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Thread: Easter Weekend Ruins & Rock Art

  1. #1

    Easter Weekend Ruins & Rock Art

    Saturday & Sunday, April 7-8, 2012

    The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO

    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.


    Bird Tracks by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    Ruins Below by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    Hand & Painted Granary by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    Here's a closer look that the interesting paintings on this ruin that make it very unique.


    Ruin Paintings by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    Corncobs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    This is a very photogenic ruin and I had a lot of fun taking photos of it from different angles.


    Painted Ruin by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    Painted Granary Ceiling by IntrepidXJ, 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 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.


    Red Family by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


    Father & Son by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    Black Buffalo by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    A few interesting handprints that I almost missed before leaving.


    Stripes & Circles by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    Here we have some older pictographs and petroglyphs, plus some newer pictographs that are probably Ute. There's even a little graffiti...


    Old & New by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    I did finally make it to the Pastel Alcove Ruin found near Cave 7.


    Pastel Alcove Ruin by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    One wall remains of a ruin that was built in Cave 7.


    Cave 7 Wall by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    A view into Cave 7.


    Cave 7 by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    End of the Comb & Light by IntrepidXJ, 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...


    In the Shadows by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


    Anthropomorph & Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr


    Duck on Head by IntrepidXJ, 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.


    Bluff Ladder Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    A closer look at some of the other interesting figures to the left of the ladder.


    Circle with Tail by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

    This was another large Basketmaker panel that was located near the Ladder Panel, but was pretty difficult to see...let alone photograph.


    Many Men Panel by IntrepidXJ, 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
    Randy Langstraat
    ADVENTR.CO | Anasazi Photography

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  3. #2
    I like that very unique ruin with the reverse hand print. Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

  4. #3
    Great photos Randy! I also did not know the specific location of Painted / Nestled Granary when I found it. An old friend of mine only told me to hike up that canyon and he said "You will be surprised at what you might find in there" I didn't even know what I was looking for ......I WAS surprised when I found the Painted Granary nestled in that alcove. This is really the way to find these great sites......knowing where they already are takes all the adventure out of it.

    I am looking forward to seeing your photos of Ancient Steps ruin when you find it. You should not have any trouble finding that one now......but you will have to look hard to find the Ancient Steps.....
    Ancient Steps Ruin
    "You're not lost...if you don't care where you are"
    Grand Gulch /Cedar Mesa Rock Art Hats

    To learn more about the ruins of SE Utah:
    Visit Beyond Mesa Verde
    Visit Anasazi Ruins

  5. #4
    Outstanding!!! I'll have to check these out...I came out there the next week and it had warmed up nicely.

  6. #5
    Very nice Randy! Some of that looks familiar

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