Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Signal Hill Petroglyphs

You know what I love about Arizona?

This.

It's no fall in New England, but boy, do I love a big blue sky over a vast desert of Saguaro and purple mountains in the distance. I love thinking about all the creepy crawlies that live out there... the coyotes, the rattlesnakes, the javelina, the tarantulas, the bobcats, the mountain lions, the scorpions, the mice, the foxes... the DANGER. It's kind of thrilling.

And I love how you can go for a hike (a half mile hike because this little cold of mine has turned me into a huge wuss) and stumble upon some PETROGLYPHS! That's right, prehistoric rock art made thousands of years ago.


It might look like graffiti, but it's not. Not hoodlums, but Hohokam indians. They pecked those designs into these very rocks many, many years ago. And who knows why? It's fascinating. Truly awesome and good old Arizona is filled with them. Is it too outrageous to try and see all the petroglyphs the Southwest has to offer? Maybe.

But it's good to know my family would be obliging if I did try. A big thank you to Clark for making sure both boys AND the dog didn't get eaten by a rattlesnake. He actually had to carry Fergus back down the mountain because he got too hot and tired.

If you know of any other good petroglyph hikes, please share. I can't wait for it to cool down because there's nothing like an Arizona winter.

Go on, check it out. You know you're as excited about rock art as I am...

2 comments:

Emily said...

Very cool. Really.

I'll have to get the low down on where this is from you later.

Spence said...

There are some good ones upstream from Lee's Ferry in the canyon below Havasu. You need a boat to get there, though.