Lost Cause

Wednesday, August 14
Day Off #2

The excitement of finding the Indian ruins rumored to be in a cave in Tiny Canyon and its proximity, less than a mile and a half from the RV park, made this destination an easy decision.  With a topo map and brief, extremely sketchy description, this promised to be an adventure.

When we reached a plateau about halfway up the ridge forming the canyon's northern side, Fred realized the GPS which had been clipped to his belt was gone.  We felt we'd be able to reach the cave using the map and continued on.  At top of the ridge, we stopped to consult the map--that was no longer there.  Fearing we'd get lost 'cause we didn't have the map or the GPs, we descended the ridge. 

Epilogue:  On a branch about halfway down the ridge, its strap snagged on a branch, hung the GPS.  The map was never found.

 

The blue speck in front of the large rock in the center of this shot is the

GPS in its case; the speck on the shoulder of the highway directly below it is the Jeep.

 





We drove into Best Friends, basically across Highway 89 from Tiny Canyon, and investigated an old tin-roofed shed at the base of sandstone cliff.  It turned out to be a rickety structure over a two-pit Indian granary.  There was plenty of recent graffiti and one image that might be a petroglyph.

 

Shed at base of sandstone cliff

 

Grain storage pit under roof



A Long, Convoluted Path to a Short but Spectacular Slot Canyon

Tuesday, August 13th
Day Off #1

After reading our post about Peekaboo/Red Canyon, a frend in North Carolina asked if it was also known as either Red Hollow or Red Cave.  We hadn't heard of either so we researched them and learned they are beautiful slots east of Orderville.  During lunch at Soup Town after hiking Red Hollow, our waitress recommended Spring Hollow as another short but worthwhile slot canyon.  When we told her we'd been unable to find directions because the landowner didn't want hikers to cross his property, she replied,  "Oh, I'm sure M**** will give you permission if you ask her."

M**** hadn't gotten to work when we stopped to see her this morning so we hiked Red Hollow again; it was as stunning and as much fun as the first time!  We found M**** on the second attempt and she graciously allowed us to cross her property to access Spring Hollow.

After a short bushwhack, we dropped into a wash and followed it upstream for less than half a mile.  Then the dull gray and tan canyon walls began to 'slot up' a bit and to display abundant 'modern rock art,' i.e., graffiti.  Rounding the final bend evoked an involuntary 'Wow!!' from both of us.  We walked into a large, roughly circular chamber whose walls stretch 150' or more toward the sky.  Opposite the entry is a cylindrical chute carved by a what must be an impressive waterfall spilling into a small, deep pool.  Unfortunately for us, the pool was as dry as the waterfall's channel but it wasn't hard to imagine how lovely this spot would be after a good rain.

The two hikes made us hungry and we wanted to thank our waitress-friend Shelley for her help in getting us to Spring Hollow so lunch at Soup Town became the next item on the day's agenda.  She asked if we'd ever hiked the Orderville Gulch.  Her description sounded like The Narrows Top-Down route, which we haven't done.  She promised to let us know the next time her friend organizes a group for that adventure..

 

 

On the way home we stopped to take pictures of old cars in a wash, a strong indication that you've definitely reached southwestern Utah, and to look for pentacrinoids (tiny star-shaped fossils) in Mt. Carmel Junction.  Our directions were very sketchy and the search was unsuccessful but we plan to get more information and try again.

Settler's Cove Petroglyphs

Continuing our search for petroglyphs in the cliffs above our RV at Settler's Cove outside of Kanab, I have made several hikes up the steep rocky hillside to find and document what was there. I have been amazed by what we found; at least six sites of petroglyphs.  At Settler's Cove, there are three distinct levels of sandstone cliffs, the lowest level being dark red, the middle a pinkish, and the top a white. All of the petroglyph sites are in the middle pink range of cliffs on the south facing side of the cove.

Shown below are the petroglyph sites found. The majority of the pottery and arrowheads we have observed are at the lowest level of the hillside at the western end.