Tule Lake was a large lake on the border of California and Oregon that mostly dried up in the last
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Some of the best carvings |
few hundred years and now contains much bird refuge and agricultural land. It once contained a handful of islands and peninsulas, former tuff rings and small volcanic vents, and one island in particular became a hotbed for Modoc spiritual activity. They would paddle out to this island in their cedar dugout canoes and carve on the soft rock their symbols and musings. As the lake level dropped, more lake standlines were cut into the island, and more petroglyphs were carved. The former island called Petroglyph Point was handed over to the NPS some time ago, and now, in an effort to curb the vandalism that so often plagues rock art sites, a large chainlink and barbed wire fence has been erected around the site. As you view these pictures, imagine that the rock is surrounded by meter deep water and swaying reeds, with windswept plains mantling the far distance and waterfowl crowding the sky. Imagine the carvings are fresh, crisp, and exactly as they were so many centuries ago.
The NPS has a great writeup on this site
here.
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Faded carvings |
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This fence is all that protects these ancient carvings. |
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They didn't photograph well, but the designs above are very intricate. The dark spots are removed vandalism. |
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Huge number of petroglyphs, most of them are abstract across the site. Some ancient shorelines are very visible here. |
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The closer you look, the more glyphs you will see. |
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Big snake above concentric circles. |
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This band of holes stretched about ten feet and is about a foot wide. |
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Possibly the densest panel here. |
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Too big to get in one picture through the fence! |
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Quite a big rock here. |
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