This massive landslide is known as ‘devastation slide’. Located within the lower reaches of Grouse Creek, it has blocked anadromous migration for decades.
I had heard tale of petroglyphs somewhere on Spy Rock road for years and years, and I only recently was fortunate enough to visit them. I read that this rock serves a territorial boundary marker for the Cahto Indian tribe. This site is right off the main road and if you weren’t looking for it, you would drive right by it – which I did several times before I was tipped off. An old white oak tree is next to the rock and contains all kinds of trinkets and talismans, some presumably from local Indians, other prayers of people who live in the area.
Looking closer, there are dozens of engravings covering the rock. According to some reports, many of the carvings are thousands of years old, and are the oldest known on the North Coast. There is no clear interpretation of what the carving mean, or meant to the people who did it. The spirals, which are thought to be the oldest could be related to fertility rites, like ‘cupules’. They could hold spiritual meaning, or perhaps are not so different than the graffiti of today – out of boredom…
Here is another interesting article on Spy Rock and petrohglyphs in our region.
These forest types have always been interesting to me. Hot, dry and prone to fire. These forests are full of scorpions and snakes, spikes and brambles. Paradise.
The Ghost Pine, or pinus sabiniana, has allot of interesting traits and considering a warming trend in the climate, they are even more intriguing. They are one of the fastest growing conifers in the region inspite of the harsh terrain they live on. They are well adapted to heat and prolonged drought. Their seeds are also highly nutritious (good to know if you are ever ‘lost’).
While the tree does have high pitch content, it also is known for good structural integrity close to that of Douglas-fir. Its form is not ideal for lumber, but on a small scale the wood can be milled just the same.
As the region gets hotter and drier its possible this species could increase its range. It certainly will become increasingly worth considering as drought resistant tree that can serve many uses.
Its nice to get lost sometimes.
Well, I finally just decided to simply throw up another site. Its kinda funny, because it really just shows how arbitrary the upload size limitation is. Anyways, Im back! Hopefully I can find the time to keep it rolling. Ive been expanding my reach… and getting into Trinity and Mendo more often, but still remain cloistered in Humboldt most of the time.