Park City, Utah, and environs

Leaving Gardnerville, we went north to Rye Patch Recreation Area, one of our favorite places to stop on the way out of Nevada. We found our favorite site, right near a loop in the river was available, so settled in and spent the afternoon sipping cold drinks and watching birds on the river. Many of the sites have been re-graveled, and the park is in good shape. The staff all seemed friendlier than last year, too. New management?

Our ultimate destination on this leg of the trip is Park City, Utah, to visit family. It's a long haul from Rye Patch, so we made another quick overnight stop in the parking lot of the Rainbow Casino, in West Wendover, NV.  A unique experience I must say. We aren't "casino campers" as a rule, but when the teeny tiny asphalt spaces they call an RV park at the Nugget are renting for $35 dollars a night, why not stay for free in a casino lot? We had a nice dinner in the casino, and then were serenaded all night by the casino's theme music. I can't quite figure out why they need it in the parking lot, but it wasn't loud enough to be a problem, so we just considered it "white noise".

We made reservations at Jordanelle State Park so we'd have a home base while visiting Park City. The park is beautiful, with spaces nicely oriented, and as it's built on a slope pretty much everyone has a nice view of the lake.

The dark storm clouds that build up every day around 2:30 make a striking backdrop for the many trees and wildflowers, and look even darker in contrast with all the white RVs.

We really enjoyed sitting out in the afternoons and watching the waves of crested wheat and other native grasses ripple in the wind. The iridescent squirrel tail grass is especially pretty as reflects the light and really does look like a squirrel's tail!

 A couple of really blustery storms materialized out of all those dark clouds, but never lasted long. They did dump a fair amount of water, and a little hail. It's that moisture that keeps everything here looking like spring. The wind does take some accommodating. Awnings need to be secure, light weight chairs need to be stowed, and nothing loose left about the camp. One evening after being in town for dinner we came home late to find an entire roll of paper towels had been fluttering in the wind that came through the kitchen window and was unrolled all over the floor!

The park has really nice day-use facilities for boating and fishing, and the camping space are large.The lake is populated by ducks and geese, who float happily around the edges, no doubt enjoying lost bait and other goodies the visitors offer them.

Talking to one of the summer volunteer employees we learned how many it takes to keep things running smoothly. The park has about 20 people volunteering, and they seem to keep them busy, building new cabins and walkways to make the park even more welcoming.

Sites have water and electric, and tent pads, and there's a laundry available, conveniently placed next to a play area so Mom can do the wash and watch the kids a the same time. There are also showers and restrooms, and for those who don't have an RV, they have a few cabins. For a park so near a large city we found this to be especially enjoyable - well cared for and uncrowded.

We took advantage of the warm weather and had the family out to our site for a BBQ. The afternoon was ended rather abruptly when the chilly winds came up, but it was nice to visit and enjoy the view. Another night we enjoyed a lovely dinner party in Park City and met several really nice people, including another Duck fan!

Sculpture by the stream

On our last day we took a short trip up the mountain to Robert Redford's Sundance for lunch. What a beautiful area! Snow still decorates the top of the rocky cliffs, and the stream that runs through the middle of the resort was rushing at the high water mark with all the snow run-off.  It's a beautiful resort, with cabins tucked here and here among the trees, and a really nice restaurant.

Our four days here has seemed short, as days fly by when there's lots of visiting to do. Time to head south. . . watch for reports on that part of Utah.

Lagomarsino Petroglyph Site, Nevada

Our annual 4th of July BBQ and reunion with friends from "the old days" brings us to Gardnerville, Nevada, every year. As usual we had a terrific time - and ate way too much! It is always wonderful to catch up with old friends, and this year almost everyone's children, and in some cases their grand children, were able to attend so it was a particularly historic year.

There was also an additional treat this year. Our hosts, knowing of our interest in rock art, asked if we were interested in seeing the largest petroglyph site in the state. It took about 10 seconds of serious deliberation to answer that question!

Plans for the trip were interrupted by a thunderstorm - not only NOT a good time to be up on a mountain top, but also not a good time to go exploring on primitive roads. A sunny day followed, so cameras and lunch loaded up, my guide, Grant, and I took off for Logomarsino Canyon. (Steve unfortunately had been committed to another activity that day.)

Grant had warned us the road was narrow and rough, and it wasn't an exaggeration. Heading out to the suburbs of Virginia City we followed an organized pile of rocks that passes fairly well for a road, wandered through the canyons, and admired the scenery along the way.

One striking feature of the landscape is the number of rock walls - remnants of the early sheep ranching era. Miles and miles of wall run up and over the rolling foothills. Some of the stones used to build these walls are amazingly large, and one has to wonder at the technique and pure brute strength needed to construct them.

There are no sheep to speak of now, but there are herds of wild horses everywhere. Presumably they've either learned to jump the low walls or have knocked paths through them, as the horses seem to go pretty much where they please. There are also springs and a free flowing creek available, so water is easily available for the wildlife.

Wild horses rest near one of the stone walls

Though the drive from Virginia City is only a few miles, it takes about an hour and a half. A high clearance vehicle with 4WD and low range is recommended. Some of the springs make lovely mud holes and getting stuck wouldn't add to the enjoyment of one's trip. Grant's previous trips to the area had him well prepared and thanks to his driving skills we didn't have any difficulties.

The entrance to the site is protected by a locked steel gate, but it's only a few yards from the parking area to the first of the glyphs. Looking up from the trail at the bottom of the slope for the first time can only elicit a "Wow!", or something similar.

Note the crack in this boulder.

 The area is packed with petroglyphs, over 2,000 panels, and obviously of varying ages. The range of symbols, the varying styles, and the size of the area involved are all very impressive.

We hiked around for about three hours, trying to avoid stepping on any of the glyphs, but anxious to gather all the photos we could. (We took over 400 between the two of us.) Many of the motifs clearly relate to hunting and fishing, others feature humans, water symbols, and others could be maps of some kind. It is fun to try to interpret them, even though putting yourself in the mindset of someone hundreds of years ago is not really possible. The area was undoubtedly different then too. We know from geologic records this area was much wetter then, and what is a creek now may very well have been a river then.

Many of the boulders at the bottom of the slope have been abraded by the horses tromping on them, others are fractured and the weight of a horse may eventually complete the process of breaking the rock. The droppings in the area indicate it's horses doing this, not cows, but keeping them out might be difficult as the whole wild horse issue has become a real point of contention in the state. It's become quite emotional, and much of the problem comes from the use of the term "mustang". These horses should more properly be called "feral horses", as they do not have the bloodline of the historic Spanish Mustang.

It's obvious because of missing pieces in designs that many boulders have broken off and fallen to their current location, leaving us to wonder at their original placement, as well as what's under those other boulders? And where did the boulder fall from? Location is important in interpreting the meaning, and hard to do once it has been relocated.

Three hours in the sun at 5,000 feet will work up a good appetite, so we found a shaded spot by the creek on the way out and munched while we watched birds flutter around and a chubby marmot give us the evil eye. I don't think he likes trespassers on his nice little green creek.

If planning a trip to the site: There's plenty of parking at the site, but no restrooms or drinking water so be prepared. A couple of interpretive signs provide specific facts about the glyphs, which enriches the visit. A recent survey identified over 2,000 panels at the site - enough to keep us rock art lovers busy for quite some time so do have your camera battery charged!

There's an extensive report on how the most recent survey was done and a nice summary of their findings on the  Nevada Rock Art Foundation website.

The report also delves into the importance of the first survey done on the site, in research done by Heizer and Baumhoff  in the 1950's.

There research at this site was responsible for the development of their theories of rock art interpretation related to hunting activities and hunting magic. The report also delves into other interpretations, and is definitely worth reading.

Vandalism - someone attempted to cut out this petroglyph

The Nevada Rock Art Foundation conducts field trips throughout the year to various rock art sites and encourages their preservation. For information about upcoming tours check their site or contact them at info@nevadarockart.org

For a few more select photos of the site visit the album.

Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park, Part IV

Here's the final installment on Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park.
Four days in the BISP campground have given us a good feel for the area, and we thought future visitors might benefit from some facts when planning their visits.

The little white spots on the right are our rig.

First, remember the altitude - at around 7,000 days may be hot, but nights usually get quite cool. Plan your hikes with the altitude in mind, and take water.... the air is very dry.

The spaces in the campground are long and widely separated so you have a lot of privacy. The shelters over the table are nice, made of logs and heavy timbers, but may restrict use of awnings or slideouts on RVs. We'll post a map of the campground with notes regarding features of various sites as some are too narrow for RVs, or have poles or trees restricting maneuverability.

The road through the campground is adequate, with a couple of wide spaces for passing and a loop at the end for turning around, but there is no turnaround at the entrance so if you pass up a good site on the way out you have to go all the way back to the intersection with the main road to turn around and come back in.

There is an RV dump site just outside Berlin, on your way up to the campground. It's a bit tight for anything over 25 feet, though it can be managed. There is also a potable water source at the dump so you can fill up there, or wait until you get into the campground. There are water faucets spaced along the campground road, but you may have to park in the road while you fill your tank.

The 14 campsites are all  equipped with fire rings and raised BBQs, and some have tent pads as well as RV spaces. Fellow campers say the place is pretty busy most of the year, but we never saw it more than half occupied. It's a wonderful, quiet, picturesque place to settle in for a few days whether you want to explore or just relax.

Map of the campground