Sorry for the lack of updates to the blog in the past month, but February was very crazy for me. I finally managed to get back out and search for some more rock art this weekend, so here’s a new photo that I took yesterday of a very cool panel that has a large sheep and a number of lines carved next to it. It was good to finally get back out in the desert and do some hiking!
>> Amasa Back
It’s been a while since I posted a photo of a ruin on the blog, so here you go. This is probably one of the best ruins I have visited to date, and it also happens to be one of my very favorites. The condition of this ruin is just amazing! It probably helps that this structure is located in a very deep alcove that protects it from the elements very well. This photo was taken in 2010 when we visited on a beautiful November day, but I am really hoping to re-visit it again this year.
Since I’m home this weekend, I decided to re-process a few photos that I took earlier last year since my techniques have improved greatly since then. Here’s a photo I took last March when I visited the Yellow Comet Panel near Moab. I was really able to bring out the yellow pigment that is very hard to see even with the naked eye.
Here’s a very interesting panel I came across while exploring Mill Creek Canyon near Moab last month. I have named this photo Moab’s Ascending Sheep because the long line of sheep here reminds me of the Ascending Sheep Panel in the San Rafael Swell. The large and small anthropomorphs appear to be wearing some kind of headdresses, but I cannot tell what they represent? There is also a sunburst-type petroglyph to the left of the large anthropomorph. Not only do I like the parallel lines found in the sandstone, we managed to find the panel as the sun was setting over the opposite rim of the canyon, giving the panel a nice orange-yellow color. We couldn’t have timed this visit any better!
Yesterday I headed to Moab again to do a little exploring and hiking in the Arches National Park backcountry with a friend. For a change I actually wasn’t looking for any new rock art panels on this trip. I just wanted to get out and explore a new area. Of course, I still keep my eyes open and look for rock art whenever I hike, just in case I happen to wander by some…which is what happened on this trip. As we were hiking down a small drainage, I noticed an area that looked like it might contain some petroglyphs. After hiking up to it, I was excited and surprised to find this panel containing many sheep and a few large circles. There are also a few long-necked figures in the upper right, too.
