IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Return to Dinosaur National Monument
Saturday & Sunday, October 15 – 16, 2011

I’ve wanted to get back to Dinosaur National Monument most of the year to re-photograph some of my favorite petroglyphs and visit some new ones. I had to be patient while the Fossil Bone Quarry was being rebuilt because Amanda really wanted to check out the dinosaur bones. At the end of September the Quarry finally reopened and we were looking forward to getting back up there. Since I was was in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah for the first week in October we had to wait until the third weekend in October to finally spend a weekend there.

On Saturday morning we left early and drove right to the park.

Dinosaur National Monument by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Our very first destination was the newly rebuilt Fossil Bone Quarry. It has never been open when we’ve been to the park before, so this was our first time there.

Dinosaur Quarry by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Close-up of a dinosaur skull.

Dinosaur Skull by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Sunday, August 21, 2011

I’ve been falling behind on my trip reports again, so I need to try and catch up! Here’s some photos I took on a local day-trip into McDonald Creek and the Book Cliffs. Of course I was searching for rock art 😉

First up was the nice hike down McDonald Creek to the Colorado River. I’ve hiked this canyon before, but realized that I missed some rock art on my previous trip. It was a good opportunity to re-photograph the sites I had visited previously, too.

Small Pictographs

A very small and easily missed set of pictographs.

McDonald Creek Alcove

These pictographs are located in a large alcove overlooking the Colorado River.

The Bird and the Sun

My favorite panel along McDonald Creek.

After finishing up the hike I headed north to the Book Cliffs to revisit a few more rock art sites and find two new ones. I ended up finding the two new panels that I had not been able to find before, plus I found a third site that I just happened to stumble upon.

Waving Hello

This little guy welcomes you into the canyon.

Horned Shield with Legs

I’m posting this photo because if you look very closely you can see a faint shield-like figure that appears to have legs. This is the second shield figure like that that I have found in the Book Cliffs, and they are very similar.

Westwater High Panel

A busy panel high up on the canyon wall.

Ute Hands

Handprints….most like Ute or Paiute.

The Yellow Rider

A large horseback rider painted in a yellow pigment. Plenty of other figures and handprints painted here, too.

Continue reading

Earlier today I found some info that helped lead me to some rock art located in the Colorado National Monument, so after work I went home and changed before heading out in search of them. Luckily, they were easier to find than I though they would be, but unfortunately the area they were located in had a lot of vandalism and graffiti. Here’s a few photos of what I found…

Three Anthropomorphs

Three anthropomorphic figures carved into a boulder.

White Rocks Anthropomorph

A closer look at one of the above figures.

Antenna Men

Interesting figures that appear to have antennas coming out of their heads.

Very Faded Sheep

A very faded red sheep painted on a boulder.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

I spent Saturday in the Swell visiting some new and old rock art sites…it was pretty hot out and the bugs were out in force during my first hike……but it was still a great day! I’ll let the photos do the speaking…

Rainbow & Dotted Anthropomorph

Large Shield

Broken-Hearted Man

Arm in Arm

Cowboy’s Secret

Observing

Secret Site

Also known as the Observer Panel.

Funky Rainbow

One of the most colorful rainbows that I have come across.

Funks Cave Figures

Lined up next to the rainbow above.

Fading Shields

Red & Yellow Paint

Some of the more interesting pictographs I have seen.

Quail Panel

Called the Quail Panel because the figures resemble quail. Certainly the most Fremont ‘shield’ figures I have seen in one place. These figures are pretty small, at around 6 inches in height.

Alcove Panel

Of course I made a stop at the Buckhorn Wash Panel on the way home.

Black Dragon Creature

Before grabbing dinner at Ray’s in Green River, I also stopped at the Black Dragon Panel. The road was a bit rougher than the last time I was here….probably because of the recent flash floods in the area. One other thing I noticed while visiting the panel is just how well the alcove collects heat from the sun. The temperature outside was close to 100, and while I climbed up into the alcove it must have been at least 10-20 degrees warmer. I could feel the heat radiating off of the sandstone. It was pretty uncomfortable, so I didn’t stick around long. I’m sure it would feel much nicer in the colder winter months 😉

Saturday, June 25, 2011

On Saturday I was hoping to spend around half the day with Amanda exploring the area around Rangely, Colorado. We were planning on revisiting a few rock art sites and maybe a couple of new ones, too. Unfortunately, we ended up cutting the trip a bit short because the bugs and gnats were just unbearable. Once we got out of the Jeep we would maybe have a few minutes until they found us and swarmed around us. We were wearing bug spray, but it didn’t help at all. After our first stop at the Carrot Men Panel, Amanda decided to stay in the Jeep for the rest of our stops. If I kept moving, the bugs weren’t too bad, but the second I stopped to take a photo, that was all over! After being chased by swarms of bugs at each stop we made, I decided to call it a day early and come back another time. I did get a few photos, though….

Carrot Men Panel

Our first stop was a revisit to the Carrot Men Panel.

Carrot Men Spirits

A closer look at the Carrot Men.

Three Horses

Three incised horses at the Crooks Brand Site believed to be Ute.

Horse & Lichen

Another horse nearby above some lichen.

Fremont Ridge Panel

The Fremont Ridge petroglyphs with anthropomorphic figures that are similar to the pictographs at the Carrot Men Panel.

Carrot Men Petroglyphs

A closer look at the petroglyphs. Up near the top you can see a small figure with a hump-back or burden basket.

A Thousand Year Old Record, Gone in A Day!

It’s been over a year since I last visited The Shield site, and I see they have put up a new sign since I was here last. I have quoted the sign below:

It belongs to you.”

Shield Site Damage

The vandalized Shield Site.

Climbing Hands

A pair of white hands reach for the sky within the Canyon Pintado National Historic District.

The Guardian

This figure is displayed prominently near the entrance to Canyon Pintado. It’s believed to be from a transitional period between Barrier Canyon Style and Fremont.