My Kind of Arizona Art

Sometimes my mind wanders as I knit, and that is how I decided to gather together these photographs to share with you. 

Although it came about completely unintentionally, Denis and I seem to have seen a few petroglyphs and pictographs during our travels around the state of Arizona. Some of them are easy to get to, like the ones at the Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve here in Phoenix. Others took a bit of observation and agility, like the ones up around Black Canyon Lake high in the White Mountains. Another discovery was pure serendipity when I was desperate for a pit stop out in the middle of nowhere. The only petroglyphs that can outshine those serendipitous ones were the ones Denis and I saw in Canyon de Chelly during an all-day tour of wonders led by a Navajo guide in Korean War-era transport. 

The best thing about seeing all this art is that we were able to see some beautiful country and wildlife, too. Arizona is a state that keeps on giving-- especially if you're willing to get off the beaten path a bit. Slather on some sunscreen, put on some comfortable hiking shoes, and bring your camera. We're going to look for my kind of Arizona art!

This is the Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve here in Phoenix. There is a museum and a quarter-mile-long self-guided tour. At first glance, the landscape is rather unprepossessing.

Just tumbles of basalt rock mixed with palo verde, mesquite, and creosote.

There are lots of critters to be seen, like this ground squirrel, or hummingbirds, lizards, and the like.

But when you look closer, you see all sorts of drawings carved in the rock. The intense desert sun can make photographing them difficult.

Natives found the rocks here valuable for grinding tools and other implements while those who had to wait while the others went "shopping" got bored and decided to leave a little graffiti behind.

They'd be stunned if they knew that their peckings on the rocks were protected by a university now and that archaeologists are at work to learn more about them.

In June and July of 2002, the Rodeo-Chesdiski Fire consumed 500,000 acres of the largest Ponderosa pine forest in the world. Over 30,000 people had to be evacuated from this area in the White Mountains of Arizona. Well over one hundred miles away, Denis and I saw the towering masses of smoke as the forests burned. The next summer we decided to head up there to see what had happened to some of our favorite places. It broke our hearts. 

The paths the fire took were sometimes puzzling. Why was that patch of trees spared while the ones right next to it burned? This is what we saw as we headed north from Black Canyon Lake.

Our spirits lifted when we began to see large patches of wildflowers like this Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.

And then there were the three mule deer, only one of which was brave enough to stay to have his photo taken.

We'd noticed small little signs by the sides of this dirt trail on previous visits, and this time we decided to see what this was all about. Pamphlets in a wooden box led us up into the mountains on a path a mountain goat would approve of to see some amazing pictographs in a shelter of rocks.

I could easily imagine people sheltering here during a rainy or snowy day and deciding to pass the time with a little artwork.

This area is still rich in the game that the natives needed to hunt.

This is the "Middle of Nowhere", close to the Arizona-New Mexico border. At one spot where we stopped, we were over one hundred miles from the nearest town in ANY direction. Have you ever been that far from civilization? It was sobering, but I loved it.

This is the Blue River, thought to be the river least tampered with by humans in the entire country. By the time we forded this river (by Jeep and by foot), I was desperate for a pit stop.

This Abert's squirrel thought I was too fastidious, but I'm not the type of person who just goes behind a tree or cactus to "do my business" unless there's absolutely no other alternative.

But right after fording the river, I looked down into the trees and spied a familiar sight: restroom facilities well-known to anyone who's been in a lot of national and state parks. Relief! But then fences, paths, and those rocks led us to explore.

During the Depression, a crew of CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) workers came through this remote spot. They were using the stone to build a campground among other things, but when they came across all these pictographs, they left them alone for others to appreciate. In later decades, the campground was destroyed when the river flooded. Yes, that puny little excuse for a river!

It was a fascinating spot, and we never would have known it was there if I hadn't needed that pit stop!

The day we toured Canyon de Chelly was so very special. People have lived and farmed there for over 5,000 years.

There are so many cliff dwellings, and the Navajo tapestry walls are colored by all the different metals and minerals in the rock. Breathtaking!

The morning sun was slanting through the three canyons that make up Canyon de Chelly as our tour began.

We saw toeholds carved in the rock by untold numbers of people climbing up the steep walls. And of course, there were petroglyphs.

Humans have felt the need to tell stories for thousands upon thousands of years.

Aren't these pictographs gorgeous?

Don't you love that huge cow on the canyon wall behind the hogan? Denis and I have been inside a hogan (when we toured Monument Valley), and they are so snug and warm!

I hope you enjoyed my tour of a few of the petroglyphs and pictographs that can be found here in Arizona. I love this state, and I love sharing it with all of you.