Heavenly Hoodoo Hope

“And while I stood there, I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a shared manner the shapes of things in the spirit and the shape of all shapes as they must live together as one being.” ( Black Elk- American Indian)

I’m enchanted by the presence of hoodoos. Yes, those twisted piles of rocks with a grotesque looking appearance stood out prominently in our visit to Valley of Fire State Park during this morning’s road trip visit. I must say I’m a bit surprised by this conclusion as my mind seemed preoccupied today. with our upcoming three day stay along the Las Vegas strip again while my knee aches barked loudly from our recent hikes in Zion National Park.

What then could possibly excite me in visiting some rocky piles as began our latest nature tour in the middle of the South Nevada desert? Yet then my imagination began to work on me as I stared hard at these ancient red rocks along the scenic loop road of the park. What a nice refuge I thought for a bird, bat, or other wild animal hoping to find safe shelter in one of the dark holes that penetrated the exterior of each boulder. How equally comforting might the cave strewn appearance of so many of these rocks have been to Anastazi Indians who once sought shelter under cover to cool off from the extreme desert heat. Would such a private sanctuary offer them as well an inviting home? Giving further thought to Indian leisure time amid this hoodoo landscape, it became clear to me that creating petroglyphs and other rock art seemed to have made their lives more entertaining inside these comforting rock homes.

How enlightening to me as well that I seemed to find hope in the human condition in these fragile rock designs that so stubbornly adapt to this extreme desert environment. For current lessons of natural science now offer hope that our human species can similarly fight for our species sustainable future as we unite to combat global warming and the associated earth climate change crisis. Hmm… A St. Patrick’s day celebration in Vegas takes place tomorrow. That sounds like a nice topic for my next blog. Enjoy the photos.