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| Arrastre-Xcut Black Mesa, AZ | | -
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| | Arrastre-Xcut Black Mesa, AZ | | | |
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Arrastre-Xcut Black Mesa, AZ
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| no partners | | I set my alarm early so I'd have time to paint the kitchen and read the paper before heading out to bag the Needle and then the Mother Lode (probably Dos Veces if no slow traffic along the ridge). But as I was getting ready to leave I remembered I had some unfinished business on Black Mesa. Black Mesa is a different sort of beast...a lot more horizontal exposure...some people can't handle it (agoraphobes), but my mind was made up.
I had fun looking around the upper part of Arrastre Cr. two months ago - nice petroglyphs - and I thought there might be more interesting things in the nearby tributary drainages.
I ended up looking more at the rimrock than the creek bottoms and didn't see anything for quite a while. But when I came around the corner to look up the last canyon (furthest south) I could see a waterfall at top that from a distance looked similar to the decorated area at the top of the main Arrastre drainage. Turned out to be a very similar place: lots of glyphs unusual for the Perry/Black Mesa area but much like the ones at that waterfall 0.8mi north. Continuing up the drainage to the mesa top there were a couple more glyphs and bedrock metates, again like the Arrastre canyon but less extensive.
I cut across the mesa to the other side overlooking the Agua Fria River. Nice views here. I headed north and was a little surprised to pass three small ruin areas, all defined by some overgrown collapsed walls, minor glyphs, and grinding areas. Surprisingly there was very little pottery...only saw one or two sherds.
When it started getting too hot I bailed and passed the Sunset Rest Area on the way home a little before the traffic went kaflooey  . |
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