Petrified!  A Fall 2022 Rock Art Trip, Part1

Prologue

For several years, I have wanted to return to Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP) and visit some of the backcountry rock art sites.  My first visit to PFNP was in December of 2017 on an impromptu rock art trip I made after the death of my sister Molly.  That visit was very brief, and I saw only roadside attractions.  My next visit to PFNP was in the Spring of 2019.  A friend and I had planned to revisit the roadside attractions and do the Martha’s Butte hike.  Unfortunately, the morning we visited the Park, a late spring storm was blowing in, so we didn’t stay very long at all.  Over the next several years, I began to research rock art sites in PFNP that were off the beaten path.  I spent quite a bit of time doing this research, and plotting hikes on my GAIA hiking app.  PFNP has a number of closed and/or restricted areas (see Petrified Forest NP Superintendent’s Compendium Maps), so part of my challenge was to plan hikes that would not encroach on these restricted areas and run afoul of park rules.  

On September 26, 2022, I received an unexpected and unwelcomed diagnosis of prostate cancer.  I was shocked and bewildered by what lay ahead for me, and I decided the best way to ease my mind and soothe my spirit was to head for the desert.   So, I pulled out my PFNP research materials, picked out some hikes that would take me about a week to complete, and headed out.  As has become my custom, I included a little birding and some other minor rock art sites on both the trip out and my return trip.  This blog is my attempt to recount what turned out to be a very satisfying and healing trip.  Part 1 covers the trip out and my time at Petrified Forest National Park.  Part 2 covers my hikes in the Sedona Area (Loy Canyon, Palatki, and Woo Ranch), my hike on the Hieroglyphic Trail, my visit to Taliesin West, and my Cave Creek Hikes.  So here we go!

THE TRIP OUT  (Saturday and Sunday, October 15 & 16, 2022)

I left the lake very early on the morning of October 15, 2022, and headed for Lubbock, Texas.  I had noted that there were two Texas Monthly Top 50 barbeque joints near Lubbock, so I chose to have lunch at one of them.  I had  a very nice meal at Rejino Barbeque in Olton, Texas, and continued to head west.  Shortly after leaving Olton, I spotted a beautiful Red-tailed Hawk, and he graciously allowed me to stop and take some pictures.     

My destination for the first day’s drive was the Sky City Casino Hotel, located off IH 40 near the Acoma Pueblo complex.  As I neared Acoma,  the temperature starting dropping and dark clouds were moving in.  I wasn’t surprised when I woke up early the next morning–  it was windy, cold, and raining.  I had planned to hike to two rock art sites in El Mapais National Monument (Aldridge Point and Dittert), but I knew that might not be possible with the bad weather.  In my experience, nothing good ever comes from the combination of bad weather and dirt roads.  So I drove to the Ranger Station in El Mapais, and was advised that the dirt road to the trailhead for Aldridge would not be passable due to the rain.  So, I went to Plan B.  I decided to park on the main road, hop a fence, and hike cross-country to Aldridge Point.  I made it about half way to the site before I had to turn around.  It had begun raining harder, and I was encountering areas in little washes that were difficult to get around.  So, I reluctantly returned to my car and drove toward the Dittert Site.  The Ranger had said that SR 41was part gravel and might be passable, and I might be able to get close enough to the site to walk in.  After driving a couple of miles off the main road, I met a large 4-wheel-drive truck on SR 41, and he said the road was really bad up ahead and he had to turn around.  I decided to do the same.  I said goodbye to El Mapais and the bad weather, and headed toward Holbrook, Arizona, where I would be spending the week. 

Since I had been unable to do the hikes I had planned in El Mapais, I arrived at PFNP mid-afternoon.  I decided to stop in the Park and check out the conditions.  First, I drove down to Puerco Pueblo.  The Puerco River was swollen and raging, and it was very obvious that the Park had received quite a bit of rain.  Before driving over to Newspaper Rock, I took a couple of photos of my friend “The Howling Man” from the road.  At Newspaper Rock, I took a few photos of the petroglyph boulders with my long lens (Nikon P1000). 

As I was driving out of the Park, I stopped at the Lacy Point pullout and hiked about a third of the way down the cliff toward the Painted Desert.  The further I went, the worse my footing got.  By the time I stopped and turned around, I was sinking almost up to my ankle with each step — not good conditions!  I climbed back up to my car and cleaned up my boots as best I could before driving to my motel in Holbrook. 

Monday, October 17, 2022 —  Petroglyph Mesa or Bust!

PFNP is open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. each day.  I was excited for my first big hike of the week as I arrived at the main gate on the north side of the Park thirty minutes early.  I was first in line to get into the Park.  Once I showed my pass and was let in, I drove straight to the Route 66 Pull Out, where I would began my my first real hike in the Park, to a site known as the Boundary Site, aka Petroglyph Mesa.  I decided to do the Boundary Site first because it appeared to be the largest site on my list of targets, and would also require the longest and most difficult hike.  

After negotiating the the pour over and hiking around the eastern end of the mesa, I was finally at the site.  It had taken me a little over two hours to get there.  My GPS said that the route I took to the mesa was a little over three miles.  I calculated I had four and a half hours to explore Petroglyph Mesa before I needed to start my hike back and make it out of the Park by closing time.  I set up my stool and scanned the cliff sides with my binoculars.  If I saw rock art up high, I would take a picture with my long lens (P1000).

I spent the next four plus hours steadily making my way down the mesa’s edge until I reached the western end, where I could see Lithodendron Wash a short distance away.  I saw and photographed many panels of petroglyphs that day.  I would love to return to this beautiful place someday, because I know that I probably missed a lot of the petroglyphs.  But I knew if I climbed up to every high panel and isolate I saw, I would never make it back in time.  Below are a few pictures of the petroglyphs I saw at Petroglyph Mesa.  For a complete gallery of my pictures, look here.  

A little after 3:00 p.m., I packed up my gear and began the long and tiresome trek back to my car.  Since much of the return hike is uphill, I knew it would take me a little longer than the trip in, and it did.  By the time I made it back to my car, I had just enough time to exit the Park before it closed.  It had been a wonderful day, filled with beautiful blue skies, intriguing landscapes, and outstanding rock art!

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 —  A Disappointing Day?  Not Really!

I woke up early on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, very sore from the hike out to Petroglyph Mesa the day before.  I decided to do a hike to an area I am calling Newspaper Rock South.  This area is due south of the Newspaper Rock Restricted Area (Map A – §1.5, Closures and Public Use Limits, Superintendent’s Compendium) and I had plotted a hike that would access the area by hiking cross country from the “Tepees” roadside pullout parking area on the main road in PFNP near mile marker 14.  I enjoyed the hike as I hiked around and through the west portion “The Tepees”, eventually making my way to a mesa cliffside area where I expected to begin to find rock art in general, and one very special panel in particular. 

After thoroughly exploring the area around the small ruin and finding nothing, I continued to head north along the mesa cliffside, searching for signs of rock art.  Soon I spotted my first panel of petroglyphs, and more small panels followed.  

By this time, my GPS showed I was right on the edge of the Newspaper Rock restricted area.  I was able to photograph these next two small panels from the non-restricted area, but I could not see any more rock art in this area on the lower portion of the cliffside. 

By this time I was disappointed and frustrated because I had failed to find an iconic panel known as “The Golden Disk” that I thought would be in this area.  I spent about another hour and half climbing around the high parts of this cliffside area, hoping I would spot the Golden Disk from up high.  I did find an interesting access point from the mesa top and an interesting little panel that was not visible from down low, but I saw no signs of the Golden Disk.  The only conclusions I could reach were: (1) the Golden Disk was in the restricted area and not visible from vantage points in the non-restricted area; or (2) that I was either blind as a bat or sorely lacking in petroglyph finding skills.  Anyway, I started hiking back to my car in a state of profound disappointment that I had failed to find the Golden Disk.  But, as I hiked, I realized that even though I failed to find a specific panel, I had seen sights that few people ever see, and had enjoyed a beautiful hike that few 70 year olds would dream of undertaking by themselves.  Awash with gratitude, I set out to enjoy the hike back!  By the way, to see a more complete gallery of the photographs I took that day at this site, look here. 

When I reached my car, I saved the track and data from my hike.  My hiking app showed I had hiked 5.07 miles and that I had been out for 5 hours and 24 minutes.  I didn’t think I had enough daylight to complete any of the other hikes I had planned in PFNP, so I decided to take it easy and do a little reconnaissance.  Since it was close by, I drove over to the Blue Mesa Loop.  One of the hikes I had considered for the week was down into Billings Gap.  After surveying the area I determined that the effort/reward ratio for the hike was probably not that good.  I did see some interesting and colorful geology along the 4 mile loop.   

After driving and exploring the Blue Mesa Loop I decided to exit the South Entrance to the Park and drive down to Woodruff Butte.  I knew that it would take about 45 minutes to get down there (via Highway 180 west, to Highway 77 south, to Woodruff Road) from examining the area on Google Earth and Google Maps.  I had two objectives for the area.  First was an iconic petroglyph panel known as “The Mother of Game”.  I had spent some time trying to figure out exactly where this site was located, including contacting the Snowflake Chamber of Commerce and talking to several locals.  One local certainly knew the location because he directed me to his You Tube Channel and a video that contained a shot of the panel.  But when I asked a simple question (which side of the Little Colorado River, relative to the Butte, is the the site on?) he declined to answer.  So, I had planned a route that would get me to State Trust Land that I thought the site might be located on.  Bottom line–  two roads that I hoped to travel to the end of and then do some exploratory hiking did not pan out.  I had a very interesting conversation with a local who was either deliberately pulling my leg or was laboring under the weight of severe emotional and/or mental problems.  I finally gave up.  I then headed to my second objective in the area, namely, Silver Creek  at Five Mile Draw.  I had little trouble finding the access road off of Highway 77.  I passed through the gate and drove down to the trailhead.  I hiked down into the canyon a short way and did not see any rock art with my binoculars.  The lower part of the trail looked extremely muddy (the whole area had experienced a significant rainfall in the previous couple of days) as well as overgrown, so I decided to head back to my motel in Holbrook.  Just as well, since daylight was fast fading by this time.

I am hesitant to characterize this day as a total bust.  After all, most of the satisfaction I derive from adventures such as these comes from finding sites on my own that most people never have the opportunity to visit.  I consider many of the hours I spent this day as laying groundwork, or paying my dues.  So, when I do finally sit in front of  “The Golden Disk” and “The Mother of Game” some day, it will be satisfying, indeed!

Wednesday, October 19, 2022 —  A Quick Stop At the Little Colorado River, Martha’s Butte and Beyond, and Agate House

Since my main hike for this day would be in the area of Martha’s Butte, I decided to enter the Park at the South Entrance off of Highway 180.  On the drive to the Park that morning, I stopped at the bridge over the Little Colorado River on Highway 180, having read there was some rock art there.  I parked at a pullout after crossing over the bridge and walked down to the river.  The trail was wet and sloppy, so I didn’t venture far, and I didn’t see any rock art.  Under the bridge I did see a little “artful” graffiti, but I would have much preferred prehistoric petroglyphs! 

I arrived at the South Entrance to PFNP about 7:45 a.m. and was fifth in line.  When the gates opened, I presented my Park Pass at the check point and made the short drive to the pullout near the most commonly used access point when hiking to Martha’s Butte.  I set out on my hike and in no time covered the mile to the base of Martha’s Butte.  I spent about an hour searching the boulders in the area for petroglyphs and found quite a few.  Below are a few of the photos I took that morning around Martha’s Butte.  For a more complete gallery of my photos of this area, look here.  

After thoroughly exploring all of the areas around  the base of Martha’s Butte, I  set out to try to find a petroglyph known as “The Starving Man”.  I had no specific information about its location, so I spent the next several hours wandering around and exploring areas that I thought looked like good prospects for rock art.  At first I met with no success, but once I reached the right area, I began to find petroglyphs and lots of pottery sherds.  In an area I am calling “Box Canyon” I found quite a few panels of petroglyphs, some of which were very interesting.  As I left Box Canyon and continued hiking, I began to worry about the time.  I had set a specific “turn around time”, and shortly before this self imposed time deadline, I found The Starving Man site.  I was quite proud of myself!  I knew that this petroglyph was unique,  but I didn’t realize how rare it was until I got home and read the comments set out below from the book TAPAMVENI by McCreery and Malotki. After spending some time sitting in front of the main panel and enjoying the sacred nature of this location and landscape, I took some photos, then headed back to the trailhead and my car.  Here are a few photos of sights and sites from beyond Martha’s Butte.  For a complete gallery of the photos I took at Box Canyon, look here. For a complete gallery of my photos from the Starving Man site, look here.

As I headed for the South Park Entrance, I realized I had little time left before I needed to be out of the Park, so I parked in the Visitor Center lot and walked over to the improved trail that goes to Long Logs and Agate House.

I decided to visit Agate House first in case I grew short on time. The trail is paved and a little over a mile long.  Agate House was reconstructed using pieces of petrified wood that were used in the original construction of the small eight room Pueblo.  When the site was first recorded by archaeologists in the 1930s, it was thought to be the only Pueblo of its kind (constructed from petrified wood).  But as the Park has expanded  and continued to be explored in more detail, the remains of hundreds of similar structures have been found.  It was a pleasant evening during my visit and I had the place all to myself.  On the way back to the trailhead and parking lot I took part of the Long Logs portion of the trail and enjoyed seeing the massive petrified logs found there.  It was a pleasant way to end my day in the Park! For a more complete gallery of photos I took at Agate House, look here.

Thursday, October 20, 2022 —  A Visit to Petroglyph Canyon and a Visit With an Old Friend Introduces Me to a New Friend

My original plan was to spend Thursday Morning in Petroglyph Canyon, and that afternoon hiking to the Flatiron Site in the northern part of the Park.  So, Thursday morning, I found myself first in line at the South Entrance to the Park, and, not long after it opened, I was hiking to Petroglyph Canyon.  The hike was an easy one, since it followed an old road into the canyon and there was virtually no elevation change.

Once I reached the cliffside in the canyon where the petroglyphs are located, I set up my stool and searched with my binoculars.  I couldn’t see many petroglyphs from my vantage points along the bottom of the cliff, so I set about exploring the area.  I had read that there was an old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) trail in the area and eventually I found the trail, complete with old steps.  I also knew that there was a restricted area past the top of the cliff (Superintendent’s Compendium, Map P), so I was careful to not go into this area.  I spent several hours exploring the area and found a number of petroglyphs.  Below are a few of my photos.  For a more complete gallery of photos I took at this site, look here. 

I hiked back to my car after exploring Petroglyph Canyon, and headed north on the Main Park Road, intending to drive up to the trailhead for the Flatiron site at the Painted Desert Inn.  Shortly after passing the pull out for the Crystal Forest, I saw a rock formation on the left that looked promising for petroglyphs.  So when I saw a place to park at a blocked off service road, I stopped and hiked on the road over to the large rock formation and scanned it with my binoculars.  I didn’t find any petroglyphs, but as I left the road and looped around to explore some smaller clusters of rocks, I did find one boulder that had some pedestrian petroglyphs.  Later, while looking at the map on my GAIA hiking app, I  realized that the road I stopped at and hiked a short way on, headed southeast and eventually passed through an area north of Martha’s Butte, near Mountain Lion Mesa.  Little did I know that the next day I would hike part of that same road while exploring north of Martha’s Butte.  The map also revealed that this road eventually went all the way to the edge of the restricted area west of Petroglyph Canyon.  

After my little detour to explore near the closed service road, I continued north on the Main Park Road. I made a quick stop at Agate Bridge to see the 110 foot long petrified log that bears that name. 

After my quick stop at Agate Bridge, I continued north on the Main Park Road, still intending to hike to the Flatiron Site.  As I approached Newspaper Rock and Puerco Pueblo, I realized that I probably had enough time to stop at the Howling Man.  On my previous trips to the Park, I had not explored very far past the Howling Man, so I thought I would stop and do that on the way to Flatiron.  As it turns out, I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon exploring the cliffs past Howling Man to the edge of the northern boundary of the Newspaper Rock Restricted area.  There was much more rock art to see in that area than I anticipated!  About halfway through my explorations, I ran into a gentleman from Massachusetts named Chris Curtis.  It turns out he was familiar with my website.  As we continued to explore together, I soon realized that we were kindred spirits and had visited many of the same rock art sites over the years.  Chris and I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon together and found quite a few interesting petroglyphs.  Below are some of the photos I took that afternoon.  For a complete gallery of the site I am calling “Newspaper Rock North”, look here.  I decided to call the area around The Howling Man “Puerco Wash”.  For a complete gallery of my Puerco Wash photographs, look here. 

I am very grateful that I met Chris Curtis that afternoon and that we got to do some walking and exploring together.  I am at the stage in my life (age 70) where I am fast becoming more and more reluctant to climb up to high rock art panels and to make long hikes by myself.  Thanks to Chris, I got to experience some very nice panels up close and personal.  He often led the way as we climbed, and seemed to take care to pick routes through the boulders that he thought I could safely negotiate.

One of the petroglyphs we found that afternoon was quite unique.  It was located high up on one of the angled walls of a cave.  In their book TAPAMVENI, Rock Art Galleries of the Southwest, Patricia McCreery and Ekkehart Malotki identify the petroglyph as a winter solstice marker in their Chapter on Archaeoastronomy (Chapter 8, Figure 8.4, Page 137).  They have a photo of the petroglyph in their book  and identify the cave as “Pinhole Cave”.  In explaining their photo and the solstice event, they state:  “Here a blunt light angle brushes along both the bottom and right pairs of human feet.”   Below are a few photos from our exploration of Pinhole Cave. 

By the time we finished exploring the cliffs north of the Newspaper Rock restricted area, it was time to head back to our cars and leave the Park.  Since we were both staying in Holbrook, we agreed to meet for dinner that evening at Mesa Italiana Restaurant.  At dinner, I learned that Chris is an accomplished photographer, and he graciously gave me permission to link this blog to his website.  We had an enjoyable time discussing our favorite rock art sites and destinations.  As we parted ways that night, we agreed to meet the next morning and hike together on my last day at the Park.

Friday, October 21, 2022 — Last Day at PFNP:  A Visit to Flatiron and a Return to Martha’s Butte and Beyond

Originally, Chris and I had talked about hiking out to the Boundary Site on Friday.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought a hike to Flatiron and Martha’s Butte (especially if we tried to make it all the way to Mountain Lion Mesa) might be a better use of our time and allow Chris to experience more of the iconic PFNP sites.  Chris and I discussed it, and we decided to do the Flatiron and Martha’s Butte hikes.  We were both in line at the North Entrance, and, when the Park opened, we drove over to the Painted Desert Inn where the trailhead to Flatiron is located.  The Flatiron Petroglyph site is accessed from the Onyx Bridge Trail.  I had the route to the petroglyphs on my GAIA app, so finding the site was not a problem.  We enjoyed a nice hike in perfect conditions.  My app showed that we hiked 2.13 miles in one hour and thirty one minutes.  When we reached the site, the light was good for taking rock art photos, with a light covering of very high clouds.  I am glad I got to experience this iconic site.  Below are some of the pictures I took at Flatiron that morning.  For a more complete gallery of pictures from the Flatiron Site, look here.  

After completing our hike to the Flatiron Site, we hopped in our cars and headed straight for the Martha’s Butte Trailhead.  Parking for this hike is not a designated pull out, but just a wide spot in the road near a wash.  We set out on our second hike of the day, and, in no time, we were at Martha’s Butte. 

Once we reached Martha’s Butte, we wandered around for about thirty minutes, as Chris studied and photographed the petroglyphs scattered around the base of the Butte and the nearby landscapes.   I enjoyed watching how an experienced photographer approached a panel, and how he appeared to be seeking different perspectives with his photos.  When I  photograph a site,  I tend to focus solely on the petroglyphs, and take many, many photos.  Chris, however, seemed to take a much broader and artistic approach, appearing to focus on how the petroglyphs, and the boulders they were on, interacted with the surrounding landscape.  I think the thought that he put into his shots translated into him being much more judicious with the number of photos he took at each site.  I believed he mentioned “quality over quantity” during one of our discussions.  I hope to incorporate some of his techniques and habits into my future photography efforts, while realizing that I will probably never achieve the results that experienced photographers, like Chris, enjoy.   

Once we finished up at Martha’s Butte, we hiked directly to an area I am calling “Box Canyon”, where I had found a number of sites on my Wednesday hike.  Here are a few photos of our explorations at Box Canyon.  For a more complete gallery of photos from this area, look here.

From Box Canyon, we hiked out to the iconic Starving Man Panel.  The light was not great, but the large boulder that is covered with petroglyphs was stunning.  Below are a few pictures from the Starving Man.  For a more complete gallery of photos from this site, look here. 

After we finished up at the Starving Man, we consulted our maps and decided to hike north/northwest toward a distant, but prominent, landform that we believed to be the eastern point of Mountain Lion Mesa.  After hiking through a wide wash and climbing up a little ridge, we ran into the service road that I had briefly hiked the previous day (several miles away, off the Main Park Road).  From this road, we could also see that our proposed path to the point was blocked by a large and deep canyon/wash.  Using binoculars, we surveyed the cliff walls of the canyon that blocked our way and saw nothing that compelled or enticed us to proceed on our original course.  It was starting to look like it was just not in the cards for us to explore what we thought was a part of Mountain Lion Mesa.   

We continued to walk due west on the service road and the ridge that it followed.  After a while, we saw an area ahead where the ridge we were on ran into a much steeper cliff with many boulders that looked promising for petroglyphs.  We  left the service road and headed toward the area that appeared to have a large number of boulders with dark patinas.  As we got closer, we could see there was a significant pour-over near the area where the ridge met the steeper cliff. 

We had a decision to make, and had two options.  Our first option: we could down climb the pour-over area and head to the south and toward the familiar terrain around the mesa where the Starving Man panel was located.  Our second option would be to head north/northeast and explore the cliffs along the route to the point we originally were aiming for.  After careful consideration, we decided on option one.  Two things caused us to pass on option two.  First, remaining time was running out — our agreed-upon turn around time was not far away.  Second, once we reached the eastern point of what we erroneously thought was Mountain Lion Mesa, we were unsure what the route back to Martha’s Butte from there would look like.  Easy walking in mostly washes, or having to negotiate multiple canyons and steep ridges?  There was no way we could tell for sure from our maps, so we opted for the safer option of heading south back toward the western end of the Starving Man Cliffs. 

As we headed south, we found no petroglyphs in the area leading from the pour-over, despite promising terrain and many darkly patinated boulders.  Once we reached the western end of what I now know is Mountain Lion Mesa, a/k/a Starving Man Cliffs, we began to see some rock art, and what appeared to be the remains of a small ruin.  I think the most unusual panel we saw was one that Chris found.  It appeared to be a male and a female anthropomorph next to what Chris believes might be a cradle board.  While the shape certainly is similar to a cradle board, my impression is that they were used in a much later time period.  I need to do some research on this interesting topic!  Below are some photos of the area I have decided to call “Mountain Lion Mesa West”. For a complete gallery of photos I took that afternoon, look here.  

After exploring the western end of Mountain Lion Mesa, a/k/a Starving Man Cliffs, we headed for the trailhead and our vehicles.  We stopped only to take a couple of pictures at the Starving Man and at Martha’s Butte, hoping the light would be a little different and perhaps better than when we were at the sites earlier in the day.  As we said our goodbyes, I did my best to let Chris Curtis know what a pleasure it was to meet him, and how grateful I was that we were able to hike together my last day in the park.  I learned a lot from him, and sincerely hope we are able to stay in touch and perhaps take a few more hikes together some day. 

I made one final stop at the South Entrance Visitor’s Center, to purchase a copy of Tapamveni, by Patricia McCreery and Ekkehart Malotki.  I had thumbed through the book the previous Sunday afternoon, and should have purchased it then.  It is one of the best written and best illustrated rock art books in my library, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.  It has certainly enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the rock art in Petrified Forest National Park and the surrounding region.  Many thanks to the Petrified Forest Museum Association for publishing the book and making it available to visitors to the Park.   

I exited the park by the South entrance and headed to Holbrook on Highway 180.  I didn’t really see much of Holbrook during my stay there, since I was up early each day and usually returned in the dark.  But this day, I stopped to take a picture of the welcome sign for the City of Holbrook, located at the intersection of Highways 77 and 180.  I had passed by this quirky sign several times during the week and wanted to share it with you. 

Epilogue (Part 1)

As I left Petrified Forest Park for the last time, I had a fairly long drive to get to Flagstaff, where the second part of my Fall 2022 Rock Art Trip would begin.  During this drive, I looked back on my week.  As I mentioned in the Prologue to this blog post, I took this trip hoping to calm my mind after my diagnosis of prostate cancer on September 26, 2022.  As I drove west on IH 40 toward Flagstaff, I focused on the many things in this life that I am grateful for.  As I did, a sense of calm and serenity began to wash over me, and I realized that I was profoundly and inexplicably happy.  So, to my friends, old and new, and my family, those close to me and those from whom I am estranged, and most of all to my wife Dorothy, please know that I love you and appreciate each and every one of you.  

I  have not mentioned it yet but, on my first Sunday afternoon in the park, I learned that Mike O’Dell had passed on February 9, 2022.  I first met Mike in April of 2019 when he guided a friend and I around the Hidden Cove Petroglyph site, owned by the City of Holbrook.  At the end of our time with Mike, he felt like an old friend.  His passion for rock art was contagious and his generous and friendly spirit was unforgettable.  He graciously allowed me to post his contact information on my Hidden Cove Gallery.  While we were never close friends, we stayed in touch through Facebook.  I was unaware of his passing since I have been taking a break from Facebook for most of 2022.  I was grateful to learn that, on March 10, 2022, the Holbrook City Council passed a resolution honoring Mike and an ordinance renaming the park the O’Dell Hidden Cove Park.  What a fitting and poignant honor for Mike.  Mike was only 65 years old, and his passing is a gentle reminder that we all need to live each day to its fullest.  Rest in Peace, my friend.