Weekend Trip to Indian Cave State Park

In early/mid April we took a weekend camping trip to Indian Cave State Park in Nebraska.  Why Indian Cave?  Why not!  I enjoyed the trip, but was slightly underwhelmed by it.  First off, there is no cave.  Secondly, I didn't see any Indians either.  But, there were some petroglyphs, so that made the visit worthwhile.  The alcove is located on the south end of the park, just off of the Missouri River.  We parked our car, wandered down to the river, then crossed the road and climbed the boardwalk to the alcove.  Most of the pictures you see will make you believe that you hike down to see the petroglyphs.  Not so!  You start at the bottom, then hike up. 

Here's one of the petroglyphs.  There are several that are readily visible, although they are surrounded by graffiti that's been inscribed more recently.  I could pick out 8-10 pretty easily, although a sign said there were 15 petroglyphs in the alcove.  One of the pictographs is a half fish/half man but it isn't visible from the boardwalk.  I would have liked to see it, but I can understand why they don't point it out just the same.  Most of the petroglyphs, like the one pictured above, were of buffalo. 

We also visited the ghost town of St. Deroin there in the park.  There are several buildings, but since we visited in the off season, there were only two we could walk around at- the old schoolhouse, and a store.  They give broom making demonstrations at the store in the warmer months, but since we visited too early in the year, we just peeked in the windows. 

Some of the roads were pretty interesting.  I jokingly referred to this one as a Nebraska slot canyon.  It was incised so deeply into the hillside that the surrounding oak trees could have fallen over and still left room to drive underneath.  The park is 5 square miles along the Missouri River and has some beautiful views and a vast network of trails. 

One of the better viewpoints looked eastward into Missouri and over the river.  When Lewis and Clark were through here the river was 1 1/2 miles further east than it is today.  We enjoyed reading the signs and talked about how Lewis and Clark passed going both up the river and down the river.  The kids asked why it took so long for them to go up the river, but so short when they went down the river, so I had them walk from one side of a platform to the other with me pushing them in opposition, then walk back with me pushing them faster and faster.  I then compared it to the river pushing against you when you go up it, but pushing you faster when you go with it. 

Overall we had a great weekend camping trip.  I think my impression of Indian Cave State Park would have been more favorable if more stops were open when we visited.  But, since half of the ghost town was closed, as well as the museum, it doesn't get my ringing endorsement.  Maybe you'll enjoy it more if you visit in summer.  I probably would have. 

Nearest City: Shubert, Nebraska
Location: 65296 720 Rd, Shubert, NE 68437
Time Needed: Varies
Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Indian Cave State Park website

Millville Ghost Town and Petroglyphs

The Millville Petroglyphs and Ghost Town is another spot that I've visited a few times, but never bothered to blog about, probably because I didn't bring my camera the first few times. What good is a blogpost if it doesn't have pictures?  Anyway, in mid-late September we went for a morning hike out to Millville.  The trailhead is located on the north side of Charleston Road, about 1/4 mile east of the San Pedro River.  

We had wanted to visit earlier in the year, but the gates were locked and some signs indicated that they were searching the area for unexploded ordnance from back when the army had used Charleston, located just across the river, as a practice area for street fighting back during World War 2.  Anyway, I noticed a headline or press release from the BLM detailing that the sites were open again, and put visiting back on my list, even though it took us a while to make it over.

We went for our hike and stopped to see the petroglyphs first.  There are two identified sites along the trail, the first one has these bear footprints and several others on boulders just east of the trail.  This location would have been more or less right in the middle of Millville back in its heyday, so it's pretty great that they're still there.

The second location is another 1/4 mile north and is several boulders on the side of the hill, a stones throw from the San Pedro River.  The trail stops just south of a small gully, but I scrambled down it, then up the other side and climbed around and looked at the boulders up close. 

Who knows what the scribbles mean?!  It's something that's been lost since the Apaches were pushed from the area.   The hillside is steep and has mesquites, cacti, and other spined and poky desert plants, so I didn't do an extensive and thorough reconnaissance to find all of the petroglyphs.

Back at the end of the trail, there are a few pipes that are set up go direct your site to where the petroglyphs are. 

We hiked back down the trail to go see the ruins of Millville. 

Some of the rock walls are visible from the Charleston Road, but most of them are only visible when you get out and hike.  With a name like Millville, it's not hard to guess why the town was here.  Millville existed solely to mill the ores mined in Tombstone.  Tombstone didn't have the water needed to power the stamp mills, so they would freight the ore to Millville for processing.  The arrangement worked great for Millville until the miners in Tombstone struck water.  After that, it wasn't too long until the mills were dismantled, and shipped to Tombstone for reassembly there, much closer to the ore.   Today there's just several walls and building foundations remaining, along with old cans and broken glass and pottery.  A few interpretive signs explain more about the ruins if you visit. 

I had to throw in one last picture of the Huachuca Mountains in the background, with the cottonwoods lining the San Pedro River in the foreground.  It was a beautiful morning for a hike!

Nearest City: Sierra Vista, AZ or Tombstone, AZ
Location: Charleston Road, 1/4 mile east of the San Pedro River
Time Needed: 2 hours
Difficulty: easy/moderate
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

The Pictographs at Council Rocks

We visited Council Rocks last year, but this slipped through the blogging cracks.   The Dragoon Mountains are one of our favorite places to go explore.  The fantastic rock formations are thrilling to climb on and explore around.  On the west side of the Dragoon Mountains, toward the center of the range is Council Rocks.  It's one of the more notable places in the Dragoon Mountains, which are well endowed with history in and of themselves.  Council Rocks is a place the Apache Indians used to meet in council.

Council Rocks forms a natural amphitheater, and was used frequently as the pictographs and grinding holes in the area attest.  Cochise and Geronimo are two of the most famous Apaches, and both of them wandered the Dragoon Mountains.  It is not unreasonable to state that both of them were familiar with Council Rocks.

As we explored, we found one large stone ledge that was pockmarked with grinding holes.  It's amazing to think of how much food was prepared here! 

The pictographs are one of the greatest attractions of Council Rocks.  There is one large panel with a sign in front of it, but if you explore the area further and crawl in other crevices and cracks there are many more pictographs to be found.  We found several of them without really looking.

At the base of many of the rock outcroppings, small ferns grow in the cracks.  It's amazing to think that there are ferns that grow in the middle of a desert, but they do in the Dragoon Mountains!

 

Nearest City: Tombstone, AZ

Location: Take Middlemarch Road east, then turn north right after crossing the cattleguard along the front of the Dragoon Mountains.  Drive to the parking area, then hike in.

Time Needed: several hours

Kid Friendly: yes

Additional Info:



Petroglyphs in Downtown Mesa

Petroglyph Calendar at the Mesa Temple

Our final stop on our Northern Arizona Road Trip was at the Mesa Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It was a nice stop on a Sunday, but the grounds are open every day of the week.  The visitor center had restrooms for the kids to use, as well as some information on the  temple, what Mormons believe, and Jesus Christ, including a scale model of Jerusalem.  One thing I've noticed about Mormon Historical Sites and places of note is that they avoid denigrating other religions, but instead put forward what they believe and leave it up to you to determine what you believe.  There is always someone there to answer questions.

The Mesa Temple

As we wandered around the temple grounds, we looked at the temple, noticed several citrus trees, and saw a calendar petroglyph in a boulder.  I always like seeing petroglyphs, so seeing these in such an unusual location got me wondering where they came from.  I learned that they are from Hieroglyphic Canyon, located east of Phoenix in the Superstition Mountains.  There are many more petroglyphs there, but this stone has an interesting history. 

I found this interesting explanation, which I've repeated below (Tom Kollenborn, Author):

A great rock bearing the outline of the old circular
calendar was once located in Hieroglyphic Canyon
on the west slope of Superstition Mountain near
Apache Junction. The rock, which weighs just over
four tons at 8,860 pounds, was moved to Mesa on
January 12, 1934. The rock required ten men to move
it from its original site in Hieroglyphic Canyon to its
present location on the Mormon Temple grounds in
Mesa.
In 1934, Mr. J.W. Lesuer told reporters from the Mesa
Journal-Tribune that the rock was a gift to the Temple
by the Pimas at Sacaton. According to the Pima elders,
the rock was found near the “throne of
Hatsehuhin” or the trysting stone of the maidens of
the Pima tribe where, ages ago, they tossed pebbles
against the stone seat where their lovers sat.
Mr. Lesuer was a strong advocate for the special preservation
of Hieroglyphic Canyon more than sixty
years ago. He never found any strong support for his
advocacy, therefore many of the pictoglyphs of Hieroglyphic
Canyon were hauled off by vandals.
According to a Mesa Journal-Tribune article dated
January 12, 1934, the O.S. Stapley Company of Mesa
provided a truck to move the stone from its original
site to its present location. Members of the Jr. Gospel
Doctrine class of Mesa Second Ward, of which J.W.
Lesuer was the teacher, provided the man-power to
move the stone from the canyon to a point where it
could be loaded on to a truck. The moving of this
four- ton rock was no easy task and was accomplished
by using pulleys and leverage bars. After several trips
to the site, the stone was eventually loaded and transported
to Mesa.
One side of the stone is completely covered with
petroglyphs. An interesting feature of the petroglyph
stone is the series of circles that correspond in number
and in sub-divisions with the Mayan calendar
stone. There are twenty-six perpendicular lines to the
concentric circles forming some fifty-two boxes.
When we think about it, there are fifty-two weeks in
a year. There are several other interesting things involving
these stones. The Mayan Calendar is a rectangular
block some 13 feet and 1 inch square, weighing
some 24 tons, and built into the wall of the Cathedral
of Mexico City. The calendar covers a period
from the year 613 B.C. for 2,147 years without the
loss of a single day. It is one of the most accurate
calendars known to the world.
The stone work on the Hieroglyphic Canyon stone
appears to have been made to resemble the Mayan
stone, in all of the circles and sub-divisions. Two
smaller calendars appear with rays of the sun shining
on them. The stone, according to professionals who
have examined it, say it is of enormous historical significance.
The importance of this stone from Hieroglyphic Canyon
has earned it a permanent site on the grounds of
the Mesa Mormon Temple. The stone needed to be
protected because, even as early as 1934, vandals had
marred the stone by using it as a shooting target.
E.C. Santeo of San Tan, Incarnacion Valenzula of
Lehi and Domingo Baptisto of Lehi told J.W. Lesueur
stories about the Pimas and Hieroglphic Canyon.
Lesueur considered Hieroglyphic Canyon so historically
significant he advocated for preservation status
of the canyon in 1934. He wanted it protected for future
generations to see. He so strongly believed in
protecting the calendar stone that he initiated its removal
from Hieroglyphic Canyon and its relocation
to Mesa. His goal was to protect the stone from destruction.
The ancient markings on this stone certainly would
not have survived if it had not been moved by this
dedicated group young men, some sixty-six years ago.
Today we can visit this marvelous stone on the temple
grounds and speculate about it origin and what the
great circles represent. If the stone had remained at
its original site in Hieroglyphic Canyon vandals would
certainly have totally defaced it by using it as a bull’seye
for target practice. Even today the stone exhibits
damage caused by bullets before its removal from
the canyon.
The “art gallery” of ancient carvings in Hieroglyphic
Canyon is one of the oldest in the Southwest. When I
think of the British Museum of Art, New York Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Fine Arts Institute of Chicago
or the Smithsonian, all of which I have visited
and all created by modern man, I must admit Hieroglyphic
Canyon stands out as a museum of ancient
art. It is a museum that has survived the ages with
little or no protection from the elements and vandals.
Ironically, the present status of the wilderness area
provides little or no protection for this site today. The
only protection for these artifacts are those of us who
will report vandals that damage these fine pictoglyphs.
Let us hope man has enough respect for this area that
it will be there for future generations to enjoy


Nearest City: Mesa , AZ
Location: 101 S. Lesueur, Mesa AZ
Time Needed: up to 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

Feeling Rushed at Honanki

We were wrapping up our visit to Palatki about 3:00 when we mentioned that we were going to drive to Honanki next.  The tour guide said that we should hurry because Honanki closes at 4 PM.  It's about 7 miles between the two, on dirt roads the whole way.  We quickly loaded up, drove past the ranger waiting to close the gate behind us at Palatki, and down the road to Honanki.  We got to the fork in the road to Honanki, turned west, and I did my best to drive fast, but not too fast.  The dirt road to Honanki is in worse shape then the dirt road was to Palatki.  I slowed way down at several spots to pick my way through.  If you're driving a sedan, you can make it if you go slow and pick your approaches.  Low clearance vehicles could bottom out a place or two if they don't pick the right approach.  Driver be warned. 

Full Moon Pictograph

We pulled into the Honanki parking area, then looked frantically for our National Parks Pass.  It had gotten lost somewhere between Palatki and Honanki.  Because both sites are in the Red Rocks area, you need a Red Rocks Pass or equivalent to visit them.  I couldn't find the pass anywhere.  I still haven't found it a month later!   I ran over to the little booth at the entrance and the volunteer told me just to go anyway as they were closing in half an hour.  So we got the kids out and hustled down the path to the Honanki Ruins. 

I really liked the Honanki Ruins.  There are some really cool petroglyphs and pictographs.  A couple people from California remarked that this one looked like a guy carrying a surfboard. 

The ruins at Honanki are in an alcove at the base of a west-facing cliff.  The ruins are much larger of those at Palatki.  They are roped off here too, but I didn't feel like someone was watching over my shoulder here.  The ruins and rock art are intermingled, with several attractive pictographs being located above the ruins.  I wish I would have had more time here at Honanki!  We quickly toured the area, took a few pictures, then walked the 1/4 mile back to our car so they could lock up.  If I only had time for one visit between Palatki and Honanki, I'd definitely recommend visiting Honanki.  The ruins are better, there's awesome rock art, and they don't hold your hand the entire visit. 

Nearest City: Sedona AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: moderately easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Coconino National Forest Honanki Heritage Site  Site is open from 9:30- 4:00

A Supervised Visit to the Palatki Ruins

We called and made reservations to the Palatki Ruin a few miles southeast of Sedona.  It's dirt roads driving out there, but the roads are in generally good condition.  Good enough condition that a sedan would have no trouble getting there.  The ruins were just far enough out though that we were beginning to question if we were in the right place or not then we saw a sign telling us they were a little further.  We drove into the parking lot and took the last available parking space.  A bunch of side-by-side ATV's had claimed about half of the parking stalls.  The rest of the places were claimed by vehicles with an assortment of license plates.  Palatki attracts people from all over the place.  The site requests that you call ahead and reserve a tour time because the parking area is limited, and having steady visitation throughout the day is a lot easier for them to handle then the peak and valley variation that occurs otherwise. 

Palatki has a cliff dwelling, as well as a large collection of pictographs.  The first trail we chose was to the cliff dwelling.  We walked for about 1/4 mile to the dwelling, where a tour guide was waiting.  The ruins are fenced off from visitors, so we listened to the short presentation, took a few pictures, then turned around to go back to the visitor center. 

The sky was quite hazy from the Slide Fire up Oak Creek Canyon, but the red rock was still quite pretty.  We enjoyed the hike across the desert and spied a peach tree growing out of a small wash.

Back at the visitor center, we took another trail that took us west to the pictograph panels.  The pictographs are located in a large alcove, and contain pictographs from many different peoples who lived in the area.

Some of the pictographs are layered, with newer pictographs painted over the top of older pictographs.  This  small handprint was by itself.

You can see many different pictographs in this picture if you look.  The deer is newer, while the "ladder" in black is an older pictograph.  

I thought the best pictographs were on the east end of the alcove where there were black figures on a blackened wall.  The ranger said that these pictographs were likely white at one time, but the floor of the alcove right below them was used as an agave roasting pit.  The smoke from the fires was caught by the binding matrix in the pictographs, turning them back.  It's a pretty neat place.  The area just past the black figures was roped off to protect nesting bats that live in the cliff.  Palatki is a nice place to visit, but expect crowds, as well as the near constant supervision of park rangers and volunteers while you're there.  Be sure to call ahead for reservations.

Nearest City: Sedona, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: moderately easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Coconino National Forest Palatki Heritage Site  Call ahead for reservations 928-282-3854.  Open from 9 AM to 3 PM. The last tour starts about 2 though.

The Solar Calendar and Petroglyphs at the V Bar V

The Solar Calendar at the V Bar V

The V-Bar-V Heritage Site is only open a few days a week, centered around weekends.  So even though we were camped nearby and drove by the V Bar V several times, we had to delay our visit until it opened on Friday.  We stopped my Montezuma's Well ( about 5 miles away) first because it opens at 8, and the V Bar V opens at 9.  After visiting Montezuma's Well, we drove back to take a look at what the V Bar V had to offer.

The V Bar V was an old ranch outfit along the banks of Beaver Creek, running cattle in the Verde Valley.  It has an amazing petroglyph panel that the owner kept protected for a number of years before arranging a deal with the Forest Service to open it up for visitors.  We checked in at the Visitor Center, showed them our National Parks Pass (a Red Rocks Pass works just as well), then wandered down the trail toward the petroglyphs.  This old chimney is all that's left of the old ranch house. 

The hike is about 1/4 mile one way, across level ground, with a very short incline right at the petroglyphs.  The sandstone outcrop has petroglyphs all over it.  It's a very dense collection of some outstanding petroglyphs. 

There is some discussion about what the petroglyphs mean, but since the Sinaguan creators have all passed from this life, I don't think we'll ever know exactly.  Although there are several theories out there, they all remain just that.  All of them conclude though that this was an important site. 

 Here's a close up of some of the petroglyphs. 

One of the docents at the site had a collection of pottery and artifacts that he had collected over the years, and the kids just couldn't wait to get their hands on some of it.  They each got to pick a piece of pottery to hold for a few minutes and were extremely thrilled about it.   One of the elements of the petroglyph panel is solar calendar that's on it.  The calendar works mid day about 1:00 as the sun comes over the top of the cliff and shines down the face past two marker stones.  It's only visible for about 5 minutes.  We were fortunate to be there for the occurrence.  It would definitely be cool to be there on a solstice or equinox to see the alignments then. 

The tour guide mentioned that he had hiking directions to Sacred Mesa a short distance down the road.  Yes please!  I picked up the directions from him and chatted a little bit about the area. Sometimes the best finds are ones that happen when your plans get changed.  The V Bar V was one of those finds for us.

Nearest City: Camp Verde/ Sedona, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Coconino National Forest V Bar V Heritage Site website

In the Dark at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The Natural Entrance

Our Spring Break trip to Carlsbad was pretty awesome.  I can't say it was epic, because nobody died.  But it was a great experience.  After hiking Guadalupe Peak overnight, I was a little bit sore when I awoke, but I still figured I was good enough to go through the caves at Carlsbad.  We drove up from the Pine Springs Campground at Guadalupe National Park, the reasonably closest campground to Carlsbad Caverns, and found the place not that crowded, at least judging from the limited number of cars in the vast parking lot.  I'd heard that Spring Break is a zoo at Carlsbad Caverns, so in searching out a time for the trip, deliberately scheduled it for mid/late April, a week or two after all of the Texas Public Schools have their Spring Breaks.

Pictographs outside the cave entrance at Carlsbad

We picked up our tickets at the ticket counter ($10/adult, or free with a National Parks Pass), then wandered over to the natural entrance.  There are about half a dozen tours at Carlsbad Caverns, but the two most common ways to the cave are through the Natural Entrance or through the elevator.  We took the both ways- more on that later.  After getting a pep-talk from a ranger, along with encouragement to not touch things or spit, or throw things into the pools (and keep your hands inside the ride at all times), we paused at the entrance to look for some pictographs made by Indians before non-Indians discovered the cave.  I found them on the right side of the entrance.  We then proceeded to walk down the switchbacks into the cave.  The steep switchbacks reminded me of Walters Wiggles at Zion National Park.

The Whale's Mouth

The cave is pretty impressive.   The one of the first named features we came to was the Whale's Mouth.  The drapery was pretty impressive.  I had to wonder about what the early explorers saw as they descended into the depths of the cavern.  They had to deal with only the lights on their helmets or torches and must have had a much different experience than the average tourist does today. 

We passed a lot more formations, many of which were just difficult to photograph.  We also saw some wooden stairs that were used for tours before the modern path was installed.  It's a steep, steep path.  No strollers or wheelchairs are allowed down the natural entrance.  I felt like I needed a wheelchair almost.  I gingerly continued onward- my knees complaining for most of the way.  We passed a few intrepid individuals climbing out the natural entrance. 

Overall it's a 750 foot descent to the bottom.  The cave is deeper than that, but they don't do tours there.   The elevator ride takes over a minute, and is guaranteed to make your ears pop from the pressure differential.  We finally made it to the end of the descent.  The kids were tired and needed a break, so we took the elevator up to the top for a snack and some daylight. 

 After lunch, we went back inside and showed our tickets to the ranger operating the elevator and she let us back in via an elevator ride back down to the bottom.  Keep your ticket!  Don't throw it away if you want to take the elevator up and down!  If you've got young kids, definitely keep your tickets! 

Back down at the bottom, we left the elevator lobby, snack bar, and restrooms for a walk through the highly decorated cave. 

The cave is amazing!  There are decorations everywhere!  Most of them are dry/dormant/dead.  But the cave scientists are hopeful, so dead ones are not completely dead and are just dormant. 

I tried taking good pictures, and got a few that are decent, but they are all completely inadequate for conveying how awesome the cave is.  One of the rangers said that the least crowded time at Carlsbad Caverns National Park is between New Years and mid-February.  I think it would be a bit easier to take some stellar shots when there aren't as many people around. 

 One of the most photographed features in the cave is the Totem Pole. 

We also saw an old rope ladder descending into the pit leading to the lowest levels of the cave.  Nearby in the big room there was another rope- this one hanging from the ceiling.  The single rope hanging from the ceiling was used to discover new passages located at a previously inaccessible area of the cave.

More stalactites and columns.  Amazing stuff.  The cave is pretty temperature stable, so a light jacket is desirable for some people.  I did fine without one though. 

These draperies are not lit by the tour lights, but they caught my eye.  It is amazing that these are stone instead of cloth!  Overall, I thought the lighting at Carlsbad was very tastefully done.   The early explorers must have had a very different experience then we did.  I felt a little envious of them, but at the same time thought that I probably got a better overall view of the cave since they only had the light from their carbide lamps to go off of.  As we neared the end of loop the kids were again tired, so even  though I could have stayed until we got kicked out, we trudged to the elevators and the 1 minute ride to daylight.

The Visitor Center has a model showing the cave and the route of the tours.  The visitor center is shown at the top, and the elevators are shown with a clear plastic tube.  Tour routes are shown by the black lines. 

I was blown away by Carlsbad Caverns.  They are absolutely worth visiting.  We spent just over half a day and could have spent longer.  But half a day is about all that a 4 year old could take (walking the whole way on her own), so I was content with that.  If you're contemplating visiting Carlsbad Caverns- make it happen.  Do it. 

Nearest City: Carlsbad, NM
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 1/2 day plus!
Difficulty: varies.  Natural entrance- strenuous.  Elevator route- easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: