Dagger Mountain

Well, it was my Special Project Day on Thursday and I'd heard about these "shelter caves" on Dagger Mountain, so I thought I'd head out there and explore. If you look in the dead center of this photograph -- or click on it to enlarge -- you can see the limestone shelf with dark areas beneath it. That's them. (Or, more properly, That's they.) Whatever the case, that is our goal for today.


There, that didn't take long, did it? And here we are approaching the shelter caves that cowboys -- and maybe some Native Americans -- used to escape out of north winds in the winter. As there is a long fence of barbed wire here, too, this might have been a rancher's overnight stop while checking on the herd.


And here we are at one of several overhanging ledges that comprise these shelters. Some of them are just barely big enough to huddle or sleep in, some go back a ways into small antechambers of no use to men. Mountain lions might find them useful, though.


Here is one such "cave," as you might call it. Of course, being ever the amateur spelunker, I just had to get on hands and knees and check it out. I listened very intently for some time before doing so, just in case it was inhabited by some large, furry feline. No growls or sounds of movement (unsheathed claws scratching on rock) was forthcoming. This one led to the small antechamber I mentioned earlier, barely big enough to sit up in.


Here we are looking into yet another of these recesses, this one with a tarry covering on the roof like something out of a science-fiction movie. My conjecture is that it's tar from fires made with creosote bushes, since they have a waxy base. Whatever the case, it lent a spooky atmosphere to the place.


Even though this stuff is almost clear and looks watery, it's very hard to the touch. Had it been sappy and gotten on my fingers, I probably would've run screaming into the desert. (It didn't help having just watched The Blob the previous day!)


Here's another shot of the ceiling, looking like an artist's rendition of outer space. I found it quite beautiful and wouldn't mind having the pattern on my own ceiling.


I'm not sure if this is a petroglyph or not. It reminds me of the petroglyphs on The Chimneys, but it didn't make any sense at all -- just lines running up and down the ceiling. Kind of nice, anyway.


On my way out, I decided I ought to record some of the rancher's handiwork. Here is the fence post at the end of the fence where it meets the ledge. Nice texture and movement.


Okay, one final shot. I just fell in love with the the thought of all the years this fence has been here patiently rusting away, waiting for someone to come along and take its picture. I can just hear the ol' cowpoke now: "Dang, ain't this pretty? Somebody oughta take a pitcher of this!" And I did.