Blythe and Corn Spring, CA (2/25 &26/2020)

My RV park in Blythe, called Hidden Beaches, is located right on the Colorado River.  My campsite was set up so I could pull forward up to the edge of the cliff above the river.  Each site has a patio with table and chairs or a bench so one could sit and enjoy wonderful views of the river and the mountains beyond.  However, with 35-40 MPH winds ripping through, I chose to enjoy the view by staying inside and looking through the windshield.  Still, it was very nice.

The park also has a few birds, such as Mr. & Mrs. Vermilion Flycatcher.

Now I'll tell you why I came to Blythe in the first place.  Several weeks ago, I learned of a different type of ancient art than I had been aware of.  Geoglyphs are images made on the earth itself in one of several methods, such as placing rocks in a pattern.  Oh yeah, I've seen rock circles and medicine wheels, just didn't know the term "geoglyph".  Another method is to form an image by removing dark rocks or soil to expose lighter colored earth underneath.  Images created this way are called intaglios (pronounced in-tal-yos).  The Colorado desert in California has some 200 intaglios, presumably formed by Native Americans but no one knows which tribe(s), or when, or why.

I read about a series of intaglios in the desert near Blythe and wanted to check them out.  They are so large, over 100 feet long, that good views aren't possible from the ground.  I tried to find someone who might take me up in a plane or helicopter so I could get photos from the air, but had no luck.  I had to settle for visiting the site and viewing the images the best I could.  This explains why my photos don't show the entire images.

For each of three images, I'll show you the plaque describing each, as well as my limited coverage photo.  Since their discovery in 1932, some vandalism has occurred.  BLM fenced them in 1982 as a way of protecting against further damage.

The first image is of a male human.  You can see damage caused by tire tracks.

The second is a four-legged animal, and there's also a spiral in the scene.  Some think the animal is a horse, which was introduced here in the 1500s.  Carbon dating suggests the images are older, so the animal could be a mountain lion.  The spiral could be a rattlesnake (lots of those around).

Last, another male human figure.  I turned my photo upside down to give a different perspective.

The most famous geoglyphs in the world are in Peru.  They are so large, many people believe they could only have been made by aliens.

While checking into the RV park, I had asked the folks there if they knew of any rock art in the area.  Another customer overheard my question and volunteered information about a place called Corn Spring.  Having a name, I was able to research it on the internet and learn exactly where to go.  Unfortunately, it was 50 miles from Blythe, but I went anyway.

Corn Spring Canyon is in the Chuckwalla Mountains and has a BLM campground, a deserted old cabin and hundreds of petroglyphs.  I'll limit the number I show to avoid putting you to sleep.

After returning to Blythe, I drove into the Palo Verde Ecological Reserve looking for wildlife.  All I saw were two raptors, an American Kestrel and a juvenile female Bald Eagle, still changing color.