New Years Weekend | Saturday – Monday, December 31 – January 2, 2023
This first Trip Report of 2023 is dedicated to the memory of my cat Tellico (Rico), who we had to say our final goodbyes to this past week. She was my sweet little kitty and will be greatly missed!
Tellico | August 20, 2005 – December 28, 2022
This year for the extended New Years Weekend Diane and I had hoped to do some hiking and exploring along the Comb Ridge and San Juan River, but thanks to the ‘atmospheric river’ that was impacting the weather across the western United States, those plans had to change since the Butler Wash Road was a muddy mess from all access points and I decided to avoid it. That meant we’d be skipping the Comb Ridge this time and instead would be spending our holiday weekend searching for rock art closer to the San Juan River. Luckily, we were also able to avoid most of the rain and snow on Saturday and Sunday and only encountered a couple light sprinkles while we were out hiking. While I had seen many of these sites before, this was Diane’s first time seeing most of them and we found plenty of new stuff along the way, too! Below are photos of just some of the many petroglyphs we saw this weekend.
We arrived in Bluff on Saturday morning and briefly saw the only blue sky we would see for the entire weekend.
Dots Panel
Long Neck & Long Legs
Circle Figures
Antenna Man
Follow The Leader
We saw plenty faint Glen Canyon Linear Style petroglyphs throughout the weekend.
Round Sheep Panel
In The Middle
Ruins, Moki Steps & Petroglyphs
Here’s an unusual design…
Petroglyph Patch
Hole-in-the-Rock Man
Grooves & Petroglyphs
Little Cave Ruin
Our first hike in 2023 was wet, overcast and kind of gloomy.
Stripes & Ruins
Sandal Design
Stick Figure Man
Someone On the Mind
Sheep Surfing
On The Shoulder
Snake Panel
The following three photos are of historic petroglyphs that were all near each other and seem to tell a story…
San Juan Petroglyphs
Diane trying out some carved stairs.
Upside-Down Man Panel
Flute Players Panel
We came across this very deep hole carved down into a large sandstone boulder. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one carved this deep before.
High Busy Panel
I’ve been looking for this panel for years and was happy to finally spot it this time! I’ve walked right under it a bunch of times in the past without ever noticing it. Now I just need to return with a long lens so I can get a better photo of it…
We returned to my Jeep on New Years Day just as it was starting to rain. Perfect timing!
Ladder Petroglyph
Petroglyphs found to the left of the ladder.
Mesa View
Holey Wall
Here’s a life-sized and faint Basketmaker anthropomorph pictograph that we spotted. There’s a smaller figure at the right edge of the photo that I didn’t even notice until I got home.
Hard-To-See Guys
Diane had a good weekend searching for petroglyphs while she got to take a little break from her clinical rotations. She’s only got about five months left until she graduates!
Outstanding photos. Last year I hiked Lower Butler Wash and found some interesting rock art at the mouth near the river, but it was very bright and it was difficult to photograph and needed some editing. Still, not happy with the shots in direct sun. Yours here are very nice and you must know where to go to find such a treasure trove. Well done and I really appreciate your blob and your photography.
Thanks Randy!
Beautiful photographs as always! Glad Diane could get away and enjoy some time to “relax” a little.
So sorry to hear about Tellico, it is so hard to say good bye to our 4 legged family members even when we know it’s the right thing to do.
Thank you Nancy!
Wonderful “new” glyphs! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Sue!
You always manage to make the best of the conditions, and get some fine photos too!
Thanks Steve!