Caborca, Coso, and Beyond:Â My Fall 2019 Rock Art Adventure
Trip Prologue
For a number of years I have wanted to visit the petroglyph site outside of Caborca, Mexico, and the Coso rock art at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake facility near Ridgecrest, California. So earlier this year I finally signed up for a tour at China Lake through the Maturanga Museum in Ridgecrest. Since security at the facility is tight, you have to submit your information well in advance and pass a background check before your reservation is confirmed. Once my spot was confirmed, I set about planning a trip. I decided to end my self imposed sanctions against traveling in Mexico in order to visit Puerto Blanco outside of Caborca, in the Mexican State of Sonora. I did not undertake this part of the trip lightly, and spent quite a bit of time convincing myself that travel to this place was moderately safe. I put the Caborca portion of the trip on the front end, and decided to explore some sites in central Nevada (mainly, Toquima Cave and the Lincoln County sites) on the back end of the trip. The result of this planning was the trip I report below. I hope you enjoy this adventure…I certainly did!
South To Caborca…
I left Lake McQueeney bright and early on Monday, October 28, 2019. I drove that day to Nogales, Arizona, where I checked into a motel near the Mariposa Road international border crossing. My trip was uneventful. I stopped in El Paso at Whole Foods (chicken salad and avocado!) and a truck accessory place to have the lock replaced on my camper shell (it had begun to act up and I wanted to make sure I could secure the shell during my time in Mexico). I made my customary stop for a brief walk at Texas Canyon (on IH-10 about twenty miles east of Benson, Arizona), and enjoyed a magnificent sunset as I neared Nogales and the border. After checking into the motel I walked over to a food truck for some excellent tacos before turning in for the night.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 found me crossing the border into Mexico at 7 a.m. The crossing was not busy and there was no wait at this “Hassle Free” (as it is billed by the Mexicans) entry point into Mexico. Before I knew it I was Mexican Highway 15 headed south. Highway 15 was not bad, but there were areas of construction that slowed things down. About 20 kilometers in, I stopped at the checkpoint and picked up my tourist card (it was free, since I was only spending a few days in Mexico) without any problems.  After about an hour of driving I left the main freeway to make a bathroom stop in Magdalena De Kino. At the small town of Santa Ana I turned right onto Mexican Highway 2 (which is a toll road) and from there it was a straight shot west into Caborca. The drive was pleasant and uneventful. The roads were good, though certainly not up to U.S. standards.
I pulled into Caborca a little before 10 a.m. I stopped at a Pemex Station, mainly to inquire about finding a wifi connection. The young female attendant (in Mexico you don’t pump your own gas) put 200 pesos in my tank (a big mistake here!) and I headed to find a wifi, which I eventually did at a coffee place. I called Bruce Waldon on WhatsApp and confirmed that I would be arriving at the ranch around 1:00 p.m. Bruce lives in Tuscon and handles the bookings for Mr. Mendez and Rancho Puerto Blanco. I then headed over to Cerro Prieto (a small mountain right in town) and hiked for a couple of hours looking for petroglyphs. I found a number of small sites, but nothing spectacular. As I headed west out of Caborca towards the ranch, I stopped in at a large Pemex station to fill my tank. Fortunately, the attendant spoke English and I realized, much to my distress and dismay, that the young lady had put gasoline instead of diesel into my tank earlier that day. So, to make a long story short, I went to the ranch, picked up my key to the ranch house, then returned to Caborca and the Ford dealer there to spend the afternoon as they drained my fuel tank and replaced my fuel filter. I used the time to have a nice walk around town, so I guess not all was lost. I was very tired by the time I made it back out to the ranch and went straight to bed.
Rancho Puerto Blanco…
Rancho Puerto Blanco is owned by Senor Jose Mendez and is located just a few kilometers west of Caborca. Senor Mendez is a wonderful gentleman who for many years has protected and shared the archaeology located on his ranch. With prior arrangements anyone can visit the ranch to view the magnificent petroglyphs located there. I rented the ranch house ($40 per night, U.S.) for two nights and spent all day Wednesday and Thursday morning hiking and exploring. The ranch has two mountains Cerro La Proveedra and Cerro La Calera, both of which have numerous petroglyph sites.
Exploring La Proveedra and La Calera at Rancho Puerto Blanco…
I was up early on the morning of Wednesday, October 30, 2019, anxious to see the rock art at the ranch. Bruce had provided me a basic map of the two mountains on the ranch and the approximate locations of the main sites. I reached the first site at La Proveedra as the sun was coming up. What a beautiful morning it was and the rock art was magnificent. About ten a.m. I was high up on the mountain when I noticed a truck near mine. I climbed down to discover that Senor Mendez had come out to greet me. He speaks very little English, and I speak very little Spanish, but we communicated nonetheless. He is such a nice man! He took me over to La Calera to the main site there, wanting to make sure I did not miss it. He also pointed out several habitation sites and other non rock art sites on his ranch. I am so grateful I got to meet, and spend time with this wonderful man.  After he dropped me back at La Proveedra, I spent the rest of the day exploring on my own. Early the next morning I got up and drove over and parked at the dam near the northern end of La Calera. I spent the morning seeing as much of the northern end and the eastern side of the mountain. I saw a lot of beautiful rock art, but I am sure there is much more to see. Here are a few photos of my time at Puerto Blanco.
A final thought about my time in Caborca and Rancho Puerto Blanco. I really enjoyed the people. Caborca is not a tourist town, so, while very few people speak English, they are genuinely appreciative of, and kind to, people who are visiting their town. From the people at the Ford house, to the school girls who helped me find a WiFi connection, they were all so nice to this old man. When I asked Senor Mendez for a supper recommendation, he told me a steakhouse called La Carretta was his favorite. So on Wednesday evening I went and had a nice steak at La Carretta. I decided to get Senor Mendez a gift certificate to enclose with my thank you note. It took about an hour to get the certificate — the owner made a special trip down to the restaurant and prepared one just for me (I don’t think they had ever done one before!). I hope I get to return to Caborca and Puerto Blanco someday. I am sure I have many more friends there that I am yet to meet!
The Road to the Ridgecrest Petroglyph Festival and the Coso Rock Art District…
I left Rancho Puerto Blanco about 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 31, 2019, and headed for Phoenix, where I would spend the night. I decided to cross back into the U.S. at Lukeville, Arizona, so I took Highway 2 north out of Caborca. There was no wait at the border (I had noticed a long wait to come back in at Nogales) and I re-entered the U.S. without any problems. I stopped in at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument before heading to Phoenix by driving through the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation on Highways 86 and 15. It was a nice drive into Phoenix. I had planned to do some hiking that afternoon, but ran out of daylight. I headed out early Friday morning, bound for Ridgecrest. I stopped in Blythe, California and got my oil changed. I went through Palm Springs and was discouraged to see so many wind turbines right next to the freeway — what an eyesore! The closer I got to Los Angeles, the worse the traffic got. By the time I turned north on IH 15, it was pretty much stop and go during the middle of the day. I got into Ridgecrest just before dark, excited to visit the Coso Rock Art District early the next morning.
The 6th Annual Petroglyph Festival was hosted by the Maturango Museum in the small town of Ridgecrest, California, on the weekend of November 2 & 3, 2019. I had signed up for a 6:00 a.m. tour of Little Petroglyph Canyon several months before the festival and was able to secure a spot on the tour. Our small group met at the museum at 5:30 a.m. and shortly after 6:00 a.m. went through security at the nearby Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake facility. We drove 38 miles to the trailhead for Little Petroglyph Canyon, which lies in the shadow of Coso Peak. This canyon has over 20,000 documented petroglyphs and is in the heart of the 36,450 acre Coso Rock Art District at the Naval facility. We spent the next several hours enjoying the rock art in the canyon. I am grateful I finally got to experience this special place! To see the full gallery of photos I took at the site, look here.
We returned from Little Petroglyph Canyon and arrived back at the Museum and the Festival grounds a little before noon. I spent some time touring the museums (the Naval facility also has a museum near the Maturanga Museum), the festival grounds, and enjoying the Indian dances. I had a Navajo Fry Bread taco for lunch and relaxed while doing some people watching.
After spending a couple of hours at the festival, I headed north out of town to hike to the Ayer’s Rock Pictograph Site and Fossil Falls. I had an enjoyable afternoon of hiking and exploring. Ayer’s Rock was not spectacular, but was an interesting place set in a magnificent landscape. I spent several hours hiking around and upstream of Fossil Falls. Prehistoric peoples used this area extensively. It is not far from a large source of obsidian and there was obsidian lithic debitage in great abundance. There was a dance that night at the festival grounds but by the time I got back to my motel I was dead tired, so I grabbed a bite to eat and hit the sack very early.
Time to Head to Toquima Cave…
As is my custom, I left Ridgecrest before dawn on the morning of Sunday, November 3, 2019, headed north to Toquima Cave. While passing through the picturesque town of Lone Pine, I enjoyed early morning views of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. While studying my map during a bathroom stop in Bishop, California, I noticed a couple of canyons north of Bishop that indicated they contained petroglyph sites. So I decided to take a detour to explore Red Canyon and Chidago Canyon. I found each of these canyons contained some nice petroglyph panels and I had a great time exploring them. About halfway between the two canyons, I noticed a promising looking rock outcrop some distance from the road. I hiked out to it and, sure enough, there were some nice petroglyphs located there. I decided to call this site “Midway“.
After my exploring in the area north of Bishop, California, I continued north on Highway 6 and crossed into Nevada near Boundary Peak. Originally I had planned to stop by the Grimes Point Petroglyph site (outside of Fallon, Nevada), but I decided I would not have time to make it to Toquima Cave taking that route. So I continued on to Tonopah, then headed due north on Nevada Highway 376. The turnoff to Toquima Cave is from 376 a few miles before it intersects with Nevada Highway 50. By the time I drove up toward Pete’s Summit and the Toquima Cave trailhead it was late afternoon. I hiked to the cave and photographed the pictographs, returning to the Toquima Cave Campground right at dusk. My plan was to camp up there and photograph the pictographs in the morning light and do a little exploring the next morning. But as the sun set, the temperature began to drop rapidly and the wind picked up. I decided to forego the camping and headed down the mountain toward Austin, Nevada, to spend the night. On the drive down, I saw some wild burros and was able to photograph them in the dusk/dark. I also saw a side road marked “Hottub Road”. At the motel in Austin, the young lady who checked me in said there were several nice hot springs on that road with places to take a dip/soak…maybe next trip! Even without a soak in a hottub, I slept like a baby that night, tired to the bone!
A Fine Day at Great Basin National Park…
Monday morning (November 4, 2019) I left Austin, Nevada, headed for Great Basin National Park. Before sunrise I made a quick detour and stopped at the Hickison Petroglyphs Recreation Area, located just off Highway 50 on the way to Eureka, Nevada. I had a nice hike to the top of the ridge, and spent some time exploring the petroglyph areas. Not a particularly noteworthy place as far as petroglyphs go, but I am glad I stopped in!
I left Hickson and headed east, passing through the small, quirky hamlets of Eureka and Ely, Nevada. I made it to the visitor’s center at Great Basin National Park by early afternoon. A sweet young ranger was kind enough to give me the general location for some rock art in the park. From the visitor center I made my way to an area of the park that doesn’t get much attention (Baker Creek) and spent a couple of hours exploring two pictograph caves.
I then made the drive up toward Wheeler Peak and hiked up to the ancient grove of Bristlecone Pine trees. It was a gorgeous hike in the shadow of Wheeler Peak and the surrounding glaciers and I enjoyed learning about, and seeing firsthand, these magnificent and ancient trees. I had to really hustle to make it back to the trailhead and my truck before dark but, thankfully, I made it just in the nick of time.
I thought about camping in the park, but once again the combination of rapidly dropping temps and rising wind convinced me otherwise, so I hit the road in search of a good meal and a warm bed. I ended up driving all the way to Pioche, and found a room downtown at the charming Overland Hotel. I hibernated for the night in “The Bears Den”. I love these old hotels and motels!
Wrapping up My Trip With the Lincoln County Sites…
I spent the last two full days of my trip (Tuesday and Wednesday, November 5 and 6, 2019) exploring the rock art sites of Lincoln County, Nevada. These had been on my radar for quite some time and I am glad I got around to finally paying them a visit. On Tuesday, I explored Rainbow Canyon sites and Mount Irish sites. On Wednesday, I paid visits to White Narrows, Crystal Wash, Ash Springs, and Black Canyon. I also hiked into Arrow Canyon (north of Las Vegas) late that day. These two days were filled with great landscapes, beautiful weather, outstanding hiking, and many, many rock art surprises!  Here are a few photos from my last two days of the trip.
A Visit To A Pigeon Coup and a National Monument on the Drive Home…
On Thursday, November 7, 2019, to break up the monotony of the long drive, I made a couple of stops worth noting. Outside of Phoenix, in Tempe, Arizona, I stopped by the Pigeon Coop for a meeting with like minded AA folks. This was a very nice club, filled with friendly and loving people. They have a coffee shop next door (“Dr. Bob’s Coffee“) and I got a cup to go– highly recommended! I also stopped at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument later that day. They have a very nice museum and I thoroughly enjoyed my stroll around the Monument, which is one of the iconic sites of the Southwest. Â
Epilogue
I enjoyed this little trip. I stepped outside my comfort zone as I traveled in Mexico for the first time in 36 years. I visited some sites that had been on my “To Do” list for a long time. I met some incredible people and enjoyed some incredibly beautiful landscapes. I felt close to God while enjoying the solitude of the wilderness. I returned safely with just a few scratches and embedded cactus barbs. I am grateful for the health and resources that allow me to have experiences like this. I am so grateful for my wife who allows me to head out and waits patiently and lovingly for my return. I will leave you with one final photo. As I hiked back to the Wheeler Peak Trailhead (Great Basin NP) near dusk, I looked up and above the peaks and glaciers I saw a jet that looked like it was flying to the rising moon….beautiful!
Erik Fossum
December 1, 2019 11:32 pmAwesome adventure Tom! Thanks for putting this together.
Virginia Y Mendez
June 28, 2023 11:10 pmWhat a beautiful adventure you had and I greatly enjoyed reading this. I sat this morning enjoying coffee with this wonderful man Mr. Jose Mendez that happens to be my eldest cousin on my fathers side of the family. We talked about his ranch over breakfast and he told me this story of this gentleman that not only left him a tip at the ranch but nicely covered a dinner ( to his surprise) in appreciation for him and his wife to enjoy. This evening I decided to read articles about his ranch. Ironically I started with your article and I was blown out of the water with chilling excitement that he was speaking about you. So just know that you as well left a very pleasant stamp on my cousins heart with your genuine gratitude in regards to your stay and visit on his ranch. I’m your fan! He is currently In Tucson dealing with some delicate medical issues but yet he lights up speaking of the wonderful people he has also had the privilege and opportunity to meet and you are one of them. We would have our family reunion’s at his ranch and also had the opportunity to see these great historical works of art on his property. Gosh I’m so glad o read this article! Thank you