Sand Island Petroglyph Panel
Our first stop was the Sand Island Petroglyph Panel. The panel is located in a BLM campground on a large sandstone wall covered with desert varnish. The best part of all is that we could park right at the base of the wall. No 5 mile hiking required. The BLM has erected a fence to help protect the petroglyphs, but it's low enough that it doesn't obstruct the view. The middle panel was very interesting with lots of bighorn sheep. The stars of the show were a large Kokopelli and a flute-playing bighorn sheep. There were a few alien-like figures thrown in, as well as a cowboy on a horse.
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Wolfman Panel
Our main destination of the day was the Wolfman Panel
in Butler Wash.
On our last trip to this area, we talked to a couple that had spent several days exploring the ruins and petroglyphs of Butler Wash.
The Wolfman Panel is probably the most-visited petroglyph, and it requires only a short hike. We had no problem finding the trailhead,
and we started our hike across the slickrock toward the wash. The trail goes to the edge of the canyon and then drops between a huge rock
and the canyon wall to a ledge that leads to an alcove and the petroglyphs. The tricky part was that after you squeezed past the huge rock, you
had to figure out a way to get to the ledge 6 feet below. That's when I felt old. There weren't stacks of rocks or anything to climb down on.
There were just some small sandstone blocks that barely stuck out from the canyon wall. We stripped off our packs and put our cameras
where we could reach them and safely "climbed" down to the path on the ledge. Then, it was a curved contour along the side
of the canyon, past the alcove, and down to a spot where we could shoot The Wolfman and the other petroglyphs. It was a beautiful canyon
except for the tamarisk trees that have taken over the wash.
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We returned the same way we came. The climb back up off the ledge trail to the "squeeze rock" above was still tricky, but it was easier going up than down. A fall would have the same two bounces to the bottom of the canyon, but a few good hand holds in the cliff wall made it a little easier to climb up than coming down. It only took us a few minutes to get back to the Explorer after we squeezed past the rock. And then it was time for lunch.
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Goosenecks of the San Juan
On our way back to camp, we decided to check out the clouds and lighting at Goosenecks State Park. Although not terribly scenic, Goosenecks is a remarkable place where the San Juan River flows 6 miles while only getting 1 1/2 miles closer to Lake Powell. The "entrenched meanders" were created when the river moved into its old-age stage of huge meanders across a flat, sedimentary plain. While the river cut deeper into the sediments, the entire region was uplifted. Now the meanders are hundreds of feet deep while trying to double-back on themselves.
Radlee Ridge is a fascinating layer cake of alternating light and dark layers that seem to zigzag across the mountain. The brick-red igneous layers alternate with the lighter colored sedimentary layers to create a pattern that looks like the pattern on Charlie Brown's yellow shirt. We've stopped to photograph Radlee Ridge a couple of times, but it was always in the wrong light. Today, the puffy clouds and the afternoon light made it an interesting shot.
Since the lighting was good, we decided to stop at the Mexican Hat formation that gave a nearby town its name. The rock is just a short distance off the highway and can be seen from much of the area. Interestingly, we saw a grave marker at the base of the Mexican Hat formation. I wonder if a person is really buried there.
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Since we were back at camp early, we decided it was a time for a good dinner. Tonight was grilled steaks and baked potatoes.
After dinner, the weather was the entertainment. Wind gusts rocked the motorhome and blew dust into any available opening. There were a couple of peals of thunder and then the fresh smell of rain. The rain didn't last long, but the winds blew throughout the night.
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