So I did.
I aired up STeve's tires, packed a muffin, and headed out, in shorts and a t-shirt.
The plan was to see what the Campbell Mesa trails looked like, and if they were too muddy, head out Old Walnut Canyon Highway.
After having my fill of mud on Old Walnut Canyon Highway, I hopped on the Monument Road to head back to Route 66.
Obviously, the trails were muddy.
Very muddy.
As I was heading back to town, I decided to take a bit of a detour.
Not as muddy here.
Snow on the mountains... Clouds in the sky?
It had been a bit since I had been to Picture Canyon, and I figured it would be a good place to have lunch. Plus, I could resume my search for the elusive petroglyphs.
This is new.
Flagstaff's only natural waterfall.
So, after poking around for a bit, I picked a rock to have lunch on. Turns out this one had some scratches on it. Man-made, but obviously not a petroglyph. Someone spent a minute scratching at the rock making.... something.
Meh.
So, as I'm eating my muffin, and studying the graffiti, I looked up at the next rock over.
I then spent the next 30 minutes crawling all over different rocks, looking for more.
Score!
Some of them show signs of vandalism from way back when. I'm glad this place is protected now, and I'm glad I got to find some of the ones that survived. I want to go back and find more now.
The ride home was quick and painless. It felt good to be pushing pedals again after a couple weeks off, in nice warm weather.
It wasn't long enough, though.
Mileage: 31.6
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2 comments:
Oh my gosh, always with the huge mileage! I'm going to see your ass in the Tour de Francé before I die, I bet.
I was really surprised that after years of snow and erosion, the stuff that was written on those rocks were still so clear. I must admit, the little pictures of the people holding hands near the very last one was endearing. Also sort of in love with the picture of the rock called "Picture Rock" -- INCEPTION!
Hope you're staying safe and sane down there, Kev. oNE OF THESE Days you have like a 2 pound care package heading your way.
I'll never be in le Tour de France. They won't let me in because I don't shave my legs or something like that.
Just off the top of my head, I believe the petroglyphs were made by the Sinagua, which left the area around the time Sunset Crater, a local volcano, erupted, which was somewhere around 1,000 years ago. They're engraved in basalt, which is a pretty hard rock, and wears well in the weather. It takes a long time to carve something in those rocks that'll last this long.
Hope you're staying safe as well! It snowed here, so I'm dodging cars on ice to the tune of Blue Danube.
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