It’s my 77th birthday today, and, since this is petroglyph week, I decided to repost a couple of older blogs although I may be a tad sensitive about the ‘older’ designation. (Grin) Actually Peggy bought me a new light weight sleeping bag. She wants us to do Oregon next year following the PCT from the Oregon border to the Washington border. We are still thinking ‘younger’ around here. Anyway, enjoy the petroglyphs of Dinosaur National Monument today and Sego Canyon tomorrow. On Friday, I’ll be back on schedule, maybe, with the Snakes of Three Rivers petroglyph site! Also, I will hold on responding to comments and checking in on your blogs, but I will get there on Friday and the weekend. Now it is time to go play! We are on the Oregon Coast again, this time in Florence.
Like much Indian rock-art, Cub Creek petroglyphs in Dinosaur National Monument raise intriguing questions. It would be fascinating to know the story behind this unique anthropomorphic figure. What do the lines stretching toward the sky represent?
Peggy and I crossed over the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument and followed the road toward the cabin of Josie Basset Morris, a tough old pioneer woman who had worked her way through five husbands and finally discovered she preferred living alone.
The river, mountains and distant vistas entertained us along the way. Two prominent landmarks, Elephant Toes and Turtle Rock, lived up to the names the early settlers had bestowed on them. I found the big toes particularly amusing.
Elephant Toes Rock in Dinosaur National Monument along the Cub Creek Road.
While not as humorous as Elephant Toes, the turtle of Turtle Rock is easy to see. Both Native Americans and pioneers were quick to see and name familiar figures in the landscape.
The true surprise on our way to Josie’s, however, was the Indian rock-art. Huge six-foot lizards had been pecked into the cliff faces high above the Cub Creek Valley. One can only wonder if the Native Americans of the Fremont Culture had somehow made the correlation between dinosaur bones found throughout Dinosaur National Monument and really big lizards. Or did small lizards so prominent in desert environment serve as the models?
Our van, Quivera, provides perspective on how high up in the cliffs the Cub Creek petroglyphs are.
Giant, six-foot long, rock-art lizards work their way up the rock face at Cub Creek. Are they representative of the dinosaur bones Native Americans found at Dinosaur National Monument?
Or did the giant petroglyph lizards represent the small lizards so prominent in the arid regions of the West? This guy was curious about my camera.
Numerous other petroglyphs also demanded our attention. We even found a partial image of Kokopelli, the hunch backed flute player found in ancient rock-art from Mexico to Canada and whose image has been applied on everything from jewelry, to blankets, to pottery in today’s gift shops throughout the West. Kokopelli was both a musician and trickster god, but mainly he was a fertility deity known for his bad behavior. Watch out fair maidens one and all.
My wife Peggy admires a small section of the numerous petroglyphs found at the Indian rock-art site on Cub Creek in Dinosaur National Monument.
A partial petroglyph of the flute playing Kokopelli is found at the Cub Creek Indian rock-art site. Odds are he is luring young maidens with his music.
Geometric forms are common in rock art. This galaxy-like representation caught my attention.
I selected this particular photo because it demonstrates how dark rock varnish has been chipped away in the petroglyph process to reveal the lighter colored rock underneath.
An early day smiley? This guy appears to me to be all mouth but its creator likely had something else in mind.
Greetings Earthlings. Check out the dangling ear rings and necklace on this guy. Jewelry apparently was quite important to early Native Americans and may have represented an individual’s importance or clan.
You will probably note the prominent anatomy here. Genitalia was often included on rock art until the Spanish Missionaries informed the natives that such displays were sinful. I call this petroglyph Big Boy.
Wanderer, writer, photographer and activist. I've now settled in Southern Oregon. 1.8 million acres of national forest are out the backdoor and the beautiful Applegate River is out the front door. I like travel, reading, history and wild places. I am married to the lovely, funny, bright Peggy.
Happy Birthday, Curt!! Glad to hear you are still thinking young (Elaine Ooley would be proud!). Love the rock formations and looking forward to what you’ll have for us next!
ENJOY your day!!
Happy Birthday Curt! Know you’ve got lots of plans for this celebration but hope the actual day was full of fun — somehow think that Peggy will have made sure of that 😀
Well, I’ve been called an old dinosaur by my kids, and there’s some truth to it. But I’m happy to be on the planet and still kicking! Happy 77th birthday to you. And thanks for these good photos. I love petroglyphs mainly because it gives me hope that I, too, could draw a stick figure on a rock if I chose to do so. But I might not include all those private parts!!!
I suspect you would leave off the ‘private parts,’ Rusha. Laughing. They are quite common on petroglyphs, however. And some are much more graphic! And thanks for the good wishes. Appreciated. –Curt
Happy birthday, Curt! I’d say the real guy peering over the edge of the rocks is a perfect representation of you: curious, willing to push the boundaries a little, and very, very alert! Here’s to many more years of putting those qualities to work!
Happy Belated Bday Curt. Still goin’ strong I see. I must admit that when we visited Dinosaur, our primary focus was on the dino bones, so we didn’t spend much time on petroglyphs, so as always, your photos are interesting to see.
We’ve just cancelled a month-long trip to South Africa, so we’re sorta bummed, but given the panic, it’s probably for the best. When I see all your photos of the countryside around this area, my first thought is: What a great place for “Social Distancing.” All the best to you and Peggy. ~James
First, James, thanks for the birthday wishes. And we too, just cancelled a trip. Ours was through the Panama Canal. Peggy lived there in the 70s and was ever so eager to return. Oh well. Later. And yes, as you are aware, all kinds of social distancing available in the Southwest. 🙂 –Curt
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24 thoughts on “Dinosaur National Monument Petroglyphs”
cindy knoke
Happy B’day Curt! Love these glyphs and graphs.
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Cindy. Much appreciated. –Curt
GP Cox
Happy Birthday, Curt!! Glad to hear you are still thinking young (Elaine Ooley would be proud!). Love the rock formations and looking forward to what you’ll have for us next!
ENJOY your day!!
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, G! Enjoyed the day and the week. 🙂 More fun petroglyphs coming. –Curt
Thom Hickey
Happy Birthday Curt.
Happy trails.
Regards Thom
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Thom. Appreciated. –Curt
leggypeggy
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday. Love the smiley petroglyph.
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Peggy. Hard to get a bigger smile than that! 🙂 –Curt
Animalcouriers
Happy Birthday Curt! Know you’ve got lots of plans for this celebration but hope the actual day was full of fun — somehow think that Peggy will have made sure of that 😀
Curt Mekemson
It was full of great fun, AC. We were in a beautiful location with great weather and Peggy spoiled me rotten! Doesn’t get much better. 🙂 –Curt
Oh, the Places We See
Well, I’ve been called an old dinosaur by my kids, and there’s some truth to it. But I’m happy to be on the planet and still kicking! Happy 77th birthday to you. And thanks for these good photos. I love petroglyphs mainly because it gives me hope that I, too, could draw a stick figure on a rock if I chose to do so. But I might not include all those private parts!!!
Curt Mekemson
I suspect you would leave off the ‘private parts,’ Rusha. Laughing. They are quite common on petroglyphs, however. And some are much more graphic! And thanks for the good wishes. Appreciated. –Curt
Anne Clare
Great shots as always, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hoping it was terrific one!
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Ann. And it was/is. Since I get seven days, one for each decade, I have a couple left. 🙂 –Curt
Anne Clare
That’s the way to do a birthday!
Curt Mekemson
🙂
shoreacres
Happy birthday, Curt! I’d say the real guy peering over the edge of the rocks is a perfect representation of you: curious, willing to push the boundaries a little, and very, very alert! Here’s to many more years of putting those qualities to work!
Curt Mekemson
Thank you, Linda. That’s special. And I am all for the many more years. 🙂 –Curt
Dave Ply
Happy Birthday (belated). These petroglyphs make one think it’d be interesting to be a fly on the wall…
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Dave. And wouldn’t it be interesting to step into a totally different world. –Curt
CompassAndCamera
Happy birthday, Curt! Hope you had a great day and week!
Curt Mekemson
Thanks, Kelly. The weather on the coast was gorgeous! We had a great time.
gallivance.net
Happy Belated Bday Curt. Still goin’ strong I see. I must admit that when we visited Dinosaur, our primary focus was on the dino bones, so we didn’t spend much time on petroglyphs, so as always, your photos are interesting to see.
We’ve just cancelled a month-long trip to South Africa, so we’re sorta bummed, but given the panic, it’s probably for the best. When I see all your photos of the countryside around this area, my first thought is: What a great place for “Social Distancing.” All the best to you and Peggy. ~James
Curt Mekemson
First, James, thanks for the birthday wishes. And we too, just cancelled a trip. Ours was through the Panama Canal. Peggy lived there in the 70s and was ever so eager to return. Oh well. Later. And yes, as you are aware, all kinds of social distancing available in the Southwest. 🙂 –Curt