I guess I’m going through some sort of historical/archaeological phase and visiting all sorts of interesting (and sometimes obscure) sites. It will probably pass eventually (unless I find a way to combine it with Drones!!), but until it does, the trip reports of those adventures will be plopped here.
BTW, I should acknowledge that there is a certain level of superficiality to some of these trip reports. This is not crappy writing on my part (some may disagree), but is in fact deliberate. I view most of these sites as sensitive, and know from past experience there are a number of assholes out there who do “research” on the Innerwebz and then go out on ATVs and mess with these places. To thwart these idiots I’ve left out a lot of interesting site details that could aid in their location. The result is a somewhat watered down and bland narrative, but it’s another good example of why we can’t have nice things. There are in fact a few substantial sites I’ve visited (three so far) that I won’t write about or even name, as I don’t want to draw any attention at all to them.
And a note about access……Unless specifically mentioned, all these sites are on public property of some sort, to the extent I can determine (and I usually spend more than a little time ensuring that’s the case). BLM, forest service or national park are my lands of choice. You know, my tax dollars and all. As far as getting to the sites, I stay on public lands and avoid posted private property or posted Indian reservation lands. The BLM has some very good maps that show land ownership, and I’ve used those extensively. There are a lot of sites I’d like to visit, but they’re on Indian land, so I won’t, unless invited.
- Reefer City, California, June 2019: A unique place in the California desert that has nothing to do with pot. Well, it is the “high” desert.
- 1928 aerial photo of the Stanley-Miller Mine near the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, San Gabriel Mountains, California. It’s a helluva long title for a single image, but it’s a very interesting place with personal backstory. So there.
- The history and location of David Buel’s hydraulic flume in the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. Crawling through brush and fighting off ticks to bring you a 144 year old engineering feat.
- Looking for traces of the Kutz Canyon Stairway, New Mexico. It has it all….Drones, rappelling and Chaco Canyon related stuff.
- Historic 1952-53 Aerial Images of Bellflower, California. Why put this here? Because it’s old crap, of course (and I have no place else to stick it)
- Drone Imaging of Archaeological Sites in Western New Mexico, May, 2015. Yes! Several drones and lots of ruins!
- Imaging the sites of Casamero, Astialakwa, Patokwa with a tricopter, Oct 2-3, 2014. Revisiting some old favorites but from a new….perspective.
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, May 13, 2013: Looking at dirt mounds on the Illinois prairie…..Get me back to the southwest, NOW!
- Canyon de Chelly, May 4-6, 2013: A severely tourist trip down the canyon. But very, very purdy.
- First experiments in archaeological site imaging, April 2013: A new way of looking at the usual weird crap in the desert. Always an inch from disaster. But sometimes less.
- Ute Mountain Tribal Park (The Un-Mesa Verde), April 19-20, 2013: Back in New Mexico and looking at weird crap in the desert!
- Tsi-p’in-owinge’ pueblo ruins, October 27, 2012: The last New Mexico adventure for a while (but not the last, ever) as we visit a very scenic ruin near Abiquiui.
- Zuni – Acoma Trail death march, October 12-13, 2012: If your idea of a good time is hiking across terrain that would like nothing better than to injure or maim you, while looking for scant few prehistoric ruins, well have I got a trip for you!
- Red Mesa Valley mesa top ruin, October 3, 2012: A small and strange ruin on an isolated mesa top on BLM land between Grants and Thoreau.
- Chaco Canyon and Chimney Rock, September 28-30, 2012: Another decadent trip covering two entire states, but with rain, lightning and the cheating of death. Mostly. Oh, and food. Lots of food….
- Pejunkwa ruin, September 24, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico (You would think I’d eventually run out of sites to visit, wouldn’t you?)
- Wahajhamka ruin, September 24, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Rock Art Ranch, Homolovi and Hopi Pueblos…oh, and Pottery, September 14-17, 2012: A trip of decadence and gluttony in a land of little rain. If we didn’t do it , who would?
- Bis sa’ani ruins, August 31, 2012: An outstanding but seldom visited Chacoan ruin on BLM land. The Chacoans could build damn well wherever they chose to, and this site certainly attests to that.
- FS 3 ruin, August 29, 2012: An extremely remote Jemez ruin in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico, only discovered in recent years. “Extremely” and “remote” are two of my favorite words!
- Amoxiumqua ruin, August 29, 2012: One of the big three of the Jemez high mesa settlements in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico.
- Twin Angels ruin, August 23, 2012: More of that crazy Chacoan goodness somewhere along the Great North Road on BLM land south of Bloomfield.
- Pecos Conference field tour, August 12, 2012: Wandering around the backcountry with archaeologists, seeing unusual crap, at no additional charge!
- The 2012 Pecos Conference, August 10-12, 2012: An interesting archaeological conference held near Santa Fe. Strange and wondrous characters abound. And a sheep.
- The Ridge Road of Ruins, August 3, 2012: Some I-don’t-know-what-they-are (but probably Jemez) ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Wabakwa ruins, August 3, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- FS 18 ruins, August 3, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Rattlesnake Ridge ruins, July 30, 2012: Another fun visit with the Gallina in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Halfway House ruins, July 30, 2012: A Chacoan structure at the midpoint of the Great North Road on BLM land in New Mexico
- Casa Morena, the Chaco Canyon outlier that never was: How can a writeup on an archaeological site not have a site visit? Read and find out why.
- Kwastiyukwa Ruins, June 25, 2012: Probably the most impressive of the Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Tovakwa Ruins, June 18, 2012: The largest of the Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Spring (Nogales) Canyon Cliff Dwellings, June 15, 2012: Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Folsom Site, June 10, 2012: World famous archaeological site in far northeastern New Mexico
- Seshukwa Ruins, May 29, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Unshagi Ruins, May 29, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Boletsakwa Ruins, May 29, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Astialakwa Ruins, February 29, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
- Patokwa Ruins, February 29, 2012: Jemez Pueblo ruins in the Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico