Hollow Boulder Rock Art Site - Joshua Tree National Park

Here is another hidden and secret rock art site in Joshua Tree National Park. It is one of my favorites. Not because of the amount of rock art there, but because of how cool the spot is. If you don't mind hiking, climbing and finally crawling to get to it. I don't believe there is an official name for this spot and as usual, there was only a few references to it on the internet. None of which included directions to it.

I'll tell you right where it is! It is located in yet another jumbled mass of boulders between two of the thousands of rock formations in the park. (sorry, I couldn't help myself). Most of these places are talked about so little and kept so secret, that it's hard to know enough about it, to even tell if you've found a clue, in something you read or heard. The work really begins once you think you might have an idea where to look.

On another brutally cold day, I'm in Joshua Tree with my traveling companion and wife, who is dressed like "Lawrence, of Antarctica."

After awhile they all start to look the same.

You have to be very careful sticking your head inside of these places. There just might be something waiting for you in there. Probably not though, or maybe just a rattlesnake or mountain lion.

Or even worse, it might be a old creature with a camera, taking a photo of you taking a photo of it.

And then enhancing the photo with DStretch.  Okay, let's get serious.

Because of the isolated location of this spot and the lack of any other habitation clues in the immediate area, this hollow boulder is probably a Shaman's power spot or Shaman's cave. The diamond pattern usually represents a rattlesnake and possibly the Shaman's "helper" animal. As to the tic marks, your guess is as good as mine  In the top of the photo there is a cupule or depression that was somehow used to start fires. How exactly that was done, is another mystery.  If it is a Shaman's cave, the symbols were likely painted while he was in an altered state of consciousnesses and represent what he saw in his "mind's eye."

Same photo after enhancement of the pictographs

In many cases, rake like designs represent rain. I'm not sure if it still represents rain when enclosed in a box, but I'm trying to find out.

Enhanced version

Do these tic marks represent a tally of something? Or maybe the crack in the boulder (when combined with them) completes another rake like rain symbol.

A star or sunburst is always a great thing to find, because the meaning would seem to be obvious.

More snake symbols. Most likely a sidewinder.

This was the only petroglyph we found in the cave.

A better photo of my wife in full-on winter gear.

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I recently said that I was going to start posting twice a week to get caught up. I did it for a week! I'm just too busy doing things to get posts up about those things I'm busy doing. Figure that sentence out! 

Here is a perfect example...  At this moment we are camped for two weeks on a mountain ridge overlooking Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We'll be going down the mountain and into AB at least a couple of times. I want to show my wife a couple of the rock art sites (closest to us) and maybe take a look at that bus. We are also very close to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. You might remember my posts relating to the Stonewall mine, the spot with about 100 bedrock mortars and our hike up a mountain to the site of a hundred year old bi-plane crash (and memorial to it). There is much more to see and report about from there. I almost forgot about the closest spot. It is Lake Cuyamaca. There are also things to do and see around there. These things represent only a fraction of what is easily available to us from where we are. I will easily be able to generate several blog posts on the above items. THAT is why I'm so far behind on my postings.  So please bear with me...



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Hidden Cave Pictographs - Joshua Tree National Park

There are many petroglyph and/or pictograph sites in Joshua Tree. Except for the "Disney" Petroglyphs post, I've only shown you a few of the minor ones. That is going to change today. The Hidden Cave is one of the major sites in the park. Its location is also one of the most protected secrets there. There is not a hint relating to it on any maps, brochures, or National Park Service websites. If you ask a Park Ranger about it, they will either deny its existence or claim that they know nothing about it. Seriously, I doubt if more than a handful of people know where it is, or have ever visited it. Further, I'd say only a handful of people even know of its existence. I know quite a bit about Joshua Tree and have been there many times and only recently found out about it. I'm also a pretty darn good researcher and I had one heck of a time finding anything about it on the internet. I did find it on three blogs and that was about it. None of those three gave any information relating to where the cave is. In this case, I think that is a good thing and my lips are also sealed.

After I was pretty sure I knew where it was, I took my grand daughter Tay with me. I want to expose her to the desert as much as I was at her age. I'm way behind on that goal. Anyway, she is right in front of the cave.

The opening was pretty small and this is the view my little flashlight revealed as I pulled myself into the cave while laying on my back. At that second, I didn't regret a moment of the many hours I had spent on the internet and in person, looking for this place.

Here is another view of the same photo after enhancing it with DStretch. Like I've said before, not a lot is known about these symbols. The diamond shaped images represent the rattlesnake. These images were likely created by Shamans and possibly puberty initiates.

 Rattlesnake 

 Some pictographs and Tay enhanced by DStretch

 Enhanced photo below

 Sunburst

 Sunburst enhanced

 My granddaughter was very excited about these images. I think she is hooked!

Tay was certain that this is a human face

 I had to give you at least one landscape photo

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There were also some very faint petroglyphs in the area, but I didn't post any photos of them. I could give you a ton of information relating to the things that we do know (and disagree) about these symbols, but I won't. Not yet anyway. Most of what we do know, or think we know, is mostly conjecture anyway...  I hope you enjoyed this post, even a small bit as much as I did. Pulling myself into the cave and seeing them in person was amazing! I felt like I was in a very special and powerful place.

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