Rocky Gap Handprint Pictographs - Red Rock Cyn NCA

Handprint pictographs are always a treat for me. I think it's because normal pictos and petros are made with tools. Handprint pictos are created from the actual placement of the hand on the surface. When compared to most other symbols, handprints seem very personal. In my mind's eye I can picture the person placing their hand on the rock. The "rock art" in this area are estimated to be about 1,000 years old. That is seven or eight centuries before the first white settlers started arriving.

You can barely see them with the naked eye.

With DStretch much more is revealed. Notice where the middle of the palm didn't make contact with the rock.

This one shows five handprints.

The rocky surface is a very large, or multiple Agave roasting pits. 

 A nice sized rock shelter

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Red Rock Wash Pictographs - Red Rock Canyon NCA

This pictograph site is in the same area as my last post. We like auto-touring, but love getting out of the jeep and exploring much more. This site isn't a secret, but we saw very few people while hiking around.

The view from where we parked the jeep.

 Straight ahead to our intended target. There is a waterfall at the end of the canyon on the left. I'll cover it in another post.

In the bottom center you can see some rock shelters used by the original inhabitants. 

 The first pictograph we saw here.

Same pictograph enhanced with DStretch. It would have been nice to see it before it started fading. 

 Hard to see anything on this wall.

 Not much better after enhancement, but there is a nice sunburst and a few other images.

Self portrait of the original owner?

A closer look at the rock shelters. 

Excuse me! Can you two get a room please? 

Rock Shelters. I'm not sure how much "barricading" these barricades actually do, but I don't blame them for trying to keep people out. 

It's hard to see in this view, but in the enhanced version below you can see...

 ...a red hand print!

I have no idea how old these pictos are. Several hundred to maybe a thousand years? They were done by either the Southern Paiute, or the Patayan who were here before them. 

We viewed another pictograph site and also one with both pictographs and petroglyphs. There are more in the area, but our time in the Las Vegas area was limited this trip. Next time. 

I hope everybody is okay with my low-key and sometimes humorous approach to these places. 


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Queen Valley Area Pictographs - Joshua Tree National Park

Sadly, the pictographs at this site are virtually invisible to the naked eye. It is also sad that very few of the multitude of visitors to the park have ever seen, or even heard of it.

The pictographs themselves are rather unremarkable, but the site is still amazing because of the rock formations in the area.

Backside

Backside

Front side. 

This large boulder is about 30' tall. Very impressive in person. It looks smaller in this photo because of the Joshua tree that was between me and the rock.

One of a few rock shelters in the area.

A natural water "tank" used by the local Indians that was later enlarged by local ranchers.

I had to crank up the contrast to even see a hint of the pictographs.

DStretch to the rescue. 

I have more posts from other "disappearing" sites that I'm going to try and work in here.

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Twin Tanks #3 Wilderness Area Pictographs & Rock Shelter JTNP

The third of four posts from the Twin Tanks area of Joshua Tree National Park. I use the term "Twin Tanks area" loosely because it's closer to it than anything else, but it's not really close at all. If you are thinking about trying to find these two sites, please remember that the first few photos may, or  may not even be in the area at all. It is also very easy to become hurt, or lost there.

Pictograph Site

The "cave" in that huge boulder looks pretty inviting!

Can you spot the pictographs in this photo?

The same photo after some post processing. This isn't a large or amazing site, and it is extremely obscure. I'm sure there are very few people who have seen it since it's creation. If anybody does stumble upon it, I doubt if they would see anything at all.

Nothing at all in this photo, right?

It wasn't easy to coax these two guys out of the first photo. It looks like two people to me. You can still see the outstretched arms, head, and body of the one on the left. I might be wrong about the one on the right, it may be just a smudge! Heck, I may be wrong about the one on the left also...

Rock Shelter

There were small pottery shards nearby, and also evidence (almost invisible) of pictographs in this rock shelter. Even after using DStretch on them there were only a few faint lines. Because of that I didn't include any photos. 

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Stirrup Tank Adjacent Petroglyphs JTNP

Although this isn't a large site, it is noteworthy because of the type of petroglyphs that are there. Plus, it is in an absolutely gorgeous and rugged area. 

From here it looks like a nice and easy hike across this valley. That thought ends in about a hundred yards...

...when you run into this! Climbing down into, and then up out of this is actually the easiest way to go. During major storms, water rushes down these little gullies at amazing speed. Not a place you want to be stuck in.

 Plenty of gorgeous scenery

 This rock is our destination

Although there aren't very many of them remaining, the predominant petroglyphs at this site are the "barbell" looking symbols.  

There are many opinions relating to what exactly the "barbell" symbols represent. My granny told me that it represents a meeting between two people, or two groups of people. If there is a third circle in the middle, it represents a third party acting as an intermediary, or mediator. I believe her...

 It's always nice when mother nature graces us with a few clouds for our photos.

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