I didn't know what an intaglios was so it was amazing to see and learn about them. These things are between 450 and 2,000 years old!
Intaglios, also called anthropomorphic geoglyphs — gigantic human or animal figures drawn on the ground’s surface — are known throughout the American Southwest, South America, and New Caledonia.
The palette of these “drawings” is the earth itself; the artists scraped the dark rock of the desert ground to expose the lighter soil underneath.
With the largest human figure coming in at 171 feet (52 meters)
long, they are difficult to see from ground level and are best viewed from a
helicopter or drone. In fact, the figures are so difficult to see from the ground that
it wasn’t until 1932, when a pilot happened to look down and notice them, that
they were rediscovered by modern society.
Our ground views of the intaglios:
 |
| This guy has better viewed from his head due to the terrain. |
 |
| Notice the big foot and knee on this one. |
 |
| Photo courtesy of Dave @OffOurRockerRV.com |
 |
| Photo courtesy of Dave @OffOurRockerRV.com |
For more info about the intaglios check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blythe_Intaglios
Along the route to our next stop, Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, we stopped to check out the bales of cotton that were recently harvested.
 |
| That's a lot of cotton pickin! |
 |
| Here's a sample I just picked up along the road. |
Our next stop was Cibola National Wildlife Refuge.
 |
| Kathy and Nancy on the trail behind the visitor's center |
We even saw Sandhill Cranes!
 |
| I like the guy hanging out on the pole at the bottom. Hope no one poops on him! |
We even saw some sort of big "cat" but couldn't get our cameras out quick enough to catch a photo of him. It could have been a bobcat or something similar. Good spot Kathy!
Interesting sight after leaving Cibola.
Bookstore owner Paul Winer has spent a couple of decades wearing nothing but a strategically positioned sock. Signs outside invite visitors in for photo ops.
Naked Bookstore Owner
"There's a naked man in Quartzsite! You have to see him!" That's what my friends kept telling me. Since my friends steer me to the most unique sights, I went to the naked guy's bookstore.
Yup, he was naked, except for a little crocheted "sock" over his privates. Nothing covered his backside. Fishing line held up the sock.
Besides being a free spirit, Paul is a really nice guy, an accomplished blues musician, and cartoonist. He's very approachable and will gladly pose for a photo (PS. Don't bring the kids.).
Unfortunately or Fortunately, depends on how you look at it, the Naked Guy was not in the store during our visit due to health issues. His wife was there and told Kathy that he's having another surgery. Hope he'll be feeling better soon.
Part of his and his wife's story is their daughter Celia. They were told they could never have children but as sometimes happens, God had other plans. Their daughter was born premature in 1986. Against the odds she lived until she got a viral infection and died in 1995. Her parents started a botanical garden in her honor in Quartzsite and it's called Celia's Rainbow Gardens.
More info on the store of Celia: http://www.celiasrainbowgardens.com/Story/
Our last stop for the day was Hi Jolly Monument. This memorial pyramid marker honors one of the United States Government's first official camel riders.
During the mid-1800’s when much of the southwest of America was still uninhabited desert, the government decided they would deal with the terrain like the desert dwellers of the Middle East and hire camel drivers, such as Hi Jolly, to carry their goods across the arid terrain.
The story of Hi Jolly: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hi-jolly-monument
Back at camp, it's just the Kathy & Dave (@OffOurRockerRV) and us remaining from our tribe. Let's see who comes to join us next. We're having a great time in Quartzsite and still camping on BLM land for free. How many days can our tanks hold out before we need to dump them???
No comments:
Post a Comment