Udink
03-13-2018, 10:04 AM
I spent a couple of days during Presidents' Day weekend with my friend Chris in and around the southwestern San Rafael Swell. On Friday afternoon, we knocked out a couple of things on my long to-do list before sundown. During the drive south we stopped along Highway 10 to visit what I thought were pit houses that I'd seen in Google Earth. After seeing them, I wasn't so sure they were pit houses, but they were definitely some sort of native American-built stone circles. Each one was larger in diameter than a normal pit house, and there was no depression in the middle nor enough rocks to have formed walls more than one course high. There were plenty of lithic flakes and potsherds to identify them as Fremont sites, however. I even spotted a pecked grinding stone along the banks of Ivie Creek while hiking to one of the stone circles. We also revisited Snake Rock Village just off I-70 where there are several pit houses and a few petroglyphs.
Stone circle along Oak Spring Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZXcZM4OjlH3YkQipfhjiyrOGQwLtJIytDoTE56yMmIey4PqIGC GXmEexVAuktQI5OyFbhPLViB6AtsOtfw=s640
Unusual potsherd
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZeXeNuvArLC5CDdNvBlaMJjThn9a35GBWUeVzHPU6rq754WYld f4J9-FpccHKBvlFPXL28AeksnQQvjqdw=s640
Pecked grinding stone along Ivie Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U05JtnNbNeVGIMVnVU5WGwbUkatOYSGjfT5KXS3COcHkVUVYsp VmT9YMNbrZXYYrQAt4YlmvEqon6NLK2A=s640
Ivie Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0U9T7mSt6jsMlDWthUT2nXd2Bg3Fg_0S-fu2XAcAZm7c_ZU6Mo-PoDKiuCChK-OiESwBFwlwrjM31i776A=s640
Potsherds and lithic flakes
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/q9fXLloKMFMW_qc6kQV-J3R5XhLUYvRyrNch7OkIIEi5lYX893NONFqduo4lhoSBCoQR3u iyke0O44Y4lw=s640
Stone circle near Ivie Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m6SxQkTAb0wRj_n46pQI5Rlkohp27r0LjcHj-JDZz60pPDt3gDUPmyZmR1dwgNqewhXEzm326Ny6cfqXlw=s640
Snake Rock
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ANcBAsDvLqIUKbL73n23fqWTcarf69Nua1lO7O1A6LNR1WM0pn Odpp9PsXOaeBeeYkX4unB4k85egEaZRA=s640
Next we moved farther upstream along Ivie Creek and scrambled up to some pictographs. I'd known about the pictos for years, and had driven past them many times without stopping. It felt great to finally have the opportunity to see the rock art up close rather than in passing as I was driving by. After we'd crossed the creek and were scrambling up a steep hill, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled up behind my Jeep and was obviously trying to puzzle out where we'd gone. He followed our footprints in the snow to where we'd dropped down a steep hill, crossed a barbed wire fence, and crossed the creek. It seemed as though he was looking up toward the cliffs trying to spot us, and I even waved a couple of times, but I don't think he could see me. He eventually drove off and we continued toward the rock art. The pictographs were quite excellent. There were also some old inscriptions nearby, including a few from members of the Elk Mountain Mission (https://www.moabhappenings.com/Archives/pioneer0403.htm). While hiking back down toward the highway, another (or perhaps the same) UHP car pulled up behind the Jeep, but this time the trooper drove off without getting out of his vehicle. The sun was about to set, and Chris and I headed to Justensen Flats and found a nice spot to camp. We had a small campfire and set up cots to sleep on, with no tents. It got quite cold during the night and our water bottles froze solid.
Statie checking out my Jeep
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IG75TBQzbLc5YQcUO97fqXL3OKHcxUtsoLM-scGehNqk32xXkX4HTEc2ZPcdQriglKYrDiwKhx6un7qOXQ=s64 0
Ivie Creek pictographs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/utud3HwtsF0RN7P29ip070893FrhSJmko5qzPwk65o8qzIc4IN THiZJLgHazbJDIRpkMA9NNRKVtzlYaiw=s640
I.M. Behunin
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8kI_V4SLWSOuzH6PGywLEQYzfFZpZ0ZM5KhwC0zVYFTYKTIUb7 okpCEUV_Dj54XKUiJwnlhxVbD5iL-iiw=s640
M.W. Molen, 1876
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vD6DBEd76-FQcLTSzI_a67NL8JI0rYhqR7neAtP4DFc5k6njNkLkkt_TTRtu TYJ9xilVzq6Kh82gHlRuqA=s640
1855
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/N30MAuitklgJHtv1mgs0MBMVueNhROuY2bFHXJ2LUcV2NiinML gJEFjY_tC_OXHE8i6m2jypkqQNvOLmnw=s640
We slept in until after sunrise on Saturday morning. After coffee and breakfast, we set out to drive an all-day loop past the Copper Globe area. On the way to Copper Globe we spotted some inscriptions right along the road, the oldest dating to 1899. I was amused upon seeing an inscription by V.H. Allred, where it appears he started to write "December," but scratched it out and wrote "Jan. 1, [19]05." We also stopped at a memorial to Henry Jensen, who was killed in the area in 1890. At Copper Globe, we checked out the mines, cabins, and inscriptions and other rock carvings that are scattered around. There were even some petroglyphs that I wasn't previously aware of.
Camp at Justensen Flats
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/b2p0IUQtptCTsRKXmkSAsFYYa1nsVxVWCsWJpE2S7qYpK9w5jW muZIqm3Y1MraG3iBRZTRxP7SHyl1oavw=s640
Gil. Gillies(?) 1899
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EiLOVFmq8DUa2wN9S4N7GXnlW6TLKnlIe_MGldy2qX6U7VR2yD jczt_tUJg7K9lYltt6ONfYVMocvub0lQ=s640
V.H. Allred, Jan. 1, 1905
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qrqfu-iQLNAvz82MkvXr0l9kIvBa25k-EOhLl7GxDX9IGPOTKTM9nAMXXQ8dOC4ydOspB01DwL4ovYbSw= s640
Rock formation near the road to Copper Globe
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GdDNr7OUu6B39tX1X2FKt5LFZAfzWf5h2CnIR-VbUWaLYTOo7dk79tRhhLblk0TodfaiZfIStgx00aOcWA=s640
Henry Jensen memorial
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SB-rOxon6ewy2h3P9nI7vcXMfUwl-vxKgMN7LMJY7JlxdbKctI9-hP1KgzO6Nz3W67NXzC2Hs2crjusrzg=s640
Ridiculous fence around a four-foot-deep mine shaft
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wYTZYvmCjZCM9BWfdxSYrlLL2NYbX2DDVUIahPT38Lp9jFyeaf OwzAwtsjpdXqFirGklpzVIE40pUWMqvw=s640
The Hole in the Wash Gang: Morgan Hatch, Jeff Staley, Pat Sundstrom
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jUMAFVk7kUBW21T1rvcP25D5yZlJKfSk0SiYYsgcyGZAj_snew pdGPj2pr5dZ3cU8qMoNWsl-Z421YD1Yw=s640
Elephant carving
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pj9fOnzLOu3Se1IHpkRvLvD-0LKyLzygvq50di4rusuUrrvaXO9_HPabBN6jM-ICvs9NC8lhq-GyxGL5Tg=s640
W.A. inscription
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/x08hfGAh2k5SDIYuLZ25s5zt9eDmZ66LQJklGsNt2ax7Das9kU DwbPTBvN_c3C-mAcbsf5UPkqCC7qeDcQ=s640
Chris in front of a closed mine tunnel
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lCSOXeepZj6fjNLbxv-qT5K6AqU_VOVZPrbXeAxOx1Vymh9RAkZAqaA6q7mRn1SywMImX EOSJXnPa4v7uA=s640
Petroglyph at Copper Globe
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QO7JJdv50ekVsq_BeBDC2ot9Gdgw9xGzNDPoaYG4f2yR-mmYM2A2YaoyFGOQl-_2rm8vZtiiDncfSfnoxg=s640
Wood pile at Copper Globe
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hQKaCo8L7fe1KJVQe1SVmGErmPFxwcl8CILcJ9_j4YdK_sAQtb 1NJTxEoiZGhIwJVKaCG1exgj1OG__oxQ=s640
Partial dugout cabin with oven
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/A4CHgNetqsUAFXWVjuQQJSxd_7hAXaEL8mytI-DvEQOg-YDbQChTQ7DAEesEHWUovnFV7rlx6I2FuP7FhA=s640
Copper Globe Mine
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aP8MaS3AW1xzLf4hHGCLWwmJWWzAsnFoA-x8s2r2laEr6OoirCXjVFI_YwUxke8YvOcBSt6MqRjh7NWEJg=s 640
B. Holman
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gXqyT5x_d9wJr3ZRWL4SPOoQbz3jVn5EzppccC5UzjaWwk4Huk dkpMm3F8hM9DqRxPRHpyyxIKBpBb-5KA=s640
Private Property
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tLJBO8fMYOeG0NqxyCwoYBmp6RbL1dc5mvvEnCy8jVNmjp8H8A yVvMTPtnEKtiprfvxtW9MuvgMZkl4UA=s640
Bunks in a cabin
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pqPigtVyUig29TG-bOV20bi-E-abxiXHWUdqLwJSzl_qxDq_MBa5byhlUh8WQZciRhJr1ovlluza dzqI_A=s640
What's left of the shitter
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gidfAq0xduoPSMOJokjN9CGUl2Ss03XuehwfU0s1ujn0n-T-FfGUP-KoZNAn3nMW0WDpHWKErJMMJ1wTsA=s640
Harold R., 1922
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7VLm1bKoi-SjGEXY84L46ma9580WPWK-4kUnVe6GNUvArfzi3hgo9gnlGkKke4Ep5QqybvylXczmmIUnkg =s640
Steps carved into the sandstone below some inscriptions
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2HKJRSzRtjjKWKm-ObErVTRvg-UpO4cpJwHkRyb2P0JuiiZ3jrYDiO5r0npF6m3kwa1ipro2tTgW-sbUZw=s640
Fireplace
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jUooo69NEOnm5opUFaxz9guXTR3PaXuV7of7As3PnSGZuV_ZmM 5Z9q1qCcdj65eUHwk420ALO-rdKOrhnA=s640
Leaving Copper Globe, we continued south and stopped at a couple of nice overlooks of Sulphur Canyon and Red's Canyon. The Window, so named because of a break in the cliffs that offers a view into Red's Canyon 1,000 feet below, was one of the highlights of my day because I'd been near there twelve years earlier but hadn't stopped to enjoy the view back then.
Sulphur Canyon overlook
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qjy1togfAoacSRusu6VJF8e4FGITU4s9RPFDLsVM-upxD3PaOG3fLTV51Q_dJdEpwPHaKBfYzmdeLr2-Tw=s640
Chris on the high dive
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fiiKvMtiko6G-S4uCA_bWzWX7QDptjrgqa8QkPhDQzJumSCzATSs1ADuCOSexQy oHuAzj7H8aBrXifeF9g=s640
Chris at the Window
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VRFUNR7f4oxltwLwhJ9k9Jv6r75DVqW-upnQt4NJR7tUIYnDw6UEqw9A8uHis8QkkLFrbB3ZdvX9PKDkgg =s640
We next tried driving onto Sagebrush Bench to find a couple of geocaches and visit a brush corral. The road was seriously washed out in one spot, but I thought my Jeep could make it up the other side. While driving through the washed-out portion of the road, the hitch on the Jeep scraped on several small sandstone ledges, and the tires lost traction while trying to climb up the other side. I gave it a couple of tries but the tires kept spinning in the loose dirt. I tried backing up but the hitch hit those small ledges and got completely hung up, and the Jeep suffered a small hole in the bumper. The wash was too narrow to turn around in, so Chris and I decided to try stacking rocks to get the rear-end of the Jeep clear of the ledges. Luckily there were a lot of flat rocks nearby to make some ramps about 10 inches tall. We were able to get the Jeep clear of the small ledges and, surprisingly, I was able to back up the snow-covered slope leading into the wash.
Stacking rocks to get unstuck on the Sagebrush Bench road
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xQZMLAVld_bir7MroTplNDDLATU03vdt4D-uYEzufTogNXd03TpRtUTkx3PeKKOm7WCu6qNUS8F3oucOmg=s6 40
Almost out!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xeM3XArc_ZA3dpT3hJkn9-zrx4CNeVP1z7GnqxSL5t_e9ZUMoZLlMaNwd-SNEG2_oPfXA9lFQOncGQfI7g=s640
Damage to my bumper
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PvFI_ILUYVUVSAAqJwiutly-Sx8W30hMhihTbh-lT4Oi3aA8nmCsYA_atOVeTMMgirEtLsqXK9mcb7YpVQ=s640
After quickly checking out a steel dam at the head of Cat Canyon, I decided that I didn't want to drive the gnarly road back north past Copper Globe, so we headed west through Cat Canyon and Kimball Draw. We stopped at the pictographs in Kimball Draw and I found an inscription that I hadn't noticed there before dating back to 1905. We reached I-70 with some time to kill before sunset, and I remembered a friend telling me about some pictographs on nearby Sand Bench, so we headed that way. I didn't have the coordinates, so I tried locating them by what I remembered seeing in Google Earth many months earlier. We hiked right past the faded pictographs twice before finally noticing them on the third pass. We didn't have specific camping plans that night, but since we were close enough to Justensen Flats, we just drove back to the same spot we'd camped at the previous night.
Collapsed steel dam at the head of Cat Canyon
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wSJYoX9P2DJTw8nMhVS0a3XqFYP8SjmvsSvE6ilGvkzcPpoFCn F21bX5-6uRFUy1gUL34H7E98lCZ7FYjg=s640
Chris on the slickrock
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LGjaohD4Agw63VY9_ADg491HPMa7Mchfs2L4XuTBdiA0UxLCNl CJfy2Ur4Q1rGwIOscFPxzefvINWdokYQ=s640
Kimball Draw pictographs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6TQuVsANFRAhnJq8hGahOobRMiJaZ7aqgeJGRS_Gxyyhu2xi4v D9P7mmnUVpI8R9CPqrOinQtPGxaoJ-mw=s640
Horned figure
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FqoOsYb8vp30rMYJegOmWynrgiUMr_XMtUh04lhKO87JT1l_z8 S4UcW5LFsGFiuEHdYM2t6zgQ1Xkx5byA=s640
P.B.W., J.W., 1905
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4vC1uqQoVyJ0h2YFPrDVkwUmZo3CDY-I69ufK6f_FKij2ENX--kVXyCzxdBvYg4xPfAGByDWVg8sh7EhAg=s640
Mont Swasey, 1950
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_0AWT-PpDiPEB8GJgRYt83adapZcdIS67f95pAJclFwTCnoxqCqcQFYK zGUZFoNjkGJxI-2mW_1DRd0DiQ=s640
Sand Bench pictographs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F8Q3I9HMcJBEsjuIAi4ECPJKTvPnNvbt5uzSWGWKaEw-d53Syj8oC7tAmyypgJSG6ogTmSxA0Ap9EqCFfQ=s640
Sunday was completely unscripted. I pulled out my Utah atlas after breakfast and tried to figure out somewhere to go that was nearby. We settled on an area north of the Moore Cutoff Road near the Red Ledges and Sand Bench which I'd visited about ten years earlier. With only my ten-year-old recollection, we managed to find all the rock art I'd seen during my previous visit, including the very cool Broken-Hearted Man petroglyph.
Sid and Charley
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mo3a7zWbu3C6YLM0FpQCocDAb3PeHNVYeSwVcmYDbfQhvvkNCh 2nHFaAJTrAgYrOy1ACFQAhirPUm4bCGQ=s640
Interesting Fremont petroglyphs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xdKW4agN0xcRaa34Li6tJQV_6ibyKbu5Ab4mzMXhrUosCLLnSs N-spztiHYjxbf5rj8E0w9N49_Mb0I0Jw=s640
Human-like figures and bear, coyote, and turkey tracks
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sYABxtHKEyHWP2IaCjPAS9LNt9I9o7nHdDseAOEGEeWPi8zBq0 IJeyBpfYokO5uOaPik60ZOOvb5q_AvRQ=s640
Pecked and abraded human figures
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4Ahmq0oxg7X7ZjJEcn_GQuY2O9CRKQ0AXwPtY-i7Sr75ntr8bM_T8wt64olY7yDqG1VMugmX1o0zoDXAGw=s640
Shield guy with a tail and horns
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OUc5hSaK44qf5DvPJ0uUv13Z1qmyqCi8J8Gh_jWRQXmJpBd30l 7z3xWl_jcHg2ACQEHUFEbfGU3Ae1l1CA=s640
Many circles
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OmtGXiZnCQ4KTciiCclQNrSeGnkchD1WZg8vs3KVvAro_hQPPj J0aQBreGvJlmB6kX5Ufa_3Z-qT2iQtbg=s640
More interesting glyphs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lThGL0dnafDfxSXjdantJ6dIx90yohRKdQe5W4lqXDZVE7oQo_ 1PSQONuNO6RJVdgXlNynIORB7f1N6zyw=s640
Sheep and archers
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AUTH-AdVKgDMDbsEAMjoPvUnX31jXDLr45BnzeNIYRSSSFNd1axEkYW XT2F-NrwPcr0j15cesTATIq8cbQ=s640
Broken-Hearted Man
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/r9Tnj3OhGHU6arkTozejX-4pDc4PCJD-Y64KXjMSHdryPOIZ1LLxsJxYMtQKOBrcCCGsQLUS5CwnyzJEDg =s640
Possible headhunter petroglyph
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_f4QXlUr0q3PpqYX_rFC8woYj5InJfON2X_com_kG72weT_09T ZJZEdKDPb8WADLWT27yD__E-sN7qNdQQ=s640
Bighorn sheep with a horned snake snout?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5srpuOVSld61WibMWPNiKRCPiTk3XCRSLc9GF-8ZaMJSjggr-2Ef6LCRPSv9jLhJ_vmL9oVWAnxl9SJ7zg=s640
Pictographs high in the cliffs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CeFP6H9Bpa5PWz9Mzg8GM70lDQYv99CF7X11dzbVNTqQzlnVKq BSGbXRgLFeu38_Y2FcV4x_XHVAx3ZsgQ=s640
We repeated the atlas process and ended up along Muddy Creek next. There we saw some rock art along the road that I'd seen before, but then set out to locate some petroglyphs that, once again, a friend had told me about but whose location I wasn't certain of. We fumbled around a bit but eventually found the petroglyphs, which conisisted of a large Vernal-style Fremont figure holding a shield with two large bear footprints. The entire panel was larger than I'd imagined, and it was in a fairly unusual spot. Seeing that panel was certainly the highlight of the day.
Pictographs high above Muddy Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HEe10rGYbSsr7nceF6z7pkZ5Nsk-iYL4dLuHtdeCX6ND1Vqe4nhzHfk5Zu-siW2ODB7tIBEfbEt5xaXCMg=s640
Large Vernal-style Fremont figure and shield
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Wy1fYe0KJZmlWEOH3DZy_Tvo-XYlHWFZ122oSn5NwfyGHQuzYU9koSMQAObrmzrHkg7XHeBS3U6 xGKV2Ew=s640
Shield with bear tracks
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IGsRNJ2nLe0AFuY1IUb-92msLM8GAi-RnCdUF-abMRE05wGQS7TLPkqUJZ0Dg66Jb8MO1gz5x9a5IX5G1w=s640
Another quick consult of the atlas and we were on our way toward Ferron Creek. We visited some easily-accessible petroglyphs near the road and viewed others across the creek through binoculars (those will be the focus of a future trip). While parked along the road searching with binoculars for any other rock art, I was pleasantly surprised when my friend Alan pulled up behind the Jeep. He was on his way farther up the canyon, toward the same location Chris and I were planning on seeing next, so we all went there together and hiked to some pictograph panels that were badly faded. That was our last stop of the trip, and Chris and I headed back to Price. It hadn't felt like a particularly busy trip, but I was surprised how many sights we were able to cram into two days.
Ferron Creek petroglyphs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CnYQO-hIEXHRl3zO-9BCuEJ3UY2ObyHxZ02X1Dq62dt6B_WM1ApUmEzmBOrFv7EO0nt 1lU6TWbcVxXct_Q=s640
Welcome, Aug. 10, 1899
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WRcDpnzsUO6Iv3qSotar0PW4vcW2w9y_xqUprCHDA2xSflrYC-qCHblxfCkn90oGBB_NcUY-TpwJTOebcA=s640
Pictographs near Ferron Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NZUN5WVzEQWp-hDDtuTEAdOvu5ZJr50NMwoZ0A6Bm5iZ2vx0tzr5qBDg8OBQFV2 tKDbuUFtL9GWSJf_x4Q=s640
Bison pictographs, possibly fake
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4KaneMLIkQpisXGmP7pYk2REt42nITuPbbdo5doL7LJlmQhh7l Xsas_kxyfJ3caX0DYNkvz358z_CQwtCg=s640
Abraded Fremont figures
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a94RK-RyjPzHgkysJRvLZcwKJh3Mnzg71wsj1VQtPbVFG9ZV4W4IapGE oOaanyEnjUjW8QATQVOaKTJB8g=s640
Full Photo Gallery: Southwestern Swell and Beyond (https://get.google.com/albumarchive/115479031052354900696/album/AF1QipNjuLdDYD5YS_0y1D8GJS1YyEiUGkCdZH7PBNY)
Stone circle along Oak Spring Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZXcZM4OjlH3YkQipfhjiyrOGQwLtJIytDoTE56yMmIey4PqIGC GXmEexVAuktQI5OyFbhPLViB6AtsOtfw=s640
Unusual potsherd
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZeXeNuvArLC5CDdNvBlaMJjThn9a35GBWUeVzHPU6rq754WYld f4J9-FpccHKBvlFPXL28AeksnQQvjqdw=s640
Pecked grinding stone along Ivie Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U05JtnNbNeVGIMVnVU5WGwbUkatOYSGjfT5KXS3COcHkVUVYsp VmT9YMNbrZXYYrQAt4YlmvEqon6NLK2A=s640
Ivie Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0U9T7mSt6jsMlDWthUT2nXd2Bg3Fg_0S-fu2XAcAZm7c_ZU6Mo-PoDKiuCChK-OiESwBFwlwrjM31i776A=s640
Potsherds and lithic flakes
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/q9fXLloKMFMW_qc6kQV-J3R5XhLUYvRyrNch7OkIIEi5lYX893NONFqduo4lhoSBCoQR3u iyke0O44Y4lw=s640
Stone circle near Ivie Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/m6SxQkTAb0wRj_n46pQI5Rlkohp27r0LjcHj-JDZz60pPDt3gDUPmyZmR1dwgNqewhXEzm326Ny6cfqXlw=s640
Snake Rock
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ANcBAsDvLqIUKbL73n23fqWTcarf69Nua1lO7O1A6LNR1WM0pn Odpp9PsXOaeBeeYkX4unB4k85egEaZRA=s640
Next we moved farther upstream along Ivie Creek and scrambled up to some pictographs. I'd known about the pictos for years, and had driven past them many times without stopping. It felt great to finally have the opportunity to see the rock art up close rather than in passing as I was driving by. After we'd crossed the creek and were scrambling up a steep hill, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled up behind my Jeep and was obviously trying to puzzle out where we'd gone. He followed our footprints in the snow to where we'd dropped down a steep hill, crossed a barbed wire fence, and crossed the creek. It seemed as though he was looking up toward the cliffs trying to spot us, and I even waved a couple of times, but I don't think he could see me. He eventually drove off and we continued toward the rock art. The pictographs were quite excellent. There were also some old inscriptions nearby, including a few from members of the Elk Mountain Mission (https://www.moabhappenings.com/Archives/pioneer0403.htm). While hiking back down toward the highway, another (or perhaps the same) UHP car pulled up behind the Jeep, but this time the trooper drove off without getting out of his vehicle. The sun was about to set, and Chris and I headed to Justensen Flats and found a nice spot to camp. We had a small campfire and set up cots to sleep on, with no tents. It got quite cold during the night and our water bottles froze solid.
Statie checking out my Jeep
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IG75TBQzbLc5YQcUO97fqXL3OKHcxUtsoLM-scGehNqk32xXkX4HTEc2ZPcdQriglKYrDiwKhx6un7qOXQ=s64 0
Ivie Creek pictographs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/utud3HwtsF0RN7P29ip070893FrhSJmko5qzPwk65o8qzIc4IN THiZJLgHazbJDIRpkMA9NNRKVtzlYaiw=s640
I.M. Behunin
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8kI_V4SLWSOuzH6PGywLEQYzfFZpZ0ZM5KhwC0zVYFTYKTIUb7 okpCEUV_Dj54XKUiJwnlhxVbD5iL-iiw=s640
M.W. Molen, 1876
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vD6DBEd76-FQcLTSzI_a67NL8JI0rYhqR7neAtP4DFc5k6njNkLkkt_TTRtu TYJ9xilVzq6Kh82gHlRuqA=s640
1855
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/N30MAuitklgJHtv1mgs0MBMVueNhROuY2bFHXJ2LUcV2NiinML gJEFjY_tC_OXHE8i6m2jypkqQNvOLmnw=s640
We slept in until after sunrise on Saturday morning. After coffee and breakfast, we set out to drive an all-day loop past the Copper Globe area. On the way to Copper Globe we spotted some inscriptions right along the road, the oldest dating to 1899. I was amused upon seeing an inscription by V.H. Allred, where it appears he started to write "December," but scratched it out and wrote "Jan. 1, [19]05." We also stopped at a memorial to Henry Jensen, who was killed in the area in 1890. At Copper Globe, we checked out the mines, cabins, and inscriptions and other rock carvings that are scattered around. There were even some petroglyphs that I wasn't previously aware of.
Camp at Justensen Flats
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/b2p0IUQtptCTsRKXmkSAsFYYa1nsVxVWCsWJpE2S7qYpK9w5jW muZIqm3Y1MraG3iBRZTRxP7SHyl1oavw=s640
Gil. Gillies(?) 1899
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EiLOVFmq8DUa2wN9S4N7GXnlW6TLKnlIe_MGldy2qX6U7VR2yD jczt_tUJg7K9lYltt6ONfYVMocvub0lQ=s640
V.H. Allred, Jan. 1, 1905
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qrqfu-iQLNAvz82MkvXr0l9kIvBa25k-EOhLl7GxDX9IGPOTKTM9nAMXXQ8dOC4ydOspB01DwL4ovYbSw= s640
Rock formation near the road to Copper Globe
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GdDNr7OUu6B39tX1X2FKt5LFZAfzWf5h2CnIR-VbUWaLYTOo7dk79tRhhLblk0TodfaiZfIStgx00aOcWA=s640
Henry Jensen memorial
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SB-rOxon6ewy2h3P9nI7vcXMfUwl-vxKgMN7LMJY7JlxdbKctI9-hP1KgzO6Nz3W67NXzC2Hs2crjusrzg=s640
Ridiculous fence around a four-foot-deep mine shaft
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wYTZYvmCjZCM9BWfdxSYrlLL2NYbX2DDVUIahPT38Lp9jFyeaf OwzAwtsjpdXqFirGklpzVIE40pUWMqvw=s640
The Hole in the Wash Gang: Morgan Hatch, Jeff Staley, Pat Sundstrom
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jUMAFVk7kUBW21T1rvcP25D5yZlJKfSk0SiYYsgcyGZAj_snew pdGPj2pr5dZ3cU8qMoNWsl-Z421YD1Yw=s640
Elephant carving
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pj9fOnzLOu3Se1IHpkRvLvD-0LKyLzygvq50di4rusuUrrvaXO9_HPabBN6jM-ICvs9NC8lhq-GyxGL5Tg=s640
W.A. inscription
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/x08hfGAh2k5SDIYuLZ25s5zt9eDmZ66LQJklGsNt2ax7Das9kU DwbPTBvN_c3C-mAcbsf5UPkqCC7qeDcQ=s640
Chris in front of a closed mine tunnel
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lCSOXeepZj6fjNLbxv-qT5K6AqU_VOVZPrbXeAxOx1Vymh9RAkZAqaA6q7mRn1SywMImX EOSJXnPa4v7uA=s640
Petroglyph at Copper Globe
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QO7JJdv50ekVsq_BeBDC2ot9Gdgw9xGzNDPoaYG4f2yR-mmYM2A2YaoyFGOQl-_2rm8vZtiiDncfSfnoxg=s640
Wood pile at Copper Globe
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hQKaCo8L7fe1KJVQe1SVmGErmPFxwcl8CILcJ9_j4YdK_sAQtb 1NJTxEoiZGhIwJVKaCG1exgj1OG__oxQ=s640
Partial dugout cabin with oven
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/A4CHgNetqsUAFXWVjuQQJSxd_7hAXaEL8mytI-DvEQOg-YDbQChTQ7DAEesEHWUovnFV7rlx6I2FuP7FhA=s640
Copper Globe Mine
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/aP8MaS3AW1xzLf4hHGCLWwmJWWzAsnFoA-x8s2r2laEr6OoirCXjVFI_YwUxke8YvOcBSt6MqRjh7NWEJg=s 640
B. Holman
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gXqyT5x_d9wJr3ZRWL4SPOoQbz3jVn5EzppccC5UzjaWwk4Huk dkpMm3F8hM9DqRxPRHpyyxIKBpBb-5KA=s640
Private Property
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tLJBO8fMYOeG0NqxyCwoYBmp6RbL1dc5mvvEnCy8jVNmjp8H8A yVvMTPtnEKtiprfvxtW9MuvgMZkl4UA=s640
Bunks in a cabin
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pqPigtVyUig29TG-bOV20bi-E-abxiXHWUdqLwJSzl_qxDq_MBa5byhlUh8WQZciRhJr1ovlluza dzqI_A=s640
What's left of the shitter
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gidfAq0xduoPSMOJokjN9CGUl2Ss03XuehwfU0s1ujn0n-T-FfGUP-KoZNAn3nMW0WDpHWKErJMMJ1wTsA=s640
Harold R., 1922
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7VLm1bKoi-SjGEXY84L46ma9580WPWK-4kUnVe6GNUvArfzi3hgo9gnlGkKke4Ep5QqybvylXczmmIUnkg =s640
Steps carved into the sandstone below some inscriptions
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2HKJRSzRtjjKWKm-ObErVTRvg-UpO4cpJwHkRyb2P0JuiiZ3jrYDiO5r0npF6m3kwa1ipro2tTgW-sbUZw=s640
Fireplace
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jUooo69NEOnm5opUFaxz9guXTR3PaXuV7of7As3PnSGZuV_ZmM 5Z9q1qCcdj65eUHwk420ALO-rdKOrhnA=s640
Leaving Copper Globe, we continued south and stopped at a couple of nice overlooks of Sulphur Canyon and Red's Canyon. The Window, so named because of a break in the cliffs that offers a view into Red's Canyon 1,000 feet below, was one of the highlights of my day because I'd been near there twelve years earlier but hadn't stopped to enjoy the view back then.
Sulphur Canyon overlook
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qjy1togfAoacSRusu6VJF8e4FGITU4s9RPFDLsVM-upxD3PaOG3fLTV51Q_dJdEpwPHaKBfYzmdeLr2-Tw=s640
Chris on the high dive
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fiiKvMtiko6G-S4uCA_bWzWX7QDptjrgqa8QkPhDQzJumSCzATSs1ADuCOSexQy oHuAzj7H8aBrXifeF9g=s640
Chris at the Window
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VRFUNR7f4oxltwLwhJ9k9Jv6r75DVqW-upnQt4NJR7tUIYnDw6UEqw9A8uHis8QkkLFrbB3ZdvX9PKDkgg =s640
We next tried driving onto Sagebrush Bench to find a couple of geocaches and visit a brush corral. The road was seriously washed out in one spot, but I thought my Jeep could make it up the other side. While driving through the washed-out portion of the road, the hitch on the Jeep scraped on several small sandstone ledges, and the tires lost traction while trying to climb up the other side. I gave it a couple of tries but the tires kept spinning in the loose dirt. I tried backing up but the hitch hit those small ledges and got completely hung up, and the Jeep suffered a small hole in the bumper. The wash was too narrow to turn around in, so Chris and I decided to try stacking rocks to get the rear-end of the Jeep clear of the ledges. Luckily there were a lot of flat rocks nearby to make some ramps about 10 inches tall. We were able to get the Jeep clear of the small ledges and, surprisingly, I was able to back up the snow-covered slope leading into the wash.
Stacking rocks to get unstuck on the Sagebrush Bench road
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xQZMLAVld_bir7MroTplNDDLATU03vdt4D-uYEzufTogNXd03TpRtUTkx3PeKKOm7WCu6qNUS8F3oucOmg=s6 40
Almost out!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xeM3XArc_ZA3dpT3hJkn9-zrx4CNeVP1z7GnqxSL5t_e9ZUMoZLlMaNwd-SNEG2_oPfXA9lFQOncGQfI7g=s640
Damage to my bumper
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PvFI_ILUYVUVSAAqJwiutly-Sx8W30hMhihTbh-lT4Oi3aA8nmCsYA_atOVeTMMgirEtLsqXK9mcb7YpVQ=s640
After quickly checking out a steel dam at the head of Cat Canyon, I decided that I didn't want to drive the gnarly road back north past Copper Globe, so we headed west through Cat Canyon and Kimball Draw. We stopped at the pictographs in Kimball Draw and I found an inscription that I hadn't noticed there before dating back to 1905. We reached I-70 with some time to kill before sunset, and I remembered a friend telling me about some pictographs on nearby Sand Bench, so we headed that way. I didn't have the coordinates, so I tried locating them by what I remembered seeing in Google Earth many months earlier. We hiked right past the faded pictographs twice before finally noticing them on the third pass. We didn't have specific camping plans that night, but since we were close enough to Justensen Flats, we just drove back to the same spot we'd camped at the previous night.
Collapsed steel dam at the head of Cat Canyon
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wSJYoX9P2DJTw8nMhVS0a3XqFYP8SjmvsSvE6ilGvkzcPpoFCn F21bX5-6uRFUy1gUL34H7E98lCZ7FYjg=s640
Chris on the slickrock
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LGjaohD4Agw63VY9_ADg491HPMa7Mchfs2L4XuTBdiA0UxLCNl CJfy2Ur4Q1rGwIOscFPxzefvINWdokYQ=s640
Kimball Draw pictographs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6TQuVsANFRAhnJq8hGahOobRMiJaZ7aqgeJGRS_Gxyyhu2xi4v D9P7mmnUVpI8R9CPqrOinQtPGxaoJ-mw=s640
Horned figure
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FqoOsYb8vp30rMYJegOmWynrgiUMr_XMtUh04lhKO87JT1l_z8 S4UcW5LFsGFiuEHdYM2t6zgQ1Xkx5byA=s640
P.B.W., J.W., 1905
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4vC1uqQoVyJ0h2YFPrDVkwUmZo3CDY-I69ufK6f_FKij2ENX--kVXyCzxdBvYg4xPfAGByDWVg8sh7EhAg=s640
Mont Swasey, 1950
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_0AWT-PpDiPEB8GJgRYt83adapZcdIS67f95pAJclFwTCnoxqCqcQFYK zGUZFoNjkGJxI-2mW_1DRd0DiQ=s640
Sand Bench pictographs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/F8Q3I9HMcJBEsjuIAi4ECPJKTvPnNvbt5uzSWGWKaEw-d53Syj8oC7tAmyypgJSG6ogTmSxA0Ap9EqCFfQ=s640
Sunday was completely unscripted. I pulled out my Utah atlas after breakfast and tried to figure out somewhere to go that was nearby. We settled on an area north of the Moore Cutoff Road near the Red Ledges and Sand Bench which I'd visited about ten years earlier. With only my ten-year-old recollection, we managed to find all the rock art I'd seen during my previous visit, including the very cool Broken-Hearted Man petroglyph.
Sid and Charley
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mo3a7zWbu3C6YLM0FpQCocDAb3PeHNVYeSwVcmYDbfQhvvkNCh 2nHFaAJTrAgYrOy1ACFQAhirPUm4bCGQ=s640
Interesting Fremont petroglyphs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xdKW4agN0xcRaa34Li6tJQV_6ibyKbu5Ab4mzMXhrUosCLLnSs N-spztiHYjxbf5rj8E0w9N49_Mb0I0Jw=s640
Human-like figures and bear, coyote, and turkey tracks
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sYABxtHKEyHWP2IaCjPAS9LNt9I9o7nHdDseAOEGEeWPi8zBq0 IJeyBpfYokO5uOaPik60ZOOvb5q_AvRQ=s640
Pecked and abraded human figures
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4Ahmq0oxg7X7ZjJEcn_GQuY2O9CRKQ0AXwPtY-i7Sr75ntr8bM_T8wt64olY7yDqG1VMugmX1o0zoDXAGw=s640
Shield guy with a tail and horns
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OUc5hSaK44qf5DvPJ0uUv13Z1qmyqCi8J8Gh_jWRQXmJpBd30l 7z3xWl_jcHg2ACQEHUFEbfGU3Ae1l1CA=s640
Many circles
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OmtGXiZnCQ4KTciiCclQNrSeGnkchD1WZg8vs3KVvAro_hQPPj J0aQBreGvJlmB6kX5Ufa_3Z-qT2iQtbg=s640
More interesting glyphs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/lThGL0dnafDfxSXjdantJ6dIx90yohRKdQe5W4lqXDZVE7oQo_ 1PSQONuNO6RJVdgXlNynIORB7f1N6zyw=s640
Sheep and archers
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AUTH-AdVKgDMDbsEAMjoPvUnX31jXDLr45BnzeNIYRSSSFNd1axEkYW XT2F-NrwPcr0j15cesTATIq8cbQ=s640
Broken-Hearted Man
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/r9Tnj3OhGHU6arkTozejX-4pDc4PCJD-Y64KXjMSHdryPOIZ1LLxsJxYMtQKOBrcCCGsQLUS5CwnyzJEDg =s640
Possible headhunter petroglyph
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_f4QXlUr0q3PpqYX_rFC8woYj5InJfON2X_com_kG72weT_09T ZJZEdKDPb8WADLWT27yD__E-sN7qNdQQ=s640
Bighorn sheep with a horned snake snout?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5srpuOVSld61WibMWPNiKRCPiTk3XCRSLc9GF-8ZaMJSjggr-2Ef6LCRPSv9jLhJ_vmL9oVWAnxl9SJ7zg=s640
Pictographs high in the cliffs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CeFP6H9Bpa5PWz9Mzg8GM70lDQYv99CF7X11dzbVNTqQzlnVKq BSGbXRgLFeu38_Y2FcV4x_XHVAx3ZsgQ=s640
We repeated the atlas process and ended up along Muddy Creek next. There we saw some rock art along the road that I'd seen before, but then set out to locate some petroglyphs that, once again, a friend had told me about but whose location I wasn't certain of. We fumbled around a bit but eventually found the petroglyphs, which conisisted of a large Vernal-style Fremont figure holding a shield with two large bear footprints. The entire panel was larger than I'd imagined, and it was in a fairly unusual spot. Seeing that panel was certainly the highlight of the day.
Pictographs high above Muddy Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HEe10rGYbSsr7nceF6z7pkZ5Nsk-iYL4dLuHtdeCX6ND1Vqe4nhzHfk5Zu-siW2ODB7tIBEfbEt5xaXCMg=s640
Large Vernal-style Fremont figure and shield
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Wy1fYe0KJZmlWEOH3DZy_Tvo-XYlHWFZ122oSn5NwfyGHQuzYU9koSMQAObrmzrHkg7XHeBS3U6 xGKV2Ew=s640
Shield with bear tracks
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IGsRNJ2nLe0AFuY1IUb-92msLM8GAi-RnCdUF-abMRE05wGQS7TLPkqUJZ0Dg66Jb8MO1gz5x9a5IX5G1w=s640
Another quick consult of the atlas and we were on our way toward Ferron Creek. We visited some easily-accessible petroglyphs near the road and viewed others across the creek through binoculars (those will be the focus of a future trip). While parked along the road searching with binoculars for any other rock art, I was pleasantly surprised when my friend Alan pulled up behind the Jeep. He was on his way farther up the canyon, toward the same location Chris and I were planning on seeing next, so we all went there together and hiked to some pictograph panels that were badly faded. That was our last stop of the trip, and Chris and I headed back to Price. It hadn't felt like a particularly busy trip, but I was surprised how many sights we were able to cram into two days.
Ferron Creek petroglyphs
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CnYQO-hIEXHRl3zO-9BCuEJ3UY2ObyHxZ02X1Dq62dt6B_WM1ApUmEzmBOrFv7EO0nt 1lU6TWbcVxXct_Q=s640
Welcome, Aug. 10, 1899
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/WRcDpnzsUO6Iv3qSotar0PW4vcW2w9y_xqUprCHDA2xSflrYC-qCHblxfCkn90oGBB_NcUY-TpwJTOebcA=s640
Pictographs near Ferron Creek
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NZUN5WVzEQWp-hDDtuTEAdOvu5ZJr50NMwoZ0A6Bm5iZ2vx0tzr5qBDg8OBQFV2 tKDbuUFtL9GWSJf_x4Q=s640
Bison pictographs, possibly fake
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4KaneMLIkQpisXGmP7pYk2REt42nITuPbbdo5doL7LJlmQhh7l Xsas_kxyfJ3caX0DYNkvz358z_CQwtCg=s640
Abraded Fremont figures
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a94RK-RyjPzHgkysJRvLZcwKJh3Mnzg71wsj1VQtPbVFG9ZV4W4IapGE oOaanyEnjUjW8QATQVOaKTJB8g=s640
Full Photo Gallery: Southwestern Swell and Beyond (https://get.google.com/albumarchive/115479031052354900696/album/AF1QipNjuLdDYD5YS_0y1D8GJS1YyEiUGkCdZH7PBNY)