We drove the few miles to Price where we took a room in the excellent Legacy Inn, which was beside the railroad and only a ten minute walk from downtown.
After a rest of about half an hour, we drove south-east along Highway 191 to Nine Mile Canyon, an excursion that exceeded our expectations in terms of the scenery (the scenery included desert mountains and dunes littered with cacti and scrub). We also had encounters with archaic, Fremont and Ute rock art (the canyon had the largest concentration of rock art in the US. In some publications, the canyon is described as the longest art gallery in the world) and engaged with a rapidly vanishing rural way of life. Short hikes took us to cliffs covered with rock art or old buildings once lived in by settlers and ranchers. The canyon was much longer than nine miles and the whole journey from Highway 191 was a delight. We were also thrilled to find that the road to the canyon was paved all the way from the south end.
Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
One of the afternoon’s highlights was Cottonwood Glen.
Cottonwood Glen, Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
However, even better was Great Hunt petroglyph panel about 46 miles from the Highway 191 junction east of Wellington.
The Great Hunt panel is one of the most recognisable petroglyph panels in the US. It has featured in numerous publications and is the best-known example of Fremont rock art. Scholars believe it may represent an actual bighorn sheep hunt. Biologists believe it depicts a scene in late November or early December when herds meet for the autumn mating season. It is the only time of the year when the rams, ewes and lambs are together in the same place, as depicted on the panel.
Great Hunt petroglyph, Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
Great Hunt petroglyph, Nine Mile Canyon, Utah
The USA: Landscapes and Urban Spaces 