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Published: July 15th 2009
Newspaper Rock
Look closely, you might be able to spot the UFO drawings!July 14
Our last in day in Utah was spent in the Canyonlands State Park area. Our first stop was Newspaper Rock, a 200 foot slab of black slick rock covered with petroglyph graffiti: Native American (dating begins 1,500 years ago) as well as more modern Anglo graffiti ... of which Juan Rambo remarked we should consider aliens as possible inspiration.
Driving through the park in and of itself was amazing. The canyons and mesas are only a preamble of the Grand Canyon which will be seven to eight times the size of the images you see here. We split the rest of our day visiting two Native American ruins in Canyonlands. The first was a simple hike to an old Puebloan granary and a loop hike to the cave dwelling that had lately sheltered roughneck Utah cowboys, gear faded and dusted with sand and age.
The second, which was a test for each of us, took us to the 4 1/2 mile off roading trail that led to Tower ruins, a cliff dwelling nestled just out of reach of crazy rock climbers … what happened there, we shall never speak of again. Suffice to say, trekking poles,
which look an awful like ski poles, have many, many uses.
With a renewed appreciation for life and the ground, we sped off to Needles Overlook to catch the last bit of the sunset, which lit the horizon like fire.
Tomorrow we head out in the house truck, each rotating in the jump seat (we feel an ode coming on), to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We may be out of touch until Vegas (Fri. July 17). Until then, wish us luck.
Juan Rambo Quote of the Day: In reference to critters crossing the road at dusk, “If it’s the Chupacabra, I’m running it over. I’ve been afraid of that thing for a while.”
Generalissimo’s Quote of the Day: think super pouty, “First you threw away our lids and then you got stuck on a rock!”
Jenny Karankawa’s Quote of the Day: “It reminds me of riding in this guy’s Jeep in high school, and I kept hitting my head on the roof, so he bought me a helmet to ride in it. He was sweet and looked a little bit like David Duchovny.”
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newspaper rock rocks!
I've seen pictures and read about newspaper rock when teaching about petroglyphs! I didn't realize that it was so big. Amazing! Good luck on your trek to the Grand Canyon!