I've been playing just a bit with Bing, and it seems REALLY flaky. Results vary from one identical attempt to another, and results change (too) dramatically upon adjusting the search area. In one instance I tightened the search area to include only a single large shield glyph, and that eliminated al...

@Hansenaz There are a few plant identifier apps out there, and my impression is that they all have merit. For reasons I cannot adequately articulate, I just never use them. For one thing I am not the most phone-friendly person around (I always lug a big DSLR camera around), but another, it just see...

big_load wrote: ↑Mar 22 2025 4:32 pm Is it gone? I get "the selected attachment does not exist anymore".

Sorry, my bad. It isn't gone, I caught a small typo and upped a new version. I've corrected the URL in the OP and added it here.

An Introduction to Desert Rock Art

@Hansenaz
Thanks! Not sure there will be a single glyph or picto in there you haven't seen!

I've written a new paper on rock art, and rather than publish in an obscure online journal, have chosen to craft/compile it to PDF, and place it online for free download. The piece is heavily illustrated and intended for a general audience.

An Introduction to Desert Rock Art

Sure, I found them at https://varuste.net/en/. U.S. price might vary day to day, based upon relative €/$ value. I ordered a week ago @ $136 + $24 shipping. I've worn Renegades for many years, and this is the best price I've ever seen. If the Euro keeps dropping, it may get better yet.

Some great bargains can be found presently on European brands/hiking gear. It's a good time to look around.

I just picked up a pair of Lowa Renegades for $160 shipped out of Finland. Beats the hell outta $250 at most U.S. retailers. Incredibly, boots were on my doorstep in just four days.

I'm starting to rethink this whole Cooper Forks thing. This will be a VERY difficult, wet half mile hiking along Cherry Creek due to a high water level, yes? Would Devil's Chasm be a better choice? Have not done that either, but will water level possibly prove an obstacle there, as well? If so, then...

@Grasshopper
Thanks for the heads-up. I'll plan on carrying my boots across.

@MtnBart01
Sounds good in theory, but truth is I'm still recovering from bagging Woolsey Peak four days ago (brutal!), and Moody Point is another hike probably right at the very limit of my ability. I'll get there, but want to make Cooper Forks first, and that outing is imminent.

friendofThundergod wrote:I could probably do the shortcut in less time, but not entirely sure if that makes the shortcut a better option...

Hell, it's a 6-MILE shortcut. How bad could it be?

Gosh, sorry to hear about your camera.

Thanks for the info. So you believe this is at least no more difficult an access route than any other? 'Cause it's a super easy hike to the mine. And this seems much shorter than the more conventional approach without many of the ups and downs.

I see three access trails others have used to reach Moody Point (203, 203a, and Aztec), but wonder about a fourth. Has anyone tried reaching the ruin by hiking to the uranium mine along Deep Creek from 203a? Why can't we just cross Deep Creek near the first mine, then shoot up to the ridge line SW o...

Books are now in hand and ready to ship. If anyone would like a signed copy, send $23 + $3 shipping (AZ residents $2.05 sales tax) to chasingcenturies@agaveville.org via Paypal, and it will go right out. Otherwise, Amazon is expecting their stock by Jan 1. Also, I would like to thank this forum and ...

@Alston_Neal Agaves on Perry Mesa were certainly cultivated, and I believe some might be cultivars, but the jury is still out on that score, in part because what present as distinct but similar agaves there appear to be hybridizing, so sort of a nucleotide goulash that continuing DNA analysis may e...

@azbackpackr I have been in your area a few times, the only agaves known there are two different forms of A. utahensis, and they are both spectacular plants! But I'll tell you a secret, I have also found some very mysterious and little known agaves in the Grapevine Canyon area, and these may be cul...

@Hansenaz Thank you. The book will absolutely help you identify local agaves, and help you determine whether agaves near archaeology sites are wild or domesticated cultivars. Whenever you find any that catch your eye, shoot me a pic, and we'll see what we have. I am still out there doing what I do,...

Hmmmm.... Can't say I recall that, but it sorta sounds like me. Some very interesting agaves on Perry Mesa.

Sorry, not at this time.

A few of you may be aware of my ongoing research regarding ancient cultures and agaves. In that light, I have written a book, which may be of interest to some here, and should be available from the publisher within a week, with wider distribution to all the usual sources to follow. We're currently p...