Working On My Wish List — A Rock Art Trip (Part One)
Prologue…
I had some great travels planned for 2024, but my little tussle with prostate cancer put a serious kink in most of them. To keep my spirits up, I began to envision a rock art trip based on my “wish list” that would include several target sites that had eluded me over the years — the Storyteller Woman Site; the Mother of Game at Woodruff Butte; and the Golden Disk, the Checkerboard Man, and the Lacey Butte Panels in Petrified Forest National Park. So, as my recovery began to progress, I began the process of turning these rock art visions dancing around in my head into a real life trip itinerary. Early on, these plans began to include a new rock art friend from Wisconsin named Richard. With Richard’s help and encouragement, this little trip began to take shape. My main goals for the trip (finding several specific sites/elements that had eluded me over the years, and revisiting some old sites to see if I could produce better photos) seemed to fit nicely with Richard’s ideas for a trip and, eventually, we came up with a convenient time and a suitable itinerary. This blog post covers the trip we executed in late September 2024. Having reached an age that makes solo hiking to remote backcountry sites ill-advised and bordering on insanity, I was most grateful for Richard’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable participation in the planning and execution of this endeavor. Thank you Richard — I doubt that I would have been able to experience the Mother of Game and the Golden Disk without your help. I hope we can do this again soon!
On The Road Again…(Friday September 20, 2024)
Richard and I had agreed that we would meet up at Zuni Pueblo on Sunday morning September 22, 2024, so I had a couple of days to make it out there for our rendevous. I left my home early on the morning of Friday, September 20, 2024 and enjoyed the drive west. I arrived at Fort Hancock, Texas, shortly after noon local time, and turned north on the dusty county roads that lead to Alamo Canyon. My first goal for this trip was to find the Storyteller Woman Panel. On my previous visit to the area in the Spring of 2022, I spent several hours hiking rough terrain and was unable to locate the site. This time, armed with some more specific location information, I was successful, and enjoyed a couple of hours at this beautiful and interesting petroglyph site.
Originally, I had planned to spend the whole afternoon at Alamo Canyon before driving on the Las Cruces for the night. I had experienced some light rain on the drive to the dam, but most of my time hiking to and visiting the Storyteller Woman Site was under sunny skies. As I got ready to leave the site and head over to explore a different part of the area, I noticed some dark and foreboding clouds headed my way. Since I didn’t want to get stuck on the first day of my trip, I decided to hightail it out of the area to avoid the approaching rain. I made it back to paved road just in time to avoid a deluge, and drove on to Las Cruces, where I spent the night. To see more of the photos that I took at the Storyteller site, go to the Alamo Canyon Gallery page.
A Pleasant Visit With Some Old Friends…(Saturday September 21, 2024)
I was up early on the morning of Saturday, September 21, 2024 and drove north from Las Cruces to the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. I have visited this beautiful site several times and have found it to be the kind of place that you never get tired of — I seem to always find something new that I had overlooked on my previous visits. I arrived just as the sun was coming up and stayed until about noon. What a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning! I visited some old friends as well as some petroglyphs that I did not remember ever seeing before. I have posted some of the photos I took that morning on the Three Rivers Gallery page.
Leaving Three Rivers, I continued to head north and west toward my destination for the night — Gallup, New Mexico. Along the way, I decided to stop and revisit the Two Serpents site. It was an unplanned, spur of the moment decision, but I had no trouble finding my way to the site. Before climbing up to pay my respects, I spent time walking along the road that follows the mesa’s edge, using my binoculars to scan the talus and cliff side along the way. I also took a look at the northern end of the landform (a low point) directly across the road from from the Two Serpents. I am sad to report that I didn’t spot anything new, so I climbed up and spent a few minutes with the Serpents and their friends. It was very, very windy, so I didn’t spend a lot of time up high. I then proceeded to Gallup, New Mexico, where I would spend the night. I have posted a few of the pictures from that day on the Two Serpents Gallery Page.
A Little Zuni Culture…(Sunday September 22, 2024)
I left Gallup, New Mexico early on the morning of Sunday, September 22, 2024 and headed south for Zuni Pueblo on NM-602. I had arranged to meet Richard at 8:00 a.m. at the Zuni Visitor Center, where we would meet our guide for the day. Our guide turned out to be a Zuni archaeologist named Kenny Bowekaty, who was passionate and knowledgeable about the history and archaeology of Zuni Pueblo. Kenny spent about 45 minutes discussing the Zuni Migration Story and the archaeology of Zuni Pueblo, using the displays at the Visitor Center.
After Kenny’s introductory presentation, he drove us over to the Village of the Great Kivas Site, which is a Chacoan Outlier that was extensively excavated and studied during the 1930s. After walking through the ruins at ground level, we climbed up to the cliffs that overlook the site, which contain several nice panels of petroglyphs.
Extensive archaeological investigations were conducted at the Village of the Great Kivas Site during the 1930s. Over the course of several years, the indigenous workers on the project painted a series of pictographs in a couple of alcoves on the south face of the cliffs at the site. These pictographs are now called the Great Kachina Gallery, since each of the pictographs depicts a Zuni Kachina, or spirit being. While not really “my cup of tea”, these pictographs were interesting, and I am glad I got to see them.
After finishing up at the Village of the Great Kivas Site, Kenny took us to Badger Springs, which is the other large petroglyph site at Zuni Pueblo. The petroglyphs are found along a cliff face that is in the shadow of a stone spire between twin buttes that Kenny said is called the Great Kiva Shrine. There is very little patination at this site, and most of the rock surfaces appear to be a soft sandstone. As a result, many of the petroglphs are of the deeply incised variety. Below are a few examples of the petroglyphs we saw at Badger Springs that day.
After we finished up at Badger Springs, Kenny took us back to our cars at the visitor center and we said our goodbyes. By the way, if you would like to see more of the photos I took at the two Zuni sites, look here.
As we headed west toward Holbrook, Arizona, we made one final stop at a site that shall remain unnamed. A friend told me about this site and extracted a promise from me that I would not discuss it or post photos of this special place. Since I am a man of my word, I will only say that I am glad we got to experience this special place.
The Mother of Game Does Not Disappoint… (Monday September 23, 2024)
It was a beautiful morning for a hike as Richard and I headed out to look for the Mother of Game Site. I have wanted to experience this place ever since I first saw a photo of it years ago, and it did not disappoint. Sitting majestically on the landscape and unmarked by grafitti, this petroglyph panel is truly a sight to behold. The early morning light was perfect for photography, with not even a hint of harsh bright light or contrasting shadows to mar the perfect conditions. It was a great pleasure to have all the time we needed to enjoy this one-of-a-kind petroglyph panel. Below, you will find a few of my photos from that morning. As usual, my photos do not do this beautiful place justice. To see a more complete collection of my photos, take a look at the Mother of Game Gallery.
We spent some time exploring the area near the main panel and found a number of small panels nearby. Nothing spectacular, but interesting and fun to find!
After finishing up at the Mother of Game Site, we headed north toward Petrified Forest National Park. Since it was still early in the day (before noon), we decided to stop and hike cross-country to a promising looking landscape on the Little Colorado River. Our hunch paid off — we found the Rocking Sheep Panel. I had seen this panel on page 89 of Tapamveni, the Rock Art Galleries of Petrified Forest and Beyond, where it states “Attested at several sites in Palavayu is this curious motif, an animal on ‘rockers’, usually portrayed with zigzag legs.” We found no other panels along this part of the river, but were delighted to find this beautiful panel. Below are a couple of photos from this site. To see a few more photos of this stunning work of rock art, look here.
We left the Rocking Sheep Panel and reached the south entrance of Petrified Forest N. P. shortly after noon. We drove to the Newspaper Rock Viewpoint, where we spent a few minutes taking photos and surveying the area with our long lenses and binoculars. A couple of panels stood out for me. The first was a large “flute player”-like figure (without the flute!) that I had not noticed before. The second was a target motif (circle within a circle) with a rocking sheep and a crescent moon nearby. We would spot this panel the next day, from an entirely different observation point.
From the Newspaper Rock viewpoint, we drove over and parked at the Puerco Ruin. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiking and exploring in the area I call “Newspaper Rock North”. I had visited this area before, and was able to point out most of the rock art to Richard, who was visiting the area for the first time. Of course, we paid our respects to “the Howling Man” who guards the entrance to this area, perched on a large boulder. We didn’t hike up to all of the sites, but I made sure Richard got to see the unique winter solstice panel in Pinhole Cave, which features eight footprints arranged around a spiral. I also spotted something new — a slab paho (or dance wand) petroglyph, located high on the cliffside.
A Golden Day at The Golden Disk…(Tuesday September 24, 2024)
It has been years since I first saw a photo of the Golden Disk Panel at Petrified Forest N. P. Ever since, I have had a strong desire to visit this iconic petroglyph site. This was the day I would fulfill that desire. Richard and I got an early start, and, twenty minutes after the park opened, we arrived at the parking area that would serve as our trailhead. The hike to the site is scenic, and almost surreal. I had enough nervous energy that morning to hike to the moon, so the over-two-mile hike to the site was certainly no problem.
About an hour into our trek, we began to see small panels of petroglyphs, which assured us we were headed the right way. We saw nothing extraordinary, or anything that remotely rivaled the beauty and elegance of the Golden Disk.
We rounded a curve in the escarpment and there it was — the Golden Disk. This hero-sized petroglyph can be seen from quite a distance away. As you get closer, you begin to really appreciate the beauty and artistry spread before you on the large boulder. A stunning experience that I will never forget! Below are a few photos. For a more complete gallery, look here.
After our hike to the Golden Disk we headed for Petroglyph Canyon. Unfortunately, it appears that the old Civilian Conservation Corps trails have either been intentionally neglected or just allowed to deteriorate to the point they are are no longer safe. We were able to see and photograph the large anthropomorph that is one of the signature elements at the site, but that was about it.
We hiked back to our cars from Petroglyph Canyon and decided to part ways for the day. Richard headed back into Holbrook, but I hung around the park a while longer to work on a special project for my grandson, Little J.D. Gerth. Like many little boys J. D. is obsessed with dinosaurs. I bought him a stuffed toy dinosaur, named him “Little D” and took him to a number of locations around the park for photos. Later that evening I sent J.D. a text from a ficticious park ranger advising him that he had been selected to adopt one of the PFNP baby dinosaurs. I had great fun with this little endeavor!
After finishing up my little project for my grandson I exited the park and headed north on IH-40 for Pinta Road. Several years ago while perusing an old topo map I ran across a notation that there were petroglyphs just off Pinta Road. Sure enough, I located several petroglyph panels located adjacent to the road. I spent the remaining daylight exploring and photographing several small sites. Nothing spectacular, but I am glad I got to see them. Some day I would enjoy exploring further down Pinta Road to see what else
End of Part One