First adventure, a few years back in Utah...

[czachary]

I have done my due diligence, and it is time to post some pictures for some input. I have a few from New Mexico, Arizona, and also Utah. We will start with this small grouping from Utah.

Back then I was into photography not much on signs and or markers. Now I do believe It is all "coming together". I know now that this was a hot spot for trail markers in Utah, as it was one of the only year running rivers around. As another thread I have made shows several probably previously unseen glyphs of some nature. More than likely Native, anyway, i think this marks a trail of some sort. Who knows to what. More time needed.


Could be nothing, I think it is some kind of marker though.



At a first glance

A zoom in...you can see the nice large formation on top of the ridge with the small rock placed on top, then a large flat area, and then an even smaller rock placed on top on that side. Also mid picture the off color rock was a perfectly flat cut surface, not natural aligned with the ledge.

Here is from the ledge the other direction, you can see why I do not think this was a natural feature. Sandstone is soft and eroded down quickly, very odd to see a high pinnacle out by itself around here.

 

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[Shortstack]

In your second photo, it looks like a man sitting and looking toward the right. In the first photo, on the far right end of the formation, on the ground is what looks like a lion laying on the ground, also looking to the right.

I think these would be more along the lines of trail monuments. Good eye.

I'm going to let you in on a little tidbit that will forever more ruin your enjoyment of watching old western movies. You should stop reading now if you don't like that idea. OK, I warned you.................many of the old western movies, especially those shot by John Ford with the wide panoramic views were shot in Utah, Arizona, and some in New Mexico. If you watch the backgrounds you will start noticing GOBS of carvings and signs....some of them very huge. Now, I can't enjoy just watching those old movies because I'm too busy looking for those carvings. Dangit. LOL

Some of those dang gone car commercials shot today, are also full of background shapes and signs that get your attention. Also, check out the photo layouts in magazines and in web ads for cars and trucks. You can very often see things in their background, too.

You may say, "so what?" Well, if you watch the movie credits of the old movies, they tell us WHERE the movie was shot and those old ones were done right here in the U.S. and the car / truck commercials are, too. For those still photos, it will take a bunch more research to find out where the photographers did their layouts, but it isn't impossible.

Just some little things to be aware of.

 

[desertmoons]

I think it marks a trail too. Never forget to revisit the basics from time to time. The flat gap behind your figure, is reminiscent of a Kenworthy door way/trails sign for longer trails. (In his rangemarkers book i think?) You know..the one where he talks of animal trails, horse trails etc. That gap could be natural though.

Seems pretty clear which way that one long range trail is going. May I suggest when you see overall geological formations like this remember your bible.

"I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me."

There may be additional info among the high points relating to the trail you have mentioned. The taller "spire" that sort of bumps out from the bluff especially may give you some hints as to who involved in this trail, depending on what the top of that looks like.

That being said, there are some very local short trails behind the blue truck. And one possible one that crosses the road in front of the truck and passes out of the picture.

The question I would be asking is this: Does the figure you speak of, and the lion, look across the river , or up/down the river? If across the river, well..why would they leave their nice water source? The figure seems does not strike me a straight trail monument that tells you the way home. Without a clearer picture i can not know for sure, but it does not seem that sort of trail monument. Do you recall if it was looking up river? Or across the river? Or neither?

One possibility would be it is facing a mineralized area near or far. There are other possibilities
Thanks for sharing!

 

[czachary]

It basically aligned up with that the last picture i posted. Slightly angled across the valley floor to the other side bluffs a ways up.

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

Sometimes the desert just has ROCKS. Just plain old ROCKS. I suggest a closer look about a thumbs width to the right of the pinnacle in the first picture. A tiny ball of whatever on a column of something. Maybe it is nothing. Maybe it isn't.

Too many people buy into the idea that the Spanish, Mexicans, Jesuits, KGC, Jesse James, Phoenicians, Pilgrims, Vikings, and a whole list of other assorted folk, had nothing better to do than run around the desert creating all manner of time and calorie intensive monolithic art. This isn't to say that those objects do not exist. They certainly do. Just be aware that most of what you will see will be just plain old rocks.

Below is a confirmation. Flat bottom rocks out in the wide open do not stack themselves under most circumstances. I won't go into what I think it does or doesn't mean or when it came into existence. The important thing to know is that it is an "eye catcher" and the front (right side) of the larger rock has a V groove. It is designed to show you a distant object which you use to keep a straight path through the desert. Maybe you find another object along the way. Maybe you just arrive at what was in the view finder. Good luck and keep it simple sam. BTW. The big rock equals about half the capacity of the inside of regular chevy truck cab.

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