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  [Travel]

A couple of months ago I snagged some cheap tickets for a quick trip to Utah over Easter weekend. I knew my parents would be staying there for the Spring, and thought it'd be a nice opportunity to visit them in a state that I don't get to see often.

One of several places they shared with me was a plateau's cliff with numerous ancient petroglyphs. They'd heard that the petroglyphs were created by a prehistoric Native American culture known as the Anasazi, dating back to around 1200 B.C. This seemed like it might be reasonable, based on a brochure we later obtained from Zion National Park, only an hour or so away.

No official state park was preserving the area with the petroglyphs, so there were no issues with wandering around the plateau's edge. We saw several small lizards, and found some matted down grass under some bushes where cottontail rabbits appeared to have nestled. We also saw various species of cacti, one of which was blooming.

While walking, I kept my eyes a step ahead of my toes, hoping to find a colorful rock or possibly an arrowhead or ancient carving tool shaped from stone. Footpaths and an old jeep road hinted that any visible artifacts would have been pocketed by now, but this didn't cease my interest. My late grandpa had spent a large portion of his life hunting gemstones, so it was only natural for me to imagine his excitement in a similar opportunity. I found a few shiney bits of red jasper, while Mom found two or three hand-sized pieces of petrified wood.

Later that weekend my parents showed me Snow Canyon State Park and also Zion National Park. Check back for a wiki post on these day trips, as well as highlights from my previous travels to other National Parks: My Trips to National Parks (w).

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