Over part of the holiday, we met up with our friend Mike who had some field work near Logan, UT, shortly after Thanksgiving.
We went north and west of our usual Moab haunts and camped to take in the area not as well known to Joan and me.
PCO Joan.
We found a low-traffic place a bit off the beaten path that allowed us to link together jeep trails, single track, and cross-country to make an 11+ mile route.
Our route featured some stunning and vibrant images in the equally stunning terrain.
PCO Joan.
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We continued along the canyon and enjoyed the stark terrain many generations earlier seemed teeming with people.
Some of the images indicate Barrier Canyon Style and a much earlier origin.
We continued our trek, went over a logical break in the canyon rim, and made our way to the day’s final panel.
The last panel, ancient even by the standards of the other images, intrigued us. The number of details and what the panel displayed made for a long time taking it all in.
But the day grew short, and we made our way back to the truck.
With little daylight remaining, we made it back to the “trailhead” and drove the short distance back to our camp, just in time to catch the last rays of the sun over the cliffs surrounding us.
The following morning we packed up and did a few “roadside” panels.
We then drove to the final hike of our trip. The approach road made for some bumpy, rutted, sandy, and washed-out travel. And grateful for having a 4WD truck.
Once we started our hike, we quickly spotted images on the cliffs above.
And continued in this vein as we climbed and saw more images along the way.
PCO Mike
The last panel took in an entire wall and had much detail to take in and contemplate.
I think we could have stayed there for hours and kept on noticing more and more details.
Some of the images seemed on top of even older ones. I don’t think we’ll forget this panel anytime soon.
We soon returned to the waiting vehicles, drove the same bumpy road, and made our way to the highway. A rest stop gave one last overlook of where we’d hiked and camped.
And then we headed home to think of future outings in this incredible area we call home.