-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Did you know that there are hundreds of ancient Native American Petroglyphs located in the Owens Valley on soft volcanic tuff? Here are just a few great sites for you to explore. There are lots more to be found! ENJOY!
About the Owens Valley Petroglyphs:California contains many rock art sites, pictographs (rock paintings), petroglyphs (rock engravings), and geoglyphs (earth-figures), created by our Native American forebears prior to white settlement. It has been established that people lived in the Owens Valley as long as 3,000 years ago. The Owens Valley was the southernmost permanent home of the Northern Paiute and Shoshone Tribes. Evidence of their life is prominent throughout the Owens Valley; from petroglyph's, obsidian chips, house rings, temporary camps, lithic and pottery sherd scatters. The prevailing petroglyph style in this area, as classified by archaeologists, are Great Basin Curvilinear, and Great Basin Rectilinear. Petroglyphs like these occur throughout the Southwestern Great Basin, which extends eastward to Arizona. Some objects or Motifs are recognizable as deer, bighorn sheep, human figures, and birds. Other symbols include lines, grids, and concentric circles in different configurations.Shamans or medicine men made rock art to preserve a record of their visionary trances. Many pictographs and petroglyphs appear to be geometric designs. These were visionary images that served as "signs of supernatural power." Archaeologists call these geometric images entoptics ("behind the eye") because they represent light patterns that are generated by our nervous system during a trance.Where Are The Petroglyphs?Amazingly enough, they're all over the place. Watch for the relatively flat landscape to be broken by piles of large rock; this is where the petroglyphs are usually clustered. Careful exploration will yield other sites perhaps few have ever seen.Four petroglyph sites are located just North of Bishop, on the "Bishop Petroglyph Loop Tour". These petroglyphs (rock engravings) are probably less than 1000 years old due to the fast rate of weathering and erosion of this soft volcanic tuff (stone) that is fairly easy to engrave.The Four Petroglyph Sites of Interest: Fish Slough, Chidago, Red Canyon, Chalfant.The Fish Slough site has a few dozen petroglyph motifs, all are entoptic patterns; geometric designs perceived during the first stage of a shaman's altered state of conciousness. The Chidago site contains about 100 petroglyphs. Most are also entoptic patterns, while a few represent lizards and rattlesnakes. Among the geometric patterns, there are concentric circles as well as spirals. Red Canyon has the usual array of entoptic art as well as some unique features. There are at least three human figures, representations of bighorn sheep, rattlesnakes, and plants. Most interesting is a panel covered with engraved 6" footprints. At the Chalfant site there are 400 petroglyphs spread out across a 600' cliff face. The common motif here is the vertically bisected circle which has to do with a females coming of age or a Vulva motif.At My GEOCACHE Site #1:N 37 30.798W 118 24.972In this area you can find a rock with smoothly polished grinding slicks and holes once used to prepare food, and numerous petroglyph motifs. See if you can find the petroglyphs that look like a giraffe and one that looks like a man (on "man rock").Going North to Petroglyph Site #2:N 37 34.286W 118 25.053There is a Chain-Link Fence protecting the Petroglyphs at this marvelous site, and for good reason, if you look carefully you will notice that someone has defaced one of the rocks with a huge Phallic symbol. As a side note, just before you get to Site #2, as you are coming down the hill, on the left or west side of the road, there is a rock bluff with graffiti dating back to the 1860's when the first white ranchers and miners began to occupy the present day areas of Bishop and Laws.Going North to Petroglyph Site #3 & 4:4-Wing Salt Bush Area:N 37 38.974W 118 26.088Fish Slough Area:N 37 39.058W 118 26.097The existing Fish Slough Road became a main economic link and wagon route connecting Bishop and Laws to Benton Hot Springs and the prospering mining camps of Bodie and Aurora. Freight and supplies were transported on this route. This county road also served as a cattle driveway to and from Adobe Meadows. Dust covered settlers routinely traveled this rutted and sandy route to Bishop from locations as far north as Reno and Carson City, Nevada. In 1865 Fish Slough was the main depot or stage station for the United Stage Company, a branch of Wells Fargo Express. Bishop passengers meet at Fish Slough to travel to points north via Stagecoach. Six- horse teams pulled stagecoaches ten to fifteen miles at top speed over rough terrain until they reached such a stage station with passengers, freight, and mail. In 1883 the Carson & Colorado narrow gauge railroad was built in Bishop.2 IMPORTANT WARNINGS!1. Native California rock art provides us with a unique window into American Indian rituals, beliefs, and artistic abilities.These sites are religious places to Native Californians, and should be treated the same way we treat our churches. It is a heritage that we all should care for and respect. Despite the rugged and timeless appearance of the material, petroglyphs are delicate and subject to the relentless onslaught of erosion and vandalism. These rock art sites are federally protected. Damaging, defacing, or removing the petroglyphs in any way is punishable as a felony. The enforcing officers are quite serious about this; no warnings are issued. This goes for any related artifacts.So PLEASE Do not shoot at them. Do not throw anything at them. Do not litter. Do not park too close. Do not drive off the road. Do not be disrespectful. Do not disturb the integrity of the scene. The petroglyphs are unique and irreplaceable. Please never touch, spray water on or chalk designs. Please watch your children while visiting the sites. It is important that they visit these sites so they will learn to appreciate them, but children can be "high impact" visitors. They may need careful instructions in proper behavior during their visits.Think. Take pictures. Paint or sketch. Get an eyeful; if you must, just don't leave any trace of your passing. Tread lightly. We all want to see as pure a glimpse into the past as possible. There is a quiet and sacred quality here - don't let it be compromised.2. The elevation here is about 4,500 feet, which is low enough for rattlesnakes to be warming in the sun. Please be careful where you walk, and look before you retrieve the GeoCache from it's lair. Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back. In the summer it can be very hot and sunny, prepare with sun block, a hat, and a cooler full of iced drinks. It's not a great place for dogs, as it's a lot of time in the bumpy, dusty car, punctuated by stops at the sites where dogs shouldn't go. There are cacti, sharp edged lava rocks, steep drops, and cracks in the ground. In fact, watch where you walk. Use common sense, and be considerate.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Sebz Ovfubc, gnxr Uvtujnl 395 abegu gb gur "L" jvgu Uvtujnl 6. Qevir abegu ba Uvtujnl 6 nobhg 1.5 zvyrf. Ghea yrsg be jrfg ba Svir Oevqtrf Ebnq naq qevir nobhg 2.5 zvyrf. Nobhg 3/10 zvyr cnfg gur Qrfreg Nttertngr Fvta (fnaq naq teniry cynag), ghea evtug ng gur vasbezngvba xvbfx bagb Svfu Fybhtu Ebnq (3I01). Gur crgebtylcuf ner ybpngrq va guvf nern.