46 thoughts on “Utah Petroglyphs – Wordless Wednesday”
Back in my ski bum days (sooooo last century) when the Aspen ski lifts would close in April I would go to Squaw Flats to camp and hike around the flat rock. Moab really was a small town. ‘Those were the dayyyys.’
Its so beautiful there. I think it would be great to spend a summer based there and visit all of the monuments and spend a lot of time hiking to the spots that take too much time on a short trip.
Sounds like a fun time hopping from Aspen to Moab! Not too shabby.
I think it’s pretty hot there in the summer. April weather was perfect. Utah is a beautiful state. The Mormons lucked out when they got it. I think it should have been the Presbyterians, or maybe the Methodists. 🙂
It sounds like it. It would probably be more fun to say the aliens did it. But, yes I am guessing they did what so many other peoples did. It isn’t paint on top of a hand or something else like you see in some other caves. I wish I knew why there were so many in such a small place. It sure seems like it much have been a special place that people travelled to. And some of the figures look so strange and interesting like aliens.
I know you would love Southern Utah. Check out some of my other posts and you will see how amazing it is. Now that you are in the US there is so much for you to see. Sadly, just not that much under water like I know you like.
I will be in Utah the end of June for a week, that is if I’m cleared by my doctor due to having had elbow surgery. I’m a midwesterner (originally an easterner), but I travel to a new city/state every year for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. I look forward to doing some sightseeing.
I am very excited for you. That sounds really fun. Good luck at the doctor. I hope they give you good news and you were able to go. What is on your itinerary to visit in Utah while you’re there?
I figured as much. I probably won’t get to see much of anything. And now I may not be going, because I’m having elbow surgery, and it may not be ready for wheelchair sports soon enough.
Peggy and I love petroglyphs and have wandered through the Southwest looking for them. Newspaper Rock is one of the most impressive sites, and easy to get to. If you get down to southern New Mexico, be sure to include the Three River Petroglyph site in your travels. Plan to spend a day there an wander over the whole area. There are true treasures to be found. –Curt
No, but there is a site down in Lava Beds National Monument that Peggy and I are planning to visit in the next few months. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have encompassed most of out explorations. –Curt
Glad you enjoyed it. Three Rivers is definitely somewhere I will visit again. Even after a day of wandering through the area, I felt like there was much more to explore. It has to extend over at least 2-3 square miles. –Curt
Ahhh sweet, sweet memories of Utah. Could there ever be a more geologically beautiful state in the Union? Seriously, is there? if there is, we need to go check it out! Thank you for reminiscing about Utah.
Hi Jenny. How’ve you been? Those petroglyphs are absolutely amazing. Brilliant. (Let’s avoid “ossom”) 🙂
I could possibly spend hours looking at each detail. Any idea as to the date? (There is a horse rider shooting an arrow at something) 🙂
Ossom. Funny. Wikipedia said something like 2000 years old but they aren’t sure. Yes those riders are beautiful. They are obviously shooting a deer or something huh. We don’t have or didn’t have buffalo down there. I think they are neat. One can certainly use their imagination. Who knows maybe the Picasso of Utah was just doodling.
Possibly doodling. It has been suspected recently that wild accounts and myths spun by far-away tribes to the anthropologists may have been a lot of “bull”. It seems that some of the “primitives” when they saw those eager young men and women come to record their legends had a bit of fun with them. Now, 2000 BC is impossible, since supposedly the horse wasn’t introduced to the Americas until the conquest in the 1500’s… Who knows?
Very good points. I think about that a lot when you hear of some scientist who has debunked some previous scientists work. You wonder how much of what we know now is hooey.
Increasingly, my dear. Wikipedia is the worse. barely any control. I’ve checked the same notes on a subject in three languages. Comes out different. Try the vietnam war. Try Pancho Villa. Historical subjects are the worse. The “historical” truth changes according to the language it is written in. 😦
Also different writers with different (hidden) agendas. Pancho Villa in the english page is a revolutionary hero. In the french page he is a highway bandit turned revolutionary hero. I’m sure the page on Stalin is very different in russian and english…
Wonderful petroglyphs. I have never seen any petroglyphs in my life, but only rock paintings. From my hometown, it is easy to reach them by cruising. If You do not mind, I give here link to my post:
Bulldog Travels / Photos By Jenny 
Back in my ski bum days (sooooo last century) when the Aspen ski lifts would close in April I would go to Squaw Flats to camp and hike around the flat rock. Moab really was a small town. ‘Those were the dayyyys.’
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Its so beautiful there. I think it would be great to spend a summer based there and visit all of the monuments and spend a lot of time hiking to the spots that take too much time on a short trip.
Sounds like a fun time hopping from Aspen to Moab! Not too shabby.
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I think it’s pretty hot there in the summer. April weather was perfect. Utah is a beautiful state. The Mormons lucked out when they got it. I think it should have been the Presbyterians, or maybe the Methodists. 🙂
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These are lovely and fascinating to see. How old are they believed to be?
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If Wikipedia is to be trusted they are about 2000 years old. Pretty cool for American history if you ask me!
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I have never seen so many in one place. Did they make them by scraping off the “desert varnish”?
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It sounds like it. It would probably be more fun to say the aliens did it. But, yes I am guessing they did what so many other peoples did. It isn’t paint on top of a hand or something else like you see in some other caves. I wish I knew why there were so many in such a small place. It sure seems like it much have been a special place that people travelled to. And some of the figures look so strange and interesting like aliens.
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Some of the figures were similar to those that I have seen in western Colorado. I was going to compare old photos to your post.
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That’s pretty close to the Moab area so it was probably the same people that made them. Good thinking!
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Impressive! Thank you for sharing, they give me inspiration to visit Utah 😊
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I know you would love Southern Utah. Check out some of my other posts and you will see how amazing it is. Now that you are in the US there is so much for you to see. Sadly, just not that much under water like I know you like.
https://bulldogtravels.com/category/utah/
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Whereabouts in Utah?
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“Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument” on @Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspaper_Rock_State_Historic_Monument?wprov=sfti1
This should give you the information you need. Are you close?
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Cool. I’ll check out. Nope. Whenever I’m heading to Utah I know what places to look out for. Thank you! 😊
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Have fun! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
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These are amazing. Just incredible what can be seen in all parts of the world.
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I remembered seeing some in Arches national park and I was truly impressed
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I will be in Utah the end of June for a week, that is if I’m cleared by my doctor due to having had elbow surgery. I’m a midwesterner (originally an easterner), but I travel to a new city/state every year for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. I look forward to doing some sightseeing.
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I am very excited for you. That sounds really fun. Good luck at the doctor. I hope they give you good news and you were able to go. What is on your itinerary to visit in Utah while you’re there?
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We’ll be staying in Salt Lake City. Other than that, everything is spur of the moment.
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Keep in mind salt lake is very far from the monuments in southern Utah.
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I figured as much. I probably won’t get to see much of anything. And now I may not be going, because I’m having elbow surgery, and it may not be ready for wheelchair sports soon enough.
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Sorry to hear that. I hope you can go next year then!
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Peggy and I love petroglyphs and have wandered through the Southwest looking for them. Newspaper Rock is one of the most impressive sites, and easy to get to. If you get down to southern New Mexico, be sure to include the Three River Petroglyph site in your travels. Plan to spend a day there an wander over the whole area. There are true treasures to be found. –Curt
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Great advise and right up my alley. Thank you! Have you seen anything like it in California?
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No, but there is a site down in Lava Beds National Monument that Peggy and I are planning to visit in the next few months. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah have encompassed most of out explorations. –Curt
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I look forward to photos!
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Have you checked out my series on Three Rivers. This blog placed the area, but there are a number of blogs moving forward (backward) form there that include photos of many of the petroglyphs: http://wandering-through-time-and-place.me/2013/06/17/new-mexicos-thre…-where-art-rocks/
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Wow. Thanks. You have some really great posts.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Three Rivers is definitely somewhere I will visit again. Even after a day of wandering through the area, I felt like there was much more to explore. It has to extend over at least 2-3 square miles. –Curt
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Very cool. It sounds like no rock went unturned for you two there.
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🙂
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Ahhh sweet, sweet memories of Utah. Could there ever be a more geologically beautiful state in the Union? Seriously, is there? if there is, we need to go check it out! Thank you for reminiscing about Utah.
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No there sure isn’t H. If there were we would be on our way right now bulldog in tow.
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Hi Jenny. How’ve you been? Those petroglyphs are absolutely amazing. Brilliant. (Let’s avoid “ossom”) 🙂
I could possibly spend hours looking at each detail. Any idea as to the date? (There is a horse rider shooting an arrow at something) 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ossom. Funny. Wikipedia said something like 2000 years old but they aren’t sure. Yes those riders are beautiful. They are obviously shooting a deer or something huh. We don’t have or didn’t have buffalo down there. I think they are neat. One can certainly use their imagination. Who knows maybe the Picasso of Utah was just doodling.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Possibly doodling. It has been suspected recently that wild accounts and myths spun by far-away tribes to the anthropologists may have been a lot of “bull”. It seems that some of the “primitives” when they saw those eager young men and women come to record their legends had a bit of fun with them. Now, 2000 BC is impossible, since supposedly the horse wasn’t introduced to the Americas until the conquest in the 1500’s… Who knows?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very good points. I think about that a lot when you hear of some scientist who has debunked some previous scientists work. You wonder how much of what we know now is hooey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Increasingly, my dear. Wikipedia is the worse. barely any control. I’ve checked the same notes on a subject in three languages. Comes out different. Try the vietnam war. Try Pancho Villa. Historical subjects are the worse. The “historical” truth changes according to the language it is written in. 😦
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I never thought about that. Different languages and cultural perspectives. Great point.
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Also different writers with different (hidden) agendas. Pancho Villa in the english page is a revolutionary hero. In the french page he is a highway bandit turned revolutionary hero. I’m sure the page on Stalin is very different in russian and english…
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I imagine so. Sad but true.
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Beautiful pictures…. So many years of stories and history…
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Wonderful petroglyphs. I have never seen any petroglyphs in my life, but only rock paintings. From my hometown, it is easy to reach them by cruising. If You do not mind, I give here link to my post:
Cruise to Rock paintings.
Have a nice day!
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I will certainly check it out! You are welcome to follow my blog and visit anytime.
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