It was a great trip, just right for a birthday celebration, cold weather, grand vistas, and good friends. The story is here -
The Volcanic Tablelands
Please enjoy.
The Volcanic Tablelands
Please enjoy.
The Volcanic Tablelands - A Birthday Trip
- Thread starter ski3pin
- Start date
chnlisle
Post Master
Cold hands at night make it tough to jam but I know you're up to it.
mitch h
Senior Member
Late happy birthday. You guys sure are lucky to be so close to all that great camping.
takesiteasy
Senior Member
Late happy birthday. You guys sure are lucky to be so close to all that great camping.
x2- what he said.
x2- what he said.
Overland Hadley
Contributors
Looks like a beautiful area.
generubin
Electric Baja
Wonderful pictures, thank you.
highz
Retreaded
Sweet trip. What a great way to celebrate a birthday.
All those circular petroglyphs - I think the artists were native american basketball or volleyball players...
All those circular petroglyphs - I think the artists were native american basketball or volleyball players...
craig333
Riley's Human
I wish I'd known about the petroglyphs went I passed through. Have a fair idea where now. Another great trip report!
murr
Advanced Member
Hi Ski:
Great trip; thanks for a good write up. Will put that area on my 'must see' list. We have to respect people who leave an area better than they found it.
Great trip; thanks for a good write up. Will put that area on my 'must see' list. We have to respect people who leave an area better than they found it.
Lighthawk
Weekend warrior
We've visited the Tablelands and checked out Chalfant and Chidago Canyon. There are hidden gems in this country.
Great write up and documentary of the picts and glyphs you discovered. I find good photos of rock art to be challenging. You have some beautiful shots.
Great write up and documentary of the picts and glyphs you discovered. I find good photos of rock art to be challenging. You have some beautiful shots.
SunMan
King Taco
Another gem of a trip you guys. I'm about to head out on my first legit trip in almost 3 months...thanks for the motivation!
Great story and photos, ski3pin! 
Ski some questions.How old is the "rock art"?Who are the people who made them?What happened to them.If the "art" is 1000's of years old did them move to other places due to "climate change"? Were these spots special or just random drawings? Did they have their "villages" near the "art" There seems to be a lot of the "rock art" on the east Sierras.
Sorry to ask lots of questions,but inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks for the report.
Frank
Sorry to ask lots of questions,but inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks for the report.
Frank
Ski some questions.How old is the "rock art"?Who are the people who made them?What happened to them.If the "art" is 1000's of years old did them move to other places due to "climate change"? Were these spots special or just random drawings? Did they have their "villages" near the "art" There seems to be a lot of the "rock art" on the east Sierras.
Sorry to ask lots of questions,but inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks for the report.
Frank
Frank, I'm no expert at all...but I do know that there are lots of petroglyph sites -- lots and lots of sites -- across the west. At Hart Mt Refuge in south-central Oregon, for example, there's "Petroglyph Lake", and it's aptly named, so that's an easy one. Most sites aren't that obvious, but there are areas I know of in the Great Basin where any time you see flat-vertical basalt it might be worth checking for glyphs.
I think smokecreek1 is our resident professional archaeologist (retired), and I bet he could answer a lot of questions about rock art...but I know there are amateur buffs (people who know what they're talking about better than I do) on WTW, too.
Sorry to ask lots of questions,but inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks for the report.
Frank
Frank, I'm no expert at all...but I do know that there are lots of petroglyph sites -- lots and lots of sites -- across the west. At Hart Mt Refuge in south-central Oregon, for example, there's "Petroglyph Lake", and it's aptly named, so that's an easy one. Most sites aren't that obvious, but there are areas I know of in the Great Basin where any time you see flat-vertical basalt it might be worth checking for glyphs.
I think smokecreek1 is our resident professional archaeologist (retired), and I bet he could answer a lot of questions about rock art...but I know there are amateur buffs (people who know what they're talking about better than I do) on WTW, too.
Frank, I'm no expert at all...but I do know that there are lots of petroglyph sites -- lots and lots of sites -- across the west. At Hart Mt Refuge in south-central Oregon, for example, there's "Petroglyph Lake", and it's aptly named, so that's an easy one. Most sites aren't that obvious, but there are areas I know of in the Great Basin where any time you see flat-vertical basalt it might be worth checking for glyphs.
I think smokecreek1 is our resident professional archaeologist (retired), and I bet he could answer a lot of questions about rock art...but I know there are amateur buffs (people who know what they're talking about better than I do) on WTW, too.
Thanks Mark.
Frank
I think smokecreek1 is our resident professional archaeologist (retired), and I bet he could answer a lot of questions about rock art...but I know there are amateur buffs (people who know what they're talking about better than I do) on WTW, too.
Thanks Mark.
Frank
generubin
Electric Baja
I've been studying all this subject (bio antro, cultural anthro, linguistics, archaeology etc)the last few years at our community college. We've been lucky to have the highly accomplished Dr. Matt Curtis from UCLA who spends his summers in the digs of Africa and teaches here in winter.
Most of the Owen's Valley rock art is 5,000 to 6,000 years old. We have art here in the america's from up to 13,500 years ago. It is now clearly understood than Paleo-Indians were here since well before Beringia. As far back as 17,000 with still being researched evidence of 19,000 YBP.
Here are links to a great video called "The Obsidian Trail" which discusses early human cultures in the Owens Valley:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
And gorgeous video of the Owens Valley as well.
Most of the Owen's Valley rock art is 5,000 to 6,000 years old. We have art here in the america's from up to 13,500 years ago. It is now clearly understood than Paleo-Indians were here since well before Beringia. As far back as 17,000 with still being researched evidence of 19,000 YBP.
Here are links to a great video called "The Obsidian Trail" which discusses early human cultures in the Owens Valley:
Part 1:
And gorgeous video of the Owens Valley as well.
OP
OP
Gene & Mark, thanks for weighing in with information. The panels that excite me are the ones with glyphs of varying ages. These show use over a long period of time. Last time we stopped at the Interagency visitor center in Lone Pine, a friend was looking a book that discussed the evolution of the symbols over time, such as sheep depictions. I may pick that one up next time we're down that way. Frank, those are great questions to be asking! I'm always curious who the artist was or if these were a community effort?
I'm always curious who the artist was or if these were a community effort?
Here are links to a great video called "The Obsidian Trail" which discusses early human cultures in the Owens Valley:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=yQ1l0A_c4ns
Part 2: http://www.youtube.c...&feature=relmfu
Part 3: http://www.youtube.c...&feature=relmfu
These are great, Gene! Thanks for the links. Great stuff I didn't know about.
And the source of these videos is amazing -- UC? Stanford? U Nevada? National Geographic? Nope -- CalTrans!
Interesting that Owens Valley obsidian is considered primo stuff. I wonder how the obsidian found all over the place at Glass Buttes, 70 miles east of Bend, rates by comparison? I'd never heard before the bit about dating the age of a piece of obsidian (the date that a surface was created) by diffusion of water into it -- cool stuff.
Aside from all of the obsidian facts, I found interesting the bit about human technological advances -- development of the bow and arrow replacing the atlatl -- resulted in more-efficient killing that brought down, made scarce, the big herds of larger mammals. Apparently man-and-nature weren't quite in harmony as much as romantically depicted.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=yQ1l0A_c4ns
Part 2: http://www.youtube.c...&feature=relmfu
Part 3: http://www.youtube.c...&feature=relmfu
These are great, Gene! Thanks for the links. Great stuff I didn't know about.
Interesting that Owens Valley obsidian is considered primo stuff. I wonder how the obsidian found all over the place at Glass Buttes, 70 miles east of Bend, rates by comparison? I'd never heard before the bit about dating the age of a piece of obsidian (the date that a surface was created) by diffusion of water into it -- cool stuff.
Aside from all of the obsidian facts, I found interesting the bit about human technological advances -- development of the bow and arrow replacing the atlatl -- resulted in more-efficient killing that brought down, made scarce, the big herds of larger mammals. Apparently man-and-nature weren't quite in harmony as much as romantically depicted.
Thanks guys.I'll have to do more research on this interesting subject.I think the "art" left behind by the ancients,from the cave paintings in Europe to the petros in the new world leaves a lot of questions to be answered.
Fun stuff.
Thanks Frank
Fun stuff.
Thanks Frank
Sitting here on this rainy morning watching the "Obsidian Trail" videos.WOW what cool info.Thanks Gene.I think I need to start visiting some of these areas,during the fall.In the past we have enjoyed the area around Devils post pile,guess we will have to venture southward more.
Thanks again for all the info.
Frank
Thanks again for all the info.
Frank
