The Skeleton Shaman at the Head of Sinbad in the San Rafael Swell is not only one of my most favorite pictograph panels around, it’s also one of the best preserved examples of Barrier Canyon Style, too. It’s no wonder that every time I am in the area, I have to stop and admire these beautiful pictographs!
The Moab Man on the Golf Course Panel in Moab waves hello to anyone who visits this site. I took this photo in the late afternoon while I was in town for the Solstice this year.
A horned serpent and an anthropomorph from the Transformation Panel in the Ochre Alcove. I have a hard time picking my favorite rock art site (there are just so many cool ones!), but this one would definitely be up near the top of my list!
I received word from my friend Philippe this last weekend that the Robidoux Panel in the Book Cliffs was broken when he visited it at the beginning of his Southwest trip this year, so I just had to go see it for myself. On my way home from Moab on the solstice, I made the short detour and found that part of the panel had indeed broken off and fallen to the ground. I had last visited this panel on December 18, 2010 and it was all in one piece then.
Here’s a Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel that my friend Philippe and I ‘unexpectedly’ found while searching out some rock art in the San Rafael Swell. It’s an amazing panel and we both spent a good amount of time examining all the fine details. One thing I noticed while visiting this panel and searching the surrounding area for more rock art is that there was no footpath leading to this panel…not even a footprint anywhere around.
When I got home, I asked around to see if this panel had a name, and to my surprise, I was unable to find anyone else who has seen this panel before! While I am sure that we are not the first people to stumble across this panel, it’s kind of cool to find out that it’s not very well known at all.
This is an overview photo of the very large, tall and complex panel. I have other closeup shots of the different sections that I will probably post here in the future!
Get out there and start exploring….you never know what you might find!
