On Pinwheels And Roundheads

We've been here a bit before but not quite like this. A conversation with a newbie astronomer  for the park service in Hovenweep this month prompted this post. He had not seen many petroglyphs and was unaware of these. I attempted to explain what is below in the pictures. I must be a terrible communicator or something as I could not get this across.

He said to me that pinwheels are very common in nature. One of the few things I was any good at in school was biology and pinwheels did not ring a bell. Go search yourself and there's not much there and certainly nothing that would have been seen in my opinion anyway a 1000 years or so ago when these these drawings were done in this part of the country.

Remember about clicking on the pictures twice to make them bigger each time for a real good look.





Here is another at the same place (McKee Springs) in Dinosaur National Monument. A bit different  but a pinwheel none the less. The was a huge exhibit of petroglph pictures at the Anasazi Heritage Center including the figures above but not this one. No picture in that exhibit included another pinwheel and they were from all over. 

What these do resemble very closely are these.



Just to the west lies the McConkie Ranch where the roundheads are found. Nowhere in that picture exhibit was there a roundhead anywhere close to these and there are three examples here one of which is very dramatic in my humble opinion which since no one knows for sure has as much merit as the big boys and more than some astronomers. A couple different vantage points for these.




This is the third.


It is these that I think are telling.




Exactly 23 miles.


To me this means whoever made the pinwheels saw that design some how in the heavens and drew what he saw. They looked through a telescope/got a ride or maybe it was a hologram but they drew what they saw for sure.

The same with the two roundheads with the one slit. These people in this case again drew what they saw. The fact these places are so close together is interesting as well. I have not seen roundheads like these anywhere else and if any one has please tell me about them.

Visitors And Change

Didn't get out of my lounge clothes yesterday and I'm just fine with that. It snowed and was down in the teens but no more coming anytime soon and time to get outside. These are some shots from this morning. It will be very nice for a period. We really needed this as so many do.

The Hunted And The Hopeful

I have been lax in posting but there are some things lined up. This picture from just awhile ago. It's a beautiful late October Day.

This is the first coyote I've seen in a bit over three weeks here. Antelope all the time. While bopp'in on the bike came over a hill pretty close to 15 or 20. They took off pretty fast and I made them pick it up a bit. They weren't  doing 60 but they were cruising for sure.

And some others from about the same time. Nothing special. Took a huge hike yesterday which will be a post soon and it's just plain quiet out there.  Probably 8-10 miles worth and didn't kick anything up. But what I did find was geodes and plenty of them.

A Washington Hawthorne. It's very hard to get trees to grow here.

                                                               
The Hueferno River drainage.

Was waiting for a train/trains but no. There are plenty but as yet there have been only a couple decent train pictures.  It will happen. The are a bunch of places to get good ones.

That's me behind the windows.

What's left of Lascar. It's just over the hill behind our place. Don't know much about it but I believe at one time there was a post office here. ( There goes a train)

Grotto of the Redemption

This is a unique place. It happens to be where I grew up although I define myself as a Rodman boy rather than from West Bend,Iowa.  The 7 min video describes better than what I can much of what is going on here. It's approaching a 100 year  birthday but was started ten years before that.

Some of the pictures have been around before but not all. There has not been a time hardly at all when visiting that I did not stop at the Grotto. Lived two blocks away and the town is 850 or so. It doesn't get old and is a great place to take pictures as well.

The stories that can be told I tell you. This was a play ground for this kid. The video is really good and I bet there were a few offended by a couple things in it. The pictures help bring it to life.

And In This Corner - - -

Is our guy so to speak. They're around and come close make a bit of noise and look fearsome at least to me. They have never done anything bad and get out of the way.

Click on the pictures once then twice for very close inspection of the wonders of nature in this case.

Here's another and this fellow looks tough for sure.

Here he is training as they do eat and in this case it looks like a damsel fly. Then there's the other side.

While hiking I saw something on the trail. Insects like to land on trails btw. I tried to get pictures and came away with a couple passable ones before whatever this was flew away.

It was hard to tell what was really going on but it was apparent our boy was toast. This was about all this guy could carry. Couldn't fly far with this load but he did get away finally.

It would be my guess the winner could take our guy every time.