Dear Reader... This is an interpretive series of pages taken from the personal journal of Mr. JH Thomas. For over 25 years Mr. Thomas hiked, explored and photographed the limestone canyons and vicinity of northern Arizona. As a result he recorded several scientific "firsts" in archaeology regarding the activities of the ancient people we now call Sinagua. He also acquired some basic knowledge of local geology, the native plants and wildlife. It is a pleasure to present some of these observations in this format.
Sincerely, John Vroom, Editor

Centered above is just one of Mr. Thomas' oil paintings created in his studio in memory of local explorations.

Through this portal of personal exploration and observation my inner life is fulfilled.

.... JHThomas

Thanks to Google Earth, here is a satellite photo of the limestone canyon and volcanic basalt overflow area that has provided the discoveries in this report. For your reference, the blue dots are archaeological sites, the red dots are rock art features and the green dots are native plants I feature on this page. This area is a banquet if you know just a little about our geology, biology and archaeology. -JV

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It seems appropriate here to comment on the essential tools that Mr. Thomas uses to access and record these adventures. He travels the backroads (and no roads) using a 1990 British Range Rover. He finds his way back and records important places using a Garmin Geco GPS unit. In these years of exploration he has discovered and recorded several hundred archaeological sites, which have been officially reported to the offices of the national forest. His thousands of photos of plants, animals and ancient ruins and rock art are saved using a SONY digital camera. These are basic units, uncomplicated, and available to anyone. The value is in the investment of time and the organization of information.

I use Adobe Photoshop and GoLive to create the pages on this web site.

-JV

From the journal of JHThomas:

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The 1980s

Thomas' connection with his life's great love began with the discovery of this place.

During the walk from the car to the canyon edge Thomas discovered that he wasn't alone. One of the advantages of arriving early in the morning is the observation of local wildlife.

This little Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, actually expressed great curiosity in Thomas, the hiker, and walked nearby for about a half hour. It is the banquet of the hike!

If you are interested in more information about this mammal:

http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/uroccine.htm

http://www.gf.state.az.us/h_f/game_foxes.shtml

http://birdfotos.com/misc/fox/fox.htm

This stretch of sunlit canyon was actually discovered on Easter Sunday, which was fitting for the inspiration it provided. The upper arrow in this photo points at a cave where ancient people once lived at a time when water flowed regularly in the creek bed still under these native Arizona Walnut trees. The second arrow points at an eroded alcove that exhibited the wonderful gallery of images in this photo below.

Interviewing the professionals about this deeply etched image indicates that this might be an "archaic" classification of petroglyphs. This makes it very old, perhaps more than 1000 years, plus. To Thomas it is insect looking but he has also read a lot about a "two horned priest" society in pre-Hopi times. These were the shamans of making rain. None of this is conclusive but it is still a wonderful discovery. This carving is over three feet high.

Adjacent to the above image is this extraordinary configuration and collection of pecked images. In the mind of a Caucasion (modern man) this certainly appears as an altar with a perfectly carved coiled snake on the front surface. A second snake-like figure is just down and to the right of this major figure. Secondary grooves and other glyphs are everywhere on the walls of this alcove. Faded pictographs are also found on this limestone wall but not apparent in this picture.

A short hike downstream along this same canyon wall there appears THIS magnificant rock art panel. It is vertical, about twelve feet high, and located well above the observer. It is unique in that it features many four footed animal like images. Thomas has not been able to categorize this panel regarding date or ancient culture. It's just part of the luxury of this place. -JV

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Images and text are copyighted. Do not copy.

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Native Plants Observed

Parry's Agave, Agave parryi, has been traditionally used for making mescal. Agave roasting pits are available for public view at the Palatki Ruin just north west of Sedona.

Learn More:

http://www.dbg.org/Collections/agave.html

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AGCH2

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=AGPA4&photoID=agpa4_1v.jpg