« Posts by Randy Langstraat

In Between

In Between

This anthropomorph along the Three Kings Trail on the McConkie Ranch is pecked into a dark colored sandstone which seems to be squeezed between a lighter sandstone and colorful lichen covered stone.

>> Dry Fork – McConkie Ranch

High Tower

High Tower

On my way to Canyonlands and Horse Canyon last weekend, I stopped to find a ruin that I have driven by many times before yet had never been able to find. This time I managed to spot it high above the canyon floor so that I could get a photo. I didn’t have time to hike up to it, but I did take this photo with my long lens from far below.

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

Three Warriors

Three Warriors

We sure did see a lot of ‘faces’ pictographs last weekend in Canyonlands National Park. Besides the Thirteen Faces and Nine Faces panels, we also found the Eleven Faces. While there may have been Eleven Faces in this panel at one point in time, eight of them are really still visible. The three figures in the photo above were the three rightmost faces in the panel. Unfortunately, calcite has been leaching from the sandstone that these pictographs were painted on, so much of it has been covered in the white substance, making it difficult to photograph. I did my best to bring out the details in this photo.

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

Nine Faces

Nine Faces

Besides visiting the Thirteen Faces pictographs last weekend, we also managed to find the Nine Faces. These ghostly figures are all white and not as colorful, but there are at least nine of them that are still visible!

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon

High Five Panel

High Five Panel

I first noticed this high pictograph panel in May when I backpacked to Peekaboo Spring in Salt Creek Canyon. Since I didn’t have my long lens on that trip (too much weight), I couldn’t get a decent photo of the panel. Since I was able to drive to Peekaboo this last weekend I was able to get a closer photo of this very interesting panel. I took this photo just after sunrise when the early morning light was striking it directly for only a few moments.

Besides the very vivid reverse handprints and white zig-zag snakes, there is also an interesting large circular figure and two half circles that seem to have faded. Below those are a large white snake that is also pretty faded. The most interesting aspect of these pictographs is that they are painted very high up on a cliff with no current access to reach them…and we did try to find a way.

>> The Elusive Horse Canyon