My final stop of the day is another petroglyph area, but his one is actually far below the tablelands. It resides along a dry creek bed along highway 6. I park the jeep and head down the creek bed looking for signs of the ancient artist(s). I find several, but I also find many more recent marks. Initials, dates, more modern figures - apparently, the locals have taken to decorating this area as well. Of the ancient glyphs I find, far too many have been damaged. It seems so local marksman have decided that symbols resembling shields are actually bulls-eyes and have taken to trying to hit them. Something inside me wants to find these vandals and think of them as bulls-eyes, but I digress.
As the rock art starts to disappear along the cliff heading in this direction, I decide to turn and head the opposite direction. As I make my way around a bend, I find another barricade and some amazing panels. One large symbol appears near the top in three different, but nearby locations. It is a circle with an odd image (resembling a squid) inside it. Given the scale and repetition of the symbol, it must have some significance, but the meaning is lost to the centuries.
I turn back towards the jeep and decide to head home. It's been a long day, but I've been able to visit a number of amazing sites. Perhaps when the snows melt, I will visit the area area again, as there are many more treasures to find.
No comments:
Post a Comment