Stirrup Tank goal: Find a petroglyph site that a friend told me about. I even had coordinates, so it should be a piece of cake, right? A relatively short hike, so my plan was to cross the highway to White Tank Campground for part two of my hike after finding the glyphs at Stirrup Tank.
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| Roar!! |
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| Water in a tinaja after recent rains. |
Can you see the petroglyphs? They are faded and hard to see, and these are NOT the glyphs I was looking for. I continued to scour the area around the coordinates for the glyphs, but no luck. Even so, I was thrilled to stumble upon these glyphs.  |
| A closer look. |
I even found a small, faded pictograph, but still not the petroglyph pannel I was looking for.  |
| Using d-stretch to enhance pictograph color. |
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| Face-shaped Native American morteros, filled with rain water! |
So I'm forced to give up on finding the glyphs, but that's OK. I decide to continue my hike and just enjoy the unusual rock formations Stirrup Tank has to offer.  |
| Leaning left! |
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Time to make the short drive over to White Tank Campground. My goal for this hike: Find Grand Tank, and, with luck, it will be holding water from recent rains. White Tank is relatively easy to find and I've been there before. Grand Tank is more elusive and I've never been there.
Upon arriving at the campground, my first observation: There are LOTS of people and parking areas are overflowing! This being Joshua Tree National Park on a Saturday in peak season, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I was expecting crowds, just not to this extent.
After a fair amount of hiking, I manage to find Grand Tank. From this view, I can't tell if it's holding any water. Lets try to get around the boulders to get a closer look. Dang!! No water behind Grand Tank. It's easy to see from the hard water markings on the rocks that it occasionally fills up. Someday I hope to see this full of water. It would be quite a sight! I end up hiking and exploring the White Tank area until after sunset, but way too many photos to add to this post. I'll leave you with a final photo of a wonderful view of the boulders just north of White Tank Campground. Stop by next week for photos of some of the most beautiful rock formations in all of Joshua Tree National Park!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Sorry you didn't find what you originally came to see, but I love all the rock formations you found.
ReplyDeleteI am always fascinated by the shapes of the rocks and all the petroglyphs you find. It looks like a heavy rainfall would be nneeded to fill the Grand Tank--maybe April will bring its usual showers?
ReplyDeleteGreat contrast to the clear blue sky #Skywatch
ReplyDelete...you find so much beauty in your barren landscape.
ReplyDeleteJTNP has never been on my radar though I have heard it mentioned over the years. But all these posts adorned with your beautiful pictures keeps moving it up higher and higher on my bucket list. I'll just try to do it on a weekday when it isn't so crowded.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful against the blue sky
ReplyDeleteWow my spirit breathes out! Thanks for sharing your usual amazing photographs. Aloha!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a good hike anyway. Love all the unusual rock formations at JTNP.
ReplyDeleteSorry you had to deal with crowds. And sorry you couldn't find the glyphs you were looking for. But it looks like you had a good time of it anyway.
ReplyDeleteThese stunning photos capture the raw, otherworldly charm of their unusual rock formations. The interplay of light and shadow ("Leaning Left") across the boulders highlights the sculptural beauty of nature’s artistry.
ReplyDeleteThere's always something interesting to see out there.
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
Beautiful rockscapes
ReplyDeleteGorgeous rockscapes. The first one reminds me of a baby Orca's head tilted and with mouth wide open ready for feeding. It always amazes me what stories and treasures the rocks hold.
ReplyDeleteWow! These rocks are so awesome!
ReplyDeleteThat sky is great.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gran outing. My fave is the Joshua tree and Stirrup Tank.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a while since I visited, and I have missed your stunning photos and your sense of adventure. Thanks for taking us on these excursions with you!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for visiting my blog today!
These rock formations are just simply impressive
ReplyDeleteWonderful place, Stone formations amazing, Great photos.
ReplyDeletelovely hike pictures.....some of those rocks look like humans sitting
ReplyDeleteToo bad you didn't find what you were looking for. But it was still a beautiful hike that gave you beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteThose rocks are amazing! That first shot looks like a whale coming up out of the rock ocean!
ReplyDeleteNumber 10 looks like a person sitting with their back to us while looking over the distance and contemplating life.
I guess I'd spend all my time peering at the rocks to see what I could imagine.
Beautiful. Thanks for taking us on this hike and I can't wait to see more!
These formations are beautiful and the photography is always amazing. I can imagine walking there as I move through the photos!
ReplyDeleteThose rock formations are stunning, how did all those enormous piles of rock happen and how many eons did it take?? Are the petro glyphs painted on the rock or scratched into the surface? I really enjoyed going on this hike with you, and I'll be with you next time too!
ReplyDeleteAmazing rock formations and great series of photos ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I'm going to look up that area on google maps.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos, shame you did not find what you were looking fro but the photos you took more than made up for it, as for unusual rock formations, call it bare arsed rock
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing photos :-D
ReplyDeleteLove how these rock formations seem about to come to life!
ReplyDeleteLove the rockscapes!
ReplyDeleteI loved the rock formation with the tuff on top!
ReplyDeleteThat creature is rather ominous looking. I love all the rock formations and that lovely pool of water in the second photo.
ReplyDeleteAlways amazing scenery-your posts never disappoint. I saw two creatures in the creatures photo and maybe it was my sense of direction but I saw formations leaning right in the leaning left photo.
ReplyDeleteA fascinating landscape indeed. I enjoyed this virtual walk, reading with great interest the several details. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteFascinating landscape indeed. I enjoyed the virtual walk, reading with great interest the details about. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how old the petroglyphs are, has anyone ever dated them?
ReplyDeleteWhat strange shapes nature dishes out to us again. It is really beautiful and so nice that we can watch.
ReplyDeleteSuch cool formations! I bet you could walk those trails every week for a year and notice different things every time. I could do without the crowds though!
ReplyDeleteIt just struck me how many views and secrets of JTNP that you know. Another amazing post!!
ReplyDeleteThe way the light plays on those rocks is just amazing. It's like stepping into another world.
ReplyDelete