Leaving my comfort zone
Slickrock, sand, rock escarpments, river, prehistoric artifacts, cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, dirt roads, historic pioneer fort & dwellings, sand washes, lizards, distant snowy peaks, teetering sandstone hoodoos, beauty at every turn: perhaps that begins to describe the southeast Utah region where we spent a week at Bluff. We've been there and done that several times previously; a lifetime could be spent in exploring that fascinating area.
Much of our current exploration was in the neighborhood of Comb Ridge and Butler Wash. One particular site that piqued our interest was Cold Spring Cave and its prehistoric cliff dwelling. Again, we walked/slid down sandy trails into Butler Wash and several other drainages, then heaved ourselves back up the opposite steep banks.
Although the known sites thereabout are popular destinations and one nearly always encounters others with the same objective, it is never crowded. Mostly, we have met no more than four folks along the way at each place, and usually less than that.
Cold Spring Cave . . .
One couple was behind us on the Cold Spring trail; they arrived at the site shortly after us and we spent a lot of time getting acquainted. We had much in common with them; Jerry & Cathy hail from a small town in Washington, and are dry camping in their refurbished vintage trailer. It was fun to cross paths with them and be invited to visit up north.
Clearly, someone had been there before us: in 1892, to be exact.
That particular cliff dwelling is unique in that it not only has its own water source, the spring is within its confines. Spring water drips from the roof at the back of the cave and pools in a wide floor depression. At our visit, there was a surprisingly small accumulation; the Washingtonians had been there before, and said they had found the pool to be much larger at that time. Because of constant moisture, ferns are growing along the crevice at the back of the cave. I wonder if the early inhabitants had a use for them.
The Cold Spring ruin was unique in other ways, lovely and very well preserved. Jerry opined that the presence of the water made it a most desirable living site and that its "mayor" was no doubt of regional importance.
This window was constructed with large flat slabs of sandstone. The fallen adjoining wall of rocks is visible off to the side.
Within the ruin, there are a number of places where the sandstone is worn away from use, as in this multi-person bedrock metate. It was impossible not to imagine a row of women working side by side while chatting away over their labors.
This row of work stations was on a vertical surface, which stumped me on what its use might have been; on the other hand, it's all surmise anyway.
It was an alluring place; we spent a lot of time within, while feeling its good energy. There was evidence that there had been a catastrophic fire there, judging by some thickly and completely charred walls near the back.
The view from within that spot high up in the canyon was to far-off high cliffs across the valley floor,
A very well preserved kiva was below ground level within the cave.
While we were experiencing that wonderful site, Chris was astounded to spot a rare-for-there bird just at the edge of the cave - a common redpoll, an accidental for that area.
Basketmaker Culture . . .
What a surprise when we encountered a probable Basketmaker Culture storage site before we were on the upward canyon climb to Cold Spring! Side by side, the two circular pits were lined with upright sandstone slabs. Although the spot was clear, and right alongside the well-traveled trail, there was nary a mention of it in the trail guides.
That culture predated the archaeological cliff dwelling sites by 500 years or more, according to the señor.
Valley of the Gods . . .
We deemed one cold windy day to be perfect for a drive through the stunning landscape of the nearby Valley of the Gods. Eschewing any cross-country treks because of unpleasant weather conditions, we did manage a few photos. The señor did some of these with his phone camera.
Procession Panel . . .
Perhaps saving the best for last, or at least the most difficult, we headed for a petroglyph site known as the Procession Panel. I had misgivings right from the get-go, primarily a result of what I heard about the route. Seems that every time it was mentioned, the response from a person who had been there was that it was a steep climb, words that were not music to my ears.
Now that I have done it, I will say that it's not the hardest hike I've ever done - not even close - but what I have gained in years has not necessarily added to my stamina, nor has it decreased my discomfort at being in places where I could fall to my death.
The routes into and out of the washes was steeper than we'd encountered elsewhere . . .
. . . and I distracted myself with distant views as we climbed higher .
Once we had advanced to the steeper slopes with drop-offs into chasms far below, I had left my comfort zone far behind, and was inclined (so to speak) to cease forward motion. Not to put too fine a line on it, I was plumb scared, and when I saw how much more was to come, I was double ready to pack it in, or out as the case may be.
The señor cajoled, encouraged, reassured and otherwise pushed me to keep on keeping on, and so I did.
I was pretty well worn out by the time we reached this final juncture (truthfully, so was he), when I realized the goal was at the base of the steep rock summit shown here. That was a scramble to route-find and complete the journey (at least the upward part of it), but it would have been crazy to stop after what we had already done.
The Procession Panel itself is far and away the most unusual and intriguing rock art I have ever seen. Its name derives from the extensive lines of human-like figures seeming to converge from three directions into a central circle. Is it some sort of infinity depiction?
I didn't count them, but I have read there are nearly 200 figures. They are close together in the lines - one each from left & right horizontally and one diagonally from below. Most are similar; a few are larger, have what appears to be headdresses and/or are holding up an object that may be a torch.
Note the figures even going around the far side of the rock face.
These show single figures much larger and above the others, and carrying a staff - leaders, guides?
Does this portray a meteor strike? That's my thought on it.
My interpretation of this is a reference to astral travel.
And these?
Once we had descended from the rubbley prominence containing the glyphs, our descent was less arduous, but still outside my comfort zone. I was pleased to regain the valley floor. Been there, done that, don't need to do it again.
Prescottonians . . .
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in the small world category, I had discovered that we were camped near another couple from Prescott - Rod & Toni, backroad jeepers extraordinaire. As they were visiting us prior to enjoying a dinner out together, they spotted a Bullock's oriole feasting away at the hummingbird feeder we had put up, the last new bird of the trip.
