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Dominguez - Escalante LbNA #8717 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jun 19, 2004
Location:
City:Delta
County:Delta
State:Colorado
Boxes:1
Planted by:Esmerelda
Found by: CougarHart
Last found:Apr 2, 2006
Status:FFFF
Last edited:Jun 19, 2004
This box has been reported as missing. Sorry!

The 1776 expedition of Dominguez & Escalante! In late July 1776, two Franciscan priests set out with a few other men to find an overland route from Santa Fe to the Spanish missions at Monterey Bay on the California coast. They had only the idea that they would travel basically north into what is now Colorado until they could turn and go west to the Pacific Ocean. Little did they know the trials and tribulations they would undergo, but they had faith that their God would take care of them as they did His work. They ran out of food and were forced to eat several of their horses. Their Indian guides abandonded them. Finally they cast lots and decided to return to Santa Fe through hostile Indian territory. The trip lasted five and half months. Most of the time they were technically lost. They not only explored a vast new land, but they made remarkably accurate maps of their journey.

Take the turnoff from Highway 50 onto Escalante Canyon Rd. It is approximately 10 miles from Delta and 20 miles from the 32 Road intersection at Grand Junction.
Sitting here is a plaque on a stone.
Follow Escalante Canyon Road across the Gunnison River and into the canyon approximately 6 miles until you reach an intersection. Turn left onto 'Escalante Rim Rd.'
Now you must make a choice! If you are driving an SUV, a truck or other vehicle with high clearance, you can ford the stream and drive the rest of the way (in the spring the creek quadruples in size.. please be careful!)
If you would prefer not to find out what kind of clearance your car has, park here in the shade and do the rest on foot. It's a pleasant walk, about 20 minutes each way. You will have to walk across the stream, but the water is wonderful!
Follow this road until you reach a fork. The sign will give you the choice of going left on Escalante Rim dr. or right onto Dry Mesa Rd and the Ute Petroglyphs. Choose the right road. A short distance later you will arrive at the Ute Petroglyphs. They are protected by a chain link fence, unfortunately they were protected too late and there is considerable vandalism. Shake your fist in the air and exclaim how anyone can be foolish enough to deface such a treasure. There are two sections of fence. Go to the section on the left (when you are facing the cliff). On the right end of this fence there is a pile of rocks between the post and the cliff face. At ground level where the rock pile meets the cliff face, your quest will be fulfilled when you remove some rocks from an opening in the cliff face to a very small cave and peak inside.
When we got here, we almost decided not to place the box because of the vandalism. But then we searched the wall, finding the original Ute carvings and changed our minds. Through the graffiti you can see the ancient writings, and it's easy to picture the quiet bodies standing there leaving their own journal for us to find so many years later. I like to think that Dominguez and Escalante stood and wondered at the very same figures.

Take water!
Take INSECT REPELLANT!
Dogs are fine, children can easily do this walk. The road is a little rough in spots and there's a cattle guard designed to keep elephants in (well, it seems like it), so we're not convinced strollers would make it.

Handcarved stamp, handmade journal.

Placed by Esmerelda and Skeetch