Cowboy Rock Under the Stars

 This was my second visit to Cowboy Rock. I usually prefer not to repeat hikes, but this location is so interesting and unique, I was really looking forward to it. I was also looking forward to an over-nighter in the desert. It's a long hike out to Cowboy Rock, and spending the night would give us a lot more time to explore!

We pass through a delightful Ocotillo garden on our search for Cowboy Rock.

 

Perhaps the largest Ocotillo we've ever seen!

 

The smile on our faces tells you we found it!

 

Cowboy Rock is one of the most interesting petroglyph sites in JTNP. It's also rarely seen because of it's remoteness, and people who have seen it don't share the location. In the center of the main panel is a horseback rider (although the "horse" appears to have horns) which I assume is where the Cowboy Rock name came from. Look closely to the left, and there appears to be another rider carrying a flag. It seems like with this pannel, the more you look, the more you find. There are also a few petroglyphs (including "horse" and rider) on the rock panel to the left of the main panel.

 

I think people would refer to this as a "post-contact" petroglyph panel, which would help determine the age. Women in dresses and riders on horses would make you think that contact with European explorers had already been made when this panel was created.

 

Snake and woman wearing a dress.

Shadow selfie.

 

 

Time to set up camp. Simple for me: Tarp on the ground, sleeping pad (inflatable), and sleeping bag. Pros: Lighter backpack (no tent to carry). Cons: Colder and you might wake up with a critter sharing your sleeping bag! I underestimated how cold it would be, and even sleeping with every possible piece of clothing on, I had a very cold night!

 

With my sleeping arrangements completed, it was time to wander around and catch the golden hour.

One of my favorite photos, although it was much better "in person". Just the tops of the Ocotillos were lit up by the golden hour sun.

 

It was getting dark fast. Before long, all we could see is whatever our headlamps were pointing at.

 

Mitch's kitchen: Cooking by headlamp.

With the stars rising, I decided it was time to try and capture Cowbow Rock under the stars. It was a beautiful, clear night. I had brought along a miniature tripod, and I used my headlamp to light up the glyphs. I was in for a little surprise...

The Milky Way!! Totally unplanned, so just a lucky shot, but my favorite from the hike. Ha, and you thought I was done with MW photos!! I'm wondering if anyone has ever photographed Cowboy Rock under the Milky Way? My guess would be probably not!

 

The next morning I woke up cold, stiff, and tired from lack of sleep. But this was the view from my sleeping bag. I was too cold and tired to climb out of my bag, so I took this photo with my cell phone while lying down. Now if I could just talk Mitch into bringing me over a cup of hot coffee. Talk about lazy!!

 

We really do practice the "leave it cleaner than you find it" adage. On the hike back to the car, Mitch finds a large cluster of mylar balloons tangled in a bush. We've really grown to hate these things. People release them, not realizing they can travel great distances and land in pristine places. They take years to break down and make a huge mess in the process. Please don't buy mylar balloons!

 

Packing it out. Thanks, Mitch!

 

Hope you enjoyed this over-nighter out to Cowboy Rock.

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

The "Wolf Moon"

 I just happened to notice the big full moon rising the other evening, and decided to grab my camera. After all these years, I'm still a sucker for a beautiful moon!

 

Moonrise, partially obscured by the neighbor's palm tree.

 

Seeing this pretty moon kind of motivated me, and I decided to check on details for the next morning's moonset. Turns out it was 7am, so I decided to check it out. There's a hiking trail that takes you up to a nice lookout of downtown LA. Based on the predicted compass reading for the moonset, I guestimated that I might be able to get the LA skyline and moon in the same shot.

After hiking in the dark for about 20 minutes, I came to my lookout. Luck was with me, and the moon was slowly descending on downtown LA. This first attempt was at 6:34am. The moon was still pretty high, but I was able to get both the moon and downtown LA in the same frame, so I started shooting. I love how the buildings of LA look in the early morning hours. Kind of bittersweet knowing all the distruction and loss from the fires. I could see no fire or smoke plumes from my vantage point, so hopefully that's good news.
 

6:38AM. Just 4 minutes after the previous photo. Seems like the lower the moon gets on the horizon, the faster it drops! By the way, all photos here are single images. No composite photos, AI, or other trickery. I used a 200mm-400mm telephoto lens with a monopod.
 

6:50am

 

6:55am

 

7:00am

 

As the moon was setting behind Los Angeles off to the west, the sun was getting ready to burst out from behind Saddleback Mountain in the east. 
 

7:07am. The moon has just dropped below the horizon, and the sun has just started to rise. You can see sunlight reflected off a couple of the glass buildings in downtown LA, about 20 miles from where I'm standing.
 

Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you had a chance to see the Wolf Moon!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Olla Nest

 Olla: "A large, widemouthed earthenware vessel used (as by Native Americans) for storage or as a container for water."

 

It had been at least a couple years since my last hike out to this remote desert location. Mitch was twisting my arm to go again, but he didn't have to twist too hard. Mitch's friend Doris joined us as well.

  

Let me start this post with a question: When is a fire ring not a fire ring? My answer is when it's an olla nest! What's the difference? Glad you asked! Let me illustrate with a couple photos:

Most people seeing a ring of rocks like this would assume someone has been camping here and built this rock ring for a camp fire. The truth is quite different, and much more interesting! This ring of rocks has sides that are higher and sturdier than your average fire ring. A big giveaway that this is an olla nest is the nest-like plant material at the bottom of the ring. Another giveaway is that there are no signs of soot, either on the rock ring or the adjacent rock wall.

 

Compare the olla nest to this very old fire ring I came across a number of years ago. Just a single layer of rocks in a circle, with a nearby pile of wood sticks and even a metal grill! Interestingly, when I was here a few weeks ago, the fire ring and wood pile had been destroyed and the grill was gone. My guess is the Park Service destroyed it since campfires are illegal.
 
Even though Mitch and I have visited the olla nest in the past, we still had a challenge trying to locate it on this trip. It's located in a multi-"room" cave or shelter made of boulders in an area with lots of boulders! You can (and we did) walk right by it without seeing it!

Doris photographing the olla nest in the main part of the cave. The cave extends for quite a distance behind her.

 

Another view of the main room in the cave with olla nest..

 

A second "room" in the cave. 

 

1975 photo by Daniel McCarthy, who was the archeologist for what was then Joshua Tree National Monument. It looks nearly identical almost 50 years later! McCarthy mentioned the olla nest having a small "spirit stick" (on right) which Native Americans used for protection and good fortune. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a large, intact olla at this location, which was likely removed and is in the JTNP Cultural Museum. The museum has an extensive collection of ollas that have been found in the Park (see below). Perhaps one of these ollas came from the olla nest I'm sharing with you today!

 

For me, the olla nest in this large shelter is the highlight of the hike, but there's so much more to see. There are more pottery sherds than any other location I've come across. Ditto for grinding slicks. If you actively look for smooth areas on the boulders, you will find many. This area was truly an ancient village!

 

We counted four grinding slicks on these rocks outside of a small shelter, with a mano or grinding stone in the foreground. It's a rare thing to find a mano sitting on the grinding slick like this!

 

This memory will stay with me. The layer of fine dust beneath this mano tells me it hasn't been moved in many, many years. I had the distinct feeling I was touching something ancient! I replaced it exactly as I found it, and hoping the next person that discovers it will have the same appreciation.

 

Mule deer antler? (rarely seen in the Park)

Trapdoor spider habitat.

 

Mitch checking out some pictographs.

 

 

Late afternoon light on Mojave Yucca and Ocotillo.

 

I feel very fortunate indeed to be able to visit such an amazing site.

Thanks for stopping by and joining me!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

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As you've probably heard, wildfires have been absolutely ravaging Southern California over the last couple days, driven by record-breaking dry winds. I'm safe and lucky to not be too close to the fires (most are in LA County), but my heart breaks as I see the photos of all the homes and structures destroyed and lives turned upside down. Scientists predicted years ago that our weather would get more and more extreme, and we are certainly seeing those predictions come true, and with devastating consequences.