On The Way

There are always places that get missed or left behind. Sometimes it's due to a lack of time; sometimes because of a lack of knowledge. Whatever the reason, and despite the fact that it's both normal and unavoidable, I almost always feel like I've failed in some way.

Of course, it's not a failure at all; there is so much more than we can ever see. Sometimes - the best times - there's so much in a given area that it's easy to plan an entire trip. Other times, there's not quite enough. In those cases, it's always nice when a few of those places can be enjoyed On The Way to another destination or trip.

Such was the case as I headed for a meetup with the guys who'd introduced me to this whole exploring thing in the first place. We've tried to get together at least once a year since the original De-Tour, but usually - due to schedules - that's in the fall, so this spring trip was a real treat!

For this particular adventure, we'd be exploring bits of Utah around Capitol Reef National Park, so I had a day of driving to make my way from Las Vegas to the meet up point on some BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land just outside of the Park.

The First Stop

My first stop was not at any notable natural wonder. I was hungry and on my way through St. George, so there was no question that filling my belly was the most important thing I could do. I rolled into Tacos Plaza just as they opened, and soon I was wolfing down three servings of nachos (which they sell as a single serving) to power me through the rest of my day.

My fifth - or maybe sixth - plate of nachos from Tacos Plaza in the last few months. Life has been good.

South Ash Creek Petroglyphs

I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it to the first site I wanted to see. When I'd scoped it out on Google Earth, I'd noticed a faint line across the access road, a reasonable indication that there could be a gate.

This suspicion was confirmed as I pulled up to the start of the trail, but to my surprise, the gate on an adjacent road was actually open! Hoping it'd remain so for the next half hour while I sought out the rock art, I headed up the road without giving it too much thought.

Perhaps, not enough thought.

I didn't have far to go - less than a mile - and soon I was out of the truck and bushwhacking my way through thickets of manzanita, some sort of brush oak, and prickly pear cactus. I quickly ripped my pants as they got caught on some sharp protrusion. Awesome.

Cursing myself under my breath - I'd considered changing out of my "good" camo cargo pants and into my "looks like an NPS employee" olive green hiking pants, but figured that my quarter mile trek would be uneventful, and the camo cargos would be more comfortable when I was back in the cab.

At least it was spring though, and soon I was focused on the colorful groundcover instead of the pants that no longer completely covered my legs.

I don't think I've ever seen a new "ear" on a cactus growing. The little spikes were so rubbery! (Prickly Pear)

This was the first blooming Beaver Tail I've seen this year.

Always the best. This Claret Cup took the prize for "wowest."

With only a data point and a note that I'd found online stating that the petroglyphs were "on a basalt out crop on the north side of the creek," I continued to push my way through the shrubbery, eventually catching sight of a large pile of well-varnished lava rocks. Hoping I was in the right place, I worked out the last of the maze and soon found myself hopping from boulder to boulder in search of the prize.

Found the Bullseye!

Small sun.

This was a really cool deer with a large rack that I was looking forward to finding.

Another deer.

Vibrant sheep.

No legs.

Motorcycle madness.

Soon enough, I'd explored the extent of the site and picked my way - easier this time, since I could follow my own footsteps - back to the Tacoma where I promptly changed my pants.

Looking like a forest ranger didn't do anything to alleviate the problem I ran into as I returned to the beginning of the trail. There - mostly to my disbelief, but also a should have realized - the gate was closed. And locked.

As I contemplated my situation, a splash of sun illuminated the orange cliffs in the near distance.

I won't bore you with the details of my escape, beyond acknowledging my luck in finding a lock - in the series of locks securing the chain - that wasn't properly closed. This allowed me to extract myself from what could have been a rather bad situation with relative ease, and without resorting to any forcible breaching of the gate or chain.

A good reminder that - for emergencies - it would likely be a good idea to add some cutters and a padlock to my OSK.

Black Point Petroglyphs

Having escaped through little but luck, I continued north to the next site I'd marked on my map. This one - situated on the side of a butte visible for miles around - was ungated and so much less risky from a get-myself-in-trouble perspective. Soon enough I was parked at the base of the butte and working my way up through the boulders in search of whatever treasure I'd find chipped into the rocks above.

Now to find the proverbial needle.

The terrain here was much easier to tackle than the previous, and in a few minutes I'd found the first series of boulders where those who'd stood exactly where I was standing, only a thousand years earlier, had decided to leave their mark.

So much going on.

Siamese sheep.

Long-horned sheep. (top left) | Rubber legs. (bottom left) | Triangle dancer. (right)

Big panel.

Near the first site, a second collection of petroglyphs decorated the rocks. Some of the figures appeared significantly newer - and perhaps less "authentic" - than the first, but they were still intriguing enough that I didn't hesitate to snap a few shots.

Around the spiral.

Joker.

A perhaps slightly more modern depiction of a man and a woman.

Having found two reasonably large concentrations of glyphs, I figured I'd probably seen all there was to see, but I kept my head on a swivel as I wandered around the haystack, just in case I stumbled on another needle. And, stumble I nearly did! As I was hopping from - or otherwise dodging - rock to rock, I glanced downhill and spotted an entire panel staring back up at me!

It's not unheard of - but also not all that common - to find horizontal surfaces covered in rock art. The reason for this is two-fold: first, weather - sun, rain, etc. - is much more impactful and destructive to horizonal surfaces than vertical. Second - and perhaps more importantly - it's a lot harder for others to find you rock art messages if they have to inspect the tops of rocks, rather than the faces, which are usually visible from the washes below.

The most notable example of petroglyphs on such a surface - that I know of - is Sky Rock.

Black Point Sky Rock.

Little Salt Lake Petroglyphs

Whereas I'd driven a couple hours between the first two sites, my last search - and hopefully success - would take place only a few miles away. This was a site that'd been a lucky find for Randy and his buddy as they'd explored a well-known site in the same vicinity, and while they hadn't mentioned exactly where they were, I'd marked a few possibilities to check out whenever I happed to be in the area.

Rolling slowly down the road, I stopped frequently to pull out our binoculars and glass the orange cliffs above. They sky was spitting a bit at this point, so at each blank outcropping, I was a little relieved to know that I had a few more minutes in the Tacoma, rather than being caught out in a downpour.

And then, I spotted it!

Little Salt Lake Panel.

A closer look.

This reminded me of the Zipper Glyph, not too far from this spot.

Losing his head.

Only expecting to find a single panel in this location, I was ready to head back to the Tacoma when I happened to glance up a little higher on the hillside. It was a good reminder for me to fight the tendency to have tunnel vision when searching for a bit of rock art or other oddity on an adventure; there's almost always more to see if you just look around!

I really liked this unusual spiral - almost a maze - on a nearby surface.

So many circles.

Triangular canvas. (left) | Lone spiral. (top right) | An intriguing abstract. (bottom right)

More Lives than a Dozen Cats

Having found all three sites I'd set out to discover - an accomplishment that felt unreal given my propensity to return time and again as I look in all the wrong places for something I know exists - I assumed that the remainder of my day would be spent driving to the meet up spot with my buddies so we could start our Roaming Around the Reef. For the most part, it was, though I did find my way off the road as a sign indicated a point of interest.

As I continued east, the stormy skies gave way to cotton balls in the sky.

An historic cabin.

The place I'd stopped stood unassumingly on the side of the road. It was only the signage - on the highway and in the parking lot itself - that alerted me to its existence.

Butch Cassidy Childhood Home
Robert Leroy Parker, A.K.A. Butch Cassidy, lived here with his family from 1880 to around 1884.

He was 14 when his family moved here and about 18 when he left. Research about Parker's life here is ongoing. Information uncovered so far shows he was a fun big brother, loved dancing and racing horses, liked to read, was a hard worker and was kind to animals.

$2,000 reward.

More Lives than a Dozen Cats

Butch Cassiday [sic] has more lives than a dozen cats, and his ubiquitousness is more than a match for his multitudinous lives. He has been killed time and again within the past five years, and he has also taken part in every notorious robbery during that time. Butch Cassiday [sic] evidently is not a mere man; he is a criminal syndicate.

site signage

Let the Drama Begin

If there's one thing about Utah's landscapes, it is that they are full of drama. As I passed the last few hours between myself and my buddies, I was reminded that even the highways here are more wonderful than elsewhere.

Lucky me, this would be home for the next five nights!

An orange wall near Kingston.

Storm brewing just outside Capitol Reef.

 

The Whole Story

 

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