Finished writing up a brief trip diary from last week. May (or not) add a little perspective to the photos I posted.
Posted by
MojaveMeg (aka Mojave)
Oct 28 '11, 08:53
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Day 1 � Friday. Loaded and on the road by about 7:00am. I had a passenger (Linda) this trip and the miles just flew by � perhaps not surprisingly when I looked at the speedo one time and we were doing 90mph.  We were through Vegas and pulled into Valley of Fire by lunch time. Two of our friends were there before us and had staked out two campsites for the night. After lunch we drove up to the Mouse�s Tank trail which the other three hadn�t seen before. The light was good and the petroglyphs just popped - seems like I see more every time I visit. Dinty Moore stew for dinner, warm night, and the RVers in camp respected quiet time and turned off their generators � including the 40-footer that pulled in next to us in the late evening.
Day 2 � Saturday. Headed out the east gate of the park, visiting the 7-Sisters formation, the cabins, and Elephant Rock on the way. Stopped in Overton at the Lost City Museum � considered to be the most westerly extent of the Virgin Anasazi culture, and the museum has been extensively upgraded since the last time I was there. Rejoined Hwy 15 and passed through Mesquite, NV and St. George, UT and then east through Hurricane and Colorado City, AZ to meet with the rest of our group at Pipe Springs National Monument (the site of a historical Mormon �tithing ranch�). Now a group of 10 people in 6 vehicles it was a short drive through Fredonia, AZ and Kanab, UT to our friend�s property where we set up camp in their back yard. They mentioned they�d had three motor-homes parked there just a few days ago, so 9 tents were nothing. (they actually have outside power hookups and a dump station for visiting motor-homes!) The view from any point on the property is incredible � it�s set in a canyon, or alcove, of the Vermillion Cliffs and the view from the front deck extends about 50 miles to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Chris�s hobby is woodworking and he did a lot of the work on the house and made their own furniture.
Day 3 � Sunday. Our hosts invited an archaeology enthusiast friend over to talk to us about local sites and then walk their property with us and look at some of the sites we�d located there on our last trip. Many chert flakes (some from petrified wood), indicating the manufacture of arrowheads, and what was either a storage cist or a pit-house. After lunch he led us out of town, through Fredonia, to the Clam Shell rock shelter, which involved a scramble up a ridge and down over the edge into the shelter - worth it to see the petroglyphs inside. Picked up Subway for dinner on the way back to camp.
Day 4 � Monday. So many places we wanted to see, and so little time. We followed the suggestions we�d been given and traveled the back roads to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, at the Marble Canyon end. One trail was said to lead to two archaeological sites, and on the way back from the rim we located an extensive pottery scatter, indicating an old habitation site. It was one of those wonderful southwestern sites where you can�t move without stepping on old, broken, pottery. Sherds of utility ware, corrugated pots, Anasazi black-on-white and black-on-red painted, and a wonderful piece of black-on-red which had been re-worked into what may have been a pendant. Stopped at the Jacob Lake Inn (where we�d stayed in August) both on the way out and back and bought fresh-baked cookies. Arrived back at camp at sundown where our hosts had a pork roast ready for dinner!
Day 5 � Tuesday. Time to start back home. Our local advisor had recommended an Anasazi Museum in Fredonia, which we found to be open. It was a small, volunteer run, museum, but with an extensive collection and a knowledgeable docent. One artifact was a complete black-on-red �pendant� identical to the one we�d found the day before, and it was identified as a possible gaming piece. We could have stayed there much longer but the road called. We were re-tracing our route back to Hwy 15 towards Las Vegas, but turned southeast just after Mesquite. Some 15 years ago we�d been on a field trip which included a visit to a site known as Whitney Hartman. We�d saved the GPS coordinates and after some miles of rough pavement following the Virgin River - and two miles of even rougher rocky dirt - we found the site. The plan was that we�d take a quick look to be sure we were at the right place, then come back and set up camp. We�ve referred to this site as the �falling man� site, as there�s a petroglyph of what looks like a falling man on a ledge at the back of the outcrop. Because it was supposed to be a �quick look� I hadn�t worn my boots or taken my camera so didn�t follow the group up onto the rock, and soon went back to the cars and set up my tent. They got out on the ledge and began seeing more and more panels and then went looking for access that would be an easier walk in. They planned to go back for more photos in the morning. Dinty Moore again for dinner. Warm evening, very pleasant, then - at around 2:00am - the wind started. Every so often it sounded like a truck was driving into camp and then the tents would be slammed. Sometime in the night the table holding the stove went over with a mighty crash.
Day 6 � Wednesday. All 8 tents had survived with no obvious damage, but we got very little sleep � expecting to be blown down the valley at any moment. We were all too tired to go back to the site for more photos, so packed up and hit the road for home right after breakfast. There was so much we wanted to see around Kanab and so little time, but we have an open invitation to come back and visit and I�m sure we will.
Visit "Kanab 2011" on Flickr
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