Gold Butte, NV Feb 17, 2013 Part 2 - Petroglyphs

Part 2:

Petroglyphs

I had heard about some amazing petroglyph examples in this area and had to check them out for myself. It is thought that these petroglyphs were made by the Anasazi as early as 2000 years ago but nobody really knows for sure.

When you arrive at the site there is a fence around it so we had to park our ATVs and walk in on foot. Make sure to bring water as it is a little bit longer of a walk than I planned for, plus I kept getting sidetracked.

 You will see some examples of typical petroglyphs found in this region, like others found in Logandale, Valley of Fire, Red Rock etc. These typically have depictions of indigenous animals , spirals, squiggly lines, hands, feet and other interesting symbols.

There are several books you can read that give you some insight as to what all of them mean.

It is thought that these petroglyphs were made by the Anasazi as early as 2000 years ago but nobody really knows for sure. There is one petroglyph in particular that peaks many people's interest. It is unlike any other petroglyph I have seen.  I have heard that there are 2 others just like it in the Las Vegas area, but have not seen any data to verify, nor have I seen them myself. I am talking about

Falling Man

 

 As you can clearly see this man appears to be falling from the sky. Did someone in pre-history put this here to let future generations know that someone jumped off this rock formation to end their life?

If you look closely, you will notice that Falling man appears to be holding something in his hand. Is this man not "Falling Man", but instead "FLYING MAN"? We will never truly know the meaning of the Falling Man petroglyph, but it is fun to see it in real life and speculate at what happened here thousands of years ago.

Climbing out of the canyon area where "Falling Man" is located, you have to climb through a little rock tunnel. Just before that tunnel I noticed this........

What the heck is it?

On the top left corner of the petroglyph it almost looks like a man jumping off of a rock. Does this petroglyph tell the story of "Falling Man"? We can only speculate...

Gold Butte, NV Feb 17, 2013 Part 1 - Abandoned Corral

Part 1

Abandoned Corral

Just northwest of Whitney Pockets near Gold Butte, NV we had to park kind of far from where we wanted to because there was nowhere to park. I guess that is just what happens on holiday weekends. Anyway, near where we parked we saw a sign that said Arizona - 8 miles and decided to go to the border and see if anything was there. We knew we couldn't go inside Arizona because we didn't purchase our Arizona tags this year. Anyway we found a road heading up into the mountains and this is what we found.

 

Keeping this one short and simple. When we decided to go to Gold Butte I had no idea this Corral was even here. Just goes to show that when you get out and explore you never know what you might find!

 

Man killed in ATV accident near Wendover

Man killed in ATV accident near Wendover

It is important for us, as responsible ATV riders to take necessary caution while exploring the great outdoors. You try to make the best decisions possible, and in some cases you only have a split second to react to situations. ATV trails are often miles and miles from any main road or highway which makes any serious situation more amplified. Pay attention to where you are at all times. In case of an accident you might have to make a call or radio and be able to explain to someone exactly where you are in order to dispatch the helicopter team.

I feel bad for this man and his family.

Remember to always wear proper protective gear... Helmet, boots, gloves, and goggles. When in doubt, slow down. If it looks too dangerous, find another way around.

Wheeler Pass Feb 9, 2013

After riding my ATV all over Southern Nevada, Wheeler Pass road is still my favorite trail of all. It is an old miner route starts right behind the small community of Cold Creek, NV and goes all the way through to Pahrump.

Sitting just north of Mount Charleston, the weather in this area can change in the matter of seconds. Last June, what seemed like harmless summer showers turned into flash floods and the trail literally turned into white water rapids with lightning slamming down all around us. I advise anyone traveling this trail to do so with caution. Make sure you carry enough gear to keep safe in this type of situation.

On the Las Vegas side when driving up to the cold Creek area, please use caution when traveling as there are many wild horses in the area. It is advised not to feed them. Feeding them gives them the idea that cars are good so they start hanging out near the road and can get struck by passing vehicles.

Feb 10, 2013 Paul and I set out to try to run this trail in the snow. Having 4x4 on our ATVs was definitely helpful. The Las Vegas side of the trail going west to the summit is the trickiest part. The trail gets washed out and rutted. Adding snow and ice to the mix makes this trail even trickier, I would not recommend trying this trail unless you are an experienced rider. Make sure you have plenty of water, food, tow equipment (or winch) and anything else you might think would help you.

Once you get to the summit the road completely smooths out and you can pick up speed. The trail winds through nice wooded areas. You will pass a few primitive camp areas and come up on the Charcoal Kilns.

 The Charcoal Kilns were built by the Mormon settlers in the area contrary to what other riders who think they were built by Native American peoples. Settlers moved into Nevada as early as the 1850s and started mining silver, copper and even gold. As the mines went further and further into mountain sides, darkness in the mines became an obstacle for them since light bulbs and electricity as we know it were not available back then.


The charcoal kilns seen here played an important role in mining this region. They would smoke wood in these kilns to make charcoal. The higher elevation of the kilns here was important. Since the higher in elevation you go the less oxygen there is which helps produce better charcoal which was then shipped to the mines that are lower in elevation and didn't  have sufficient timber to sustain good fires. The charcoal was used for lighting inside the mines and also for warmth in the winter months. Without these Charcoal kins it is possible that the mines would have failed and the Las Vegas area would have never become what it is today. The central location of the kilns in relation to the Mountain range is important because it tells us that they were able to ship the charcoal to the mines to the east as well as to the mines to the west.

After checking out the kilns Paul and I headed  to a little clearing off the main trail for some lunch. We were able to dig a small pit and make a fire to warm up. Please remember that if you make a fire be sure to drown it before leaving.















I buy the dehydrated meals from Sportsman's Warehouse. Just boil water, add to the food bag and voila, instant hot meal. Today's selection was Chicken Alfredo. Who says roughing it means you can't eat well??


Here is a short video of the ride to the Wheeler Pass summit. Enjoy!

 

All in all it was a good day, We made it back all in one piece with no injuries or mechanical issues. We got to see some amazing views while spending time in the snow 20 miles outside Las Vegas, NV

 On the way down the mountain we saw a bunch of wild burros. Pretty Cool!

Nelson NV/Keyhole Canyon petroglyphs - Feb 2,2013

I had heard and read about some petroglyphs in the mountains just west of Nelson, NV. Normally when we go ride at Nelson we go check out the old mines where the Mormons were mining gold and silver in the 1800s. This time around we went to try to find the petroglyphs. Paul, Michael and I set out in search for them and were completely amazed and what we found.

We rolled up on Keyhole Canyon in the El Dorado Mountains on this sunny day and were amazed at the sheer amount of petroglyphs this site had. Other petroglyph sites I have seen had petroglyphs fairly close to the ground. This canyon has petroglyphs starting near the ground and working their way all the way up the cliff walls which tower at least several hundreds of feet. In the picture above there is a petroglyph that looks like a robot with a box-like head. It is irritating to see that modern day people have carved their names in the rocks over the petroglyphs

 Near the entrance of the canyon I start climbing around on the rock piles and discover several ancient dwellings under the rocks. These dwellings have soot marks on the ceilings of them telling me they had fires built and would take shelter in these areas. There were also petroglyphs inside these areas. The picture above is of one of the smaller dwellings. I forgot to take a picture of the bigger one :)

As we made our way into the canyon it became clear that this canyon was of great importance to the people who once lived here. The walls had petroglyphs scattered all over them as the canyon started changing colors from a grayish color to more of a bleached white color where water has come through. You can see where a waterfall would form in a flash flood which are known to happen in this area. It is my opinion that this canyon played host to different ceremonies held by the native people.

It is hard to date an area like this. I can tell you that some of the petroglyphs in this area are a lot more detailed than other petroglyphs I have found in Southern Nevada. In addition to these petroglyphs, there are what is called pictographs which are basically petroglyphs with color

 

Summary

Since this area clearly has signs that water collects here, it seems highly probably that animals would come into the canyon area for a refreshing drink in the middle of the desert. The native people must have recognized this and took advantage of the animals being boxed in for an easy hunt. With both water and food being available in this canyon which sits in an otherwise barren desert landscape, it is easy to see why it became important to the ancient peoples. To signify its importance they put markings on the walls to thank the gods for what they had provided as well as tell the stories of their people.

Blog Intro

Hi,

 My name is Josh and ever since I was a young man I have always had that itch to be an explorer. I see a road heading off into the mountains and want to see where it goes. I scour over maps for hours and hours trying to find new places to go.

Ancient man has always fascinated me. My belief is that the history we were taught to believe growing up is far from the truth. Each civilization and society have different stories about creation and how the world came to be. Many beliefs including Christianity believe that a god or gods descended from the heavens, taught man in various disciplines and set rules for man to follow. In almost every story this god left with the promise to return one day.

When I first moved to Las Vegas I thought that it was just a baron desert outside of the city. Little did I know that the Southern Nevada area has been teeming with life for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years. Every weekend my friend Paul and I head out into the different areas surrounding Las Vegas. Every week we find different mines from the mid to late 1800s from the early Mormon settlers, Petroglyphs from the Paiutes and even from the earlier Anasazi Tribes, fossils, interesting rock formations.

Our main method of travel is by ATV. When we are miles and miles from the nearest road safety is always the biggest concern. I want to make sure that I make it home to my beautiful wife, Courtney. Safety is an even bigger concern when she rides along. In the event of an injury there would be no way to get an ambulance back to us, so a helicopter would be the only method of escape. When traveling on the back roads it is important to keep track of exactly where you are in case of an accident. You want to be able to tell a 911 operator (given that you are lucky enough to have cell phone reception) exactly where you are to minimize response time.

Every week I will use this blog to document our trip and the various things we find, along with my theories about them.