This photo was taken near Atlatl Rock, a prominent petroglyph site in Valley of Fire State Park. Unfortunately, none of my photos of the rock turned out very well, so there isn’t one here. I can tell you, however, that Atlatl Rock is named for the atlatl, a hunting tool used by the people who lived in the area 1,500 years ago and carved much of the art on the rock.

But not all of the markings on Atlatl Rock are ancient, or created by sentient beings. In fact, a shocking number of visitors have carved their initials or other marks into the rock, sometimes obscuring or destroying the art. I can only guess these vandals were hoping to be remembered as some of the stupidest people in the world. They succeeded. To prevent further damage, the park has installed heavy plastic sheeting over parts of the rock.

The footprints you see here were left behind by nocturnal critters heading home the previous night’s parties. Coyotes, mice, beetles, snakes. . . this spot seems to be a traffic circle for desert creatures. If you arrive early, before wind and other park visitors disrupt the prints, you'll find a fascinating array of insect, mammal and reptile tracks.