A total of 15 GCAS members, a few of the membership-curious, and three canine companions gathered for the GCAS’s November 4, 2018, field trip to examine the petroglyphs in Frying Pan Canyon and Pony Hills near Deming. We enjoyed stellar weather: sunny to partly-cloudy, a high temp of about 75F, with just enough of a breeze to keep the dust down.
We noticed small groups of hunters and recent evidence of trap shooters in the area, but all petroglyphs at both sites appeared intact with no signs of recent graffiti or other vandalism. We marveled at the numerous large and deep grinding holes throughout the Frying Pan Canyon site. The petroglyph of a macaw at Pony Hills reminded us once again that Mesoamerican macaws were imported to our neck of the woods – and apparently bred locally – many centuries ago.
The steep and rocky terrain gave us good exercise and the broad valley views were spectacular in the autumn sunlight. Critter count: one nine-inch long centipede and one rattlesnake were spotted but the critters and we gave one another wide berth and all was well. Thanks to GCAS member Joseph Gendron for sharing his pix!