Talk about an interesting petroglyph! I’d been looking for this petroglyph panel for a while, and even though I knew the general area it was located in, it seemed to elude me. When I finally found it last month, I realized that I had been within 20 feet of it in the past, but just didn’t hike quite far enough to reach it. It appears that these petroglyphs have been re-pecked more recently than some of the surrounding ones that aren’t pictured here.
While this is not a very large petroglyph, it always catches my eye and makes me stop and stare every time I hike by it. With one arm up and one down, it seems as if it is saying hello and goodbye to me at the same time.
These petroglyphs of bighorn sheep have eluded me for quite some time. I have searched for them before during the many times I have driven through Indian Creek Canyon over the past few years. I knew they were along the road somewhere, but was never able to find them. While driving back from Beef Basin this past weekend, I wasn’t even looking for new rock art when I managed to spot a few new petroglyphs out of the corner of my eye. I almost didn’t stop, but at the last second I decided to pull over and hike back for a few photos. I’m glad I did, because not only did I find the original petroglyphs I spotted, but I finally found this panel nearby. Maybe one day I’ll be able to drive through Indian Creek Canyon without finding any new rock art, but until that point it’s nice to find new things on each visit.
Have I got a story for you… This past weekend I spent three days with some good friends exploring the Beef Basin area. One of my main goals this trip was to locate the petroglyph panel above, though I really had no information about it’s location other than one photo I had found. I spent all day on Saturday searching for this panel with no luck, and it looked like I would be going home empty handed on this trip. On Sunday, I was actually leaving Beef Basin when I had one more idea and decided to turn around so I could check out one last area. As luck would have it, I managed to locate the panel! It felt great after being defeated the previous day. Not only is this an amazing petroglyph panel with designs and figures I have not seen anywhere else before, but it was also located high up in a pass through a notch in a cliff that offered commanding views of the entire Canyonlands region. I could definitely see why this spot would be important and special to the creators of this rock art.
A little-known ruin hidden away on Cedar Mesa under a beautiful sky, taken shortly before sunset. I managed to find this special ruin a few months back, after searching for it for quite a while, but the conditions were not that great for a good photo. I knew I would have to return again! This time all the elements came together nicely for this photo.
