I’ve avoided the Petrified National Forest for a long time but not anymore. To get to it from my home in Phoenix, it’s a long drive or, I’m on my way to somewhere else. I no longer hang glide, snow surf, skateboard but I still do a little fishing, all the things that I would be on that highway going to do, zooming past the Petrified Forest, what do I want to see those old petrified logs for? My head wasn’t ready for it, I was not mature, ready for that. But I grew up and I know more about what is there. The Petrified Forest has many things I want to see. It is a badass national monument and this area is NOT boring, it’s probably one of the places in the United States that has the oldest archeological sites available to the public. Sure, California and the 395 that goes right through the Owens Valley, it’s a spot every bit as cool but the desert in Arizona is interesting too and I’m here and I’ve been there too.
I’m in a hotel room now in Holbrook writing this, I’ve spent the late early winter day exploring and I’m going back in the morning. I’ve downloaded the images from my Nikon and am just amazed. I was looking for a particular petroglyph, the Mother of Game and have done as much research on my own to find it. Plenty of map study but could not find the exact location to drop a pin and I’m not the best at dead reckoning on terrain that is so harsh and feature rich.
I stopped at the PNF visitor center and spoke with a Ranger, “Can you help? I’m looking for a particular petroglyph. I know the area that it is in however, I don’t want to walk around looking for it, it’s muddy from the rains and I’ve driven a long way.” The ranger was seated in a corner near a big map. There were no topo lines, no scale and she acted like she didn’t know where it was. (I’m older, I can read faces) “…or if you can’t help me with that one, I’m looking for the golden disc.” She looked at me and said, “the petroglyphs you are looking for are too deep into the park to get there at this time.” I already knew this however, she didn’t know I’m staying close and simply gathering intel, recon now for tomorrow. “It’s about a five mile walk to get there.” She took out a lazer pointer and pointed the map that filled the wall. The lazer pointer bugged me, I should have pulled out my O-light clipped to my pocket and had a lazer fight on her map on the wall. She was nice and comfortable sitting down and giving canned responses. As much as I was bored with her, she was probably doing the right thing. People that ask rangers probably don’t know and should’ve be depending on them for intel.
“Thank you, I appreciate your time”
I walked through the door and got in my car, drove up to the entrance, produced my America the Beautiful card which I applied for free from being a veteran. It saves me money for entry into the National Parks, the PNF is $25 each day I visit. “Thank you” and I drove the loop and stopped at a few places sampling views, getting the feel for what I wanted to do tomorrow.
PNF has a Newspaper Rock too, just like other petroglyph areas. It’s a panel that has many different petroglyphs. This one, you can’t walk down to it or get close. There is a view point for it complete with telescopes. I have a 300mm zoom lens that should bring us closer. When I drove up, there were at least a dozen cars and twice that many people on the small lookout. I detected at least three foreign languages, two or three couples and a couple of families. The rail was completely taken up by the Asian tourists so I just waited my turn. This is one of those places that is either going to be packed or no one there. In about five minutes, everyone left and I had the place to myself.
The lookout is situated up on a bluff and the Newspaper panel is below but faces the bluff, a bit unusual in that I could not figure out where the people that pecked these petroglyphs lived. I always look for the stream bed and there was one that was at the base of the cliffs but no apparent dwellings. The valley was wide and dispersed yet it appeared that the panel was sort of stand alone. I’ve read that the climate here was much different a couple of thousand years ago when these were made.
I took a few snaps with the FE2 and the 35-200 zoom but most of my time was spent with the modern digital camera. The sun was low on the horizon in the West and I was taking photos in that direction. I hate backlighting, it is one of the hardest to photograph situations besides total darkness to get good lighting. Lenses are predisposed to flare and light blobs. It fools the light sensor and makes your subject too dark. I use the spot metering and exposure to adjust the picture so it turns out. The panel is interesting yet anti-climactic in comparison to the Newspaper Rock in Utah. It’s definitely cool though, as a Newspaper Rock yet I’m just a little down because my target has just moved to the Spring of 2026 or it is gone and I won’t capture it at all, I don’t know, I’m trying not to think about it.
There are big birds here, common Ravens I think. It’s interesting because they are also at the Grand Canyon and I saw one at the Mother of Game panel several miles to the South. My mind starts to wonder, “Are they spirits of the indigenous people?” Funny, but not funny, I try to place myself in time and place to where I’m at and capturing the spirit of the place. No, I don’t think so, but I do… Are they watching me and what I do? They are certainly interested in my camera movement, maybe because I’m holding it to my face (like I’m eating it) and it’s big and black.. I see them at each stop on the Petrified Forest Drive that goes through the park. I am stopping at a couple of spots North of the I-40 and now I am at the larger area to the South. I stopped at Newspaper Rock first as I wanted as much light as possible. It’s about 4p and the park closes at 5.
I reverse course and drive back North and stop at Puerco Pueblo that I previously passed and park. The ranger did tell me about some rock art that was there and I figured I might have enough light to photograph them. I did the short walk to the Pueblo and saw the petroglyphs below the bluff level. I used the D780 with the 28-300 zoom G to easily frame. I’ll sample a few petroglyphs here but I am going to do posts on each section as my ruined trip (can’t get to the target) ends up being amazing. I saw more than a couple of iconic rock art figures that I’ve seen in books and Puerco Pueblo ends up being quite amazing.
I’m new to archeology and even though I have a lot of petroglyph sites under my belt, I don’t have enough research into the peoples that made them. I can name the people and their migration movements, but the timeline is a little fuzzy and the directions are definitely difficult to obtain. People that write about them do not talk about where they are. Yes, these are in the Petrified National Forest and I’ve named the sites where they are however, these are protected. The petroglyphs here are not very graffitied or defaced. Lots of petroglyph sites are not protected and idiots both unknowing and malicious desecrate these treasures. There are very few here that have been defaced and I am so happy about that. Others that I visit have “cowboy glyphs” from old settlers, some back to the 1800’s but in the scheme of things, those aren’t old compared to the thousands of years that these have stood the test of time.
You won’t find this one. I had to hike into the park and I surprise found it. I had seen it before and it looks like it was made by the same guy or gal that made the Mother of Game that is South, about twenty miles from here. I’ve walked twenty miles in a day but I was equipped for it. The climate here now is either hot or cold, very little in between. The Hopi indigenous didn’t have Patagonia base layers, jackets, Camelback hydration or Altra hiking shoes. They had leather and elder knowledge of Mother Nature to regulate or protect from temperature and the sun or rain. Not to mention the cactus, sharp rocks, snakes, things that are going to mess up your day.
Anyway, this rock art definitely looks like it was made by the same person. I am amazed. It doesn’t appear to be a style, it appears to be an individual. That’s not science, that’s just me, my pictures and I figuring it out. If you are an archeologist or know, would you mind letting me know? I’m curious.
So this is where I end the hotel musings for the evening. I’ll pick up tomorrow where I plan to visit the Jasper Forest, the Crystal Forest, the Agate House, Giant and Long Logs. I am going to look around and I’m hoping to find more rock art like the one above. I’m going to find this one in the books I have. I know it’s in there somewhere.
Wish me luck for tomorrow.
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| Dinner and the iPad in the Quality Inn at Holbrook, AZ |
I set the temp too high in the hotel room, it’s 3:30a. I get up, turn the heater off, I sleep much better when it’s chilly. I can hear the freight trains blowing horns at crossings in the distance. The trains carrying goods cross country. I love traveling cross country. I’ve done it many ways. In my hang glider, I would take off from a big mountain top, circle up and fly downwind looking for lift, circle up again, fly downwind. I flew like hawks, like vultures looking at the wide expanse but these were ten thousand foot views. Although I enjoy them, there is so much more to see at ground level.
In my car, I imagine I’m flying a sailplane. Missing are the wind noise only to be replaced by my stereo. On this adventure I’m listening to reggae. Jimmy Cliff has recently passed and I’m so sad. Many Rivers to Cross and I had to turn it off as my eyes started to well up, my throat tightened, real emotions from imprinting memories with music.
I look up the Gorillaz.
Yeah, that’s me. Check the lyrics, many of them described here, brown eyes (M.)
Anyway, no more writing about fly fishing, I’m tired of it. Not tired of fly fishing, tired of writing about it. Although, I’ve been cooking up a reflective piece, if I write it, it will probably one of my best. I’m not mentioning the topic least I get robber mined with no credit. I’m tired of giving, tired of contributing and not getting what I want out of it. I made money, people gave me things but I finally figured it out and it wasn’t that.
Decades of experience in it yet this piece will be for me when I’m ready. I’m in no hurry, it’s in my own thoughts and it lives there. No need for me to commit it to paper just yet. The time has to be write for me, double entendre on purpose.
I’m tired, low battery mode, I write this typing with my right index finger, my left hand contorted to hold the tablet. Snooze.
I stopped at almost all the attractions within the park and photographed, took in the view…
At the South end is the Rainbow Forest and the Agate House. I sat in the car, alone completely blown away by the diversity of the park. At this spot, I had one bar of cell service, dialing my wife, “M, I’m having a blast!” I could feel myself getting choked up with the beauty and experience of the Petrified Forest.
“I’m coming home now.”
“Why? You aren’t done yet.”
“I want to have a reason to come back, with you!”
I’m saving the wonderment of the Rainbow Forest and the Agate House so I can see it first with my wife.
Easily my favorite place I’ve visited. And it’s in my back yard. I’ll be back for sure, probably a couple of times. I have a lifetime free pass! And a love for Arizona and its people…
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| I had to go back. |
