr
From Bluff the rest of the drive home was uneventful. As always, it was another great weekend on Cedar Mesa and along Comb Ridge (well, aside from the very cold night camping...but I survived), and it's even better since I found the ruin I was really searching for this weekend!
>> Easter Weekend Ruins & Rock Art Photo Gallery (http://flic.kr/s/aHsjzqJ2BB)