Anasazi Ruins and Art, Bluff and Blanding, UT
For Valentines, Alicia treated me to a weekend in Bluff and Blanding, visiting with Dave Black and hunting down ruins and artwork. We gathered at Dave Black's house and found Jim Wright in residence, having recently "retired".
Preparing for another day in the desert. Recent rains made the dirt roads to remote places impractical, so after a brief sortie toward Moon House Ruin, we chose plan B and headed to Natural Bridges for "The Loop".
A well-made trail in Natural Bridges National Park
Parents – keep your kids on a short leash!
Sipapu Bridge
Arch across the canyon from Horse Collar Ruin
Horse Collar Ruins
“Turkey Foot” marks in the cement on Horse Collar Ruin
This rainbow of cement shows where a building used to be.
Butterfly paintings have been interpreted to show that this particular band of Anasazi probably took butterflies as their clan totem. (Ruins and Art)
And then we were pressed for time, so we didn't take any more digital pictures.
Next day dawned a bit dryer. Dave took us down to Bluff to check out the art and ruins heading up the big road in Butler Wash.
"Big Hands" painting in Butler Wash.
Since we were being toured, I didn't really pay attention as to where we were. So here's the order they were in the camera. I think we started out at the "Wolfman" panel.
A Big-Shouldered Dude (Ruins and Art)
The Wolfman
This is a really nice panel, somewhat unusual. I refer to it as the Egyptian Panel. (Ruins and Art)
Dave led us this way and that. Across the wash, up hill, over dale.
"Owl" panel in Butler Wash. (Ruins and Art)
Ms. Scotter at the Wolfman Panel (Ruins and Art)
This could be interpreted many different ways... (Ruins and Art)
Eventually, we found ourselves at the Procession panel. (Both digital and scanned slides here).
Procession Panel - Elk
The Right End of the Procession Panel
Procession Panel - The Bird Head Guy
An Odd One. (Ruins and Art)
The Procession Panel includes a long line (procession) of figures including this guy, who spent too much time at the nail salon. (Ruins and Art)
More Procession Panel - it's just SOOOOOOO good.
Jim at the Procession Panel (Ruins and Art)
Procession Panel - Elk, Kokopelli, Salamander?, Snake up the Butt? (Ruins and Art)
Partisan politics among the Anasazi? Wrong party! (Ruins and Art)
Procession Panel - Another Bird Head Guy (Ruins and Art)
Procession Panel
Next Day, Dave took us out to look at ruins off Butler Wash, up near Blanding.
The always casual Dave Black
This is a nice little ruin, inaccessible without a ladder. There are rope marks showing where people had rappelled off.
Another ruin, a bit further upcanyon. Many buildings.
Same ruin from the other side. Ms. Scotter for scale.
Artwork near the ruins.
More markings near the ruins.
The gang, hanging out at the last ruin… A fine weekend visiting the Ancient Ones.
