11:54 a.m.
After visiting Walnut Canyon National Monument we drove south into the Verde Valley for another try at visiting the V Bar V Heritage Site. It is 74 degrees outside.

There is a gravel parking area, with a short walk down to a Visitor Center. There is a Forest Ranger on duty, with information and a small gift shop. It is a very nice facility, with modern restrooms. The Ranger was very friendly and talkative and we had a nice discussion with her about the ranch and the rock art.

From there we walked out along the short trail through the historic ranch site to the rock art panels. About all that remains of the old ranch is the stone work of the chimney. But that is pretty interesting in and of itself. There are lots of vines embedded within the stone work, giving it a bit of an old Victorian appearance. We also noticed an elaborate stone BBQ grill down among the trees. We could only imagine what the ranch must have been like during its prime.

Out at the rock art panels there is a small building, and another Ranger. When we arrived there were a few others talking with the Ranger about the petroglyphs. There is quite a variety of individual examples of the Beaver Creek Style on these panels, which cover maybe a 40 foot wide area on the cliff face. The area is shaded by trees, so there is some lichen covering a large portion of one section, where it is difficult to make out the images.

But most of the images are quite clear, even though the main panel is quite crowded. You really have to look close to bring out the individual characters. There are mostly humanoid figures, with a few birds, desert bighorn, dogs, lizards, toads or turtles, and other unrecognizable creatures. It’s a very fascinating site.

There is one character which looks like a hiker wearing a day pack. This could be a kokopelli figure. The Ranger was also very talkative and explained a great deal about what is known about the site and its figures. He also explained about the solar calendar that was discovered at the site, where the sun beams down between two protruding stones to create a tight beam across the face of the main panel. At certain times of the year this beam points to different objects on the panel that seem to relate to the solstice and equinox.

We spent quite a bit of time there talking with the Ranger and photographing as many individual images as I could, and we waited to see the sun beam cross the panel. At this time of the year it just sort of pointed above most of the images.

From there we walked back to the Visitor Center, talked with the Ranger there a bit more, bought a couple of t-shirts, and left quite pleased with the experience.

2:22 p.m.
We left the Heritage site and headed down the road to the Beaver Creek picnic area. There were quite a few vehicles there, but there were plenty of tables to choose from. There were a few flies that made it annoying, but it wasn’t too bad. Even with the tall deciduous trees this would be a hot area in the summer months, but it’s great in the fall and probably the spring and winter. It was 78 degrees under clouds.