October 26, 2014

Southern Utah Tour: Lewis Lodge

The ancient ruins of Lewis Lodge are unique and well worth seeing, even if the approach is a bit dicey.  The red arrows drawn near the center of the above view (click to enlarge) show the level where the ruins are found.  The ruins are to the right, along that level. Note the sheer 1000 ft drop from that narrow level to the canyon below.
Steve said the trek is like following a sidewalk.  The only problem is that the "sidewalk" is 6 inches wide with instant death below.  We were very careful.  Daisy had better sense. She refused to follow, and stayed behind whining for us the whole time we explored.
Walking around the toe of the horseshoe shaped canyon was the easy part.
Getting closer.
Does my smile look a little terrified?
I peeked inside the ruins, but didn't go much farther.
Steve and son took a few steps along the sheer cliff to get inside the kiva.
A few pottery shards and tiny corn cobs remain.
A view from the inside shows the scary drop-off.
The forest service provides an information sheet in a steel box, and a book for visitors to sign.
The round trip hike from our parking spot was about 6 miles.  Daisy flopped as soon as she saw the truck. She was exhausted, probably more from the mental anguish of watching her human friends do stupid stuff than from the actual hike!

October 25, 2014

Southern Utah Tour: Horseshoe Canyon

The first week of October, our son joined us in a tour of ancient Native American ruins in southern Utah.
Hiking in Horseshoe Canyon
Horseshoe Canyon was our first stop. This is a part of Canyonlands National Park that most visitors to Canyonlands do not see, because it's on the other side of the Green River, separated from the main section by about 50 air miles, and 4 hours of driving time. We've been there on horseback, but the leisurely pace of hiking allowed for a closer look at the canyon art.
petroglyph panel-
mountain sheep or deer
snake petroglyph
We had not noticed the above petroglyphs before. Petroglyphs are pecked into the rock, while pictographs are painted on.
Pictograph panel
How did they get up there?!
The hike to The Great Gallery is about 6.5 miles round trip.
Great Gallery
Archeologists are unsure of the exact age of the rock art, known as Barrier Style, which is found in this canyon.  Some say the art could be 6000 to 8000 years old, based on artifacts found in the area that can be more easily carbon dated than the pictographs.
Binoculars provided by Park Service at site
The binoculars are antique, but are still effective
Holy Ghost figures in the Great Gallery
The canyon has a certain haunting beauty, and perhaps the Ancient Ones recognized this as well.

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