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Century City After Hours

BISHOP PETROGLYPHS

In May of this year, I visited some of the many petroglyphs north of Bishop, California. (For those who are not familiar with the term, petroglyphs are images chipped into rock with a harder rock, unlike pictographs, which are images painted onto the rock.) I had been to the Bishop area many times over the years for camping, rock collecting and fishing, but had never before visited any of the Bishop petroglyphs. Although there are hundreds of them in the area immediately north of Bishop between Highway 395 and Highway 6, the petroglyphs do not seem to get extensive publicity. This may be due in part to the vandalism of petroglyphs that is quite prevalent – it is common to find cutting marks from the successful or attempted removal of petroglyphs, the telltale bullet indentations from where a petroglyph was used for target practice, or modern graffiti chipped next to or even over petroglyphs.

In any event, on a chilly morning near Mammoth Lakes with snow still covering the ground from the previous afternoon’s dusting, I decided to forego fishing for a few hours and visit the Fish Slough and Chidalgo petroglyph sites a short drive south of me. I had found detailed directions to these sites on the internet, so it was easy to reach the location.

The petroglyphs in this area were carved as much as 8,800 years ago by ancestors of the Paiute and Shoshone tribes. While some depict birds, deer, bighorn sheep and humans, others are symbols consisting of circles and lines. Unfortunately, the descendants of the Paiute and Shoshone who live in the area today have chosen not to share detailed information as to the meanings or purposes of the petroglyphs. However, it is believed that some tell stories of past events, or provide information regarding game, trails and nearby villages.

The Fish Slough site was my first stop, and contains several dozen petroglyphs. This is one of the earliest recorded petroglyph sites in the western United States, having been recorded in 1882. The petroglyphs here are estimated to be approximately 5,000 years old. Here, as throughout the northern Owens valley, the petroglyphs are carved in granite. The tablelands where they are located were formed by a series of volcanic flows occurring about 760,000 years ago. These flows are up to 600 feet thick, though the edges average about 12 feet. The Fish Slough was a desert oasis with natural springs, and supported abundant wildlife.

The petroglyphs themselves are fascinating and varied, and well worth a visit. A few of the sites are easy to reach off graded roads, and do not require four-wheel drive. I, of course, traveled some possible dirt roads and some definite washes in search of other petroglyphs, so was glad to have the right vehicle for the task.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Schilken, David Feldman and Elizabeth Gallerani, who knew all or most of the answers to the trivia questions in the last article. The answers are below:

1. “Another Brick In The Wall, Part II” was by Pink Floyd
2. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was by Queen
3. “Call Me” was by Blondie
4. “Heartbreaker” was by Pat Benatar
5. “Sailing” was by Christopher Cross
6. “On The Radio” was by Donna Summer
7. “Fame” was by Irene Cara (though, per Dave Feldman, David Bowie’s version was re-released in 1980 as well)
8. “Sara” was by Fleetwood Mac
9. “(Just Like) Starting Over” was by John Lennon
10. “Upside Down” was by Diana Ross
11. “Magic” was by Olivia Newton John
12. “It’s Still Rock and Roll” To Me was by Billy Joel
13. Bonus Song: “Do That To Me One More Time” was by Captain and Tennille

Summer is here! Well, it probably generates more excitement for kids than adults, but it still seems a special time of year when vacations are just around the corner. What better time to focus the trivia contest on songs about summer? These songs span several decades, so don’t feel discouraged if you do not recognize some of the songs. Please send me an email naming the artist who performed the songs you know, or just send an email to say hello, to etswanson@att.net. Good luck!

1. In The Summertime
2. School’s Out
3. Cruel Summer
4. Under The Boardwalk
5. Summertime
6. Boys of Summer
7. Hot Fun In The Summertime
8. Vacation
9. Summer In The City
10. All Summer Long
11. A Summer Song
12. Bonus Song #1: See You In September
13. Bonus Song #2: Palisades Park

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