When I drove the highway west of Cody, Wyoming, I saw stories unfolding in rock formations along the road.
The short paved trail in the photo below takes you to a place of wonderment along the North Fork Shoshone River.
Stories unfolding from a distance
The rock formations along the ridgetop are a village of homes with a view carved by the common folk. At one time, the richest man in town lived in a round home atop the tallest tower. He bragged about his wealth to anyone who would listen. One day, he danced with glee around and around inside the house. It fell to the ground, but he survived. From then on, he lived a humble life in a square home and he never danced again.
Sheep Mountain is a distinctive landmark about 15 miles southwest of Cody.
Predators kept chasing bighorn sheep herds grazing in the Absaroka Mountains. One ram, larger than all the rest, laid down to keep watch atop a mountain. His immense size frightened the predators away, and he stands guard to this day.
Traveling farther west, you’ll notice a sign for another attraction. This is Chimney Rock, one of several places by that name in the United States.
Stories with a closer view
The best chef in the land baked a luscious layer cake of soft and hard rock for a special celebration. She told everyone not to touch it until the party.
Unfortunately, a hungry, mischievous child cut off a slice before the big event. Uh oh!
This appears to be a peaceful scene of multi-colored mountains bordered by trees growing near the river’s edge. Do you see the rock fence on the left side of the photo above the thick stand of green trees?
If you look a little closer at the “fence” you’ll see where an angry giant tried to rip the earth apart, forming a deep rift. Stories unfolding in the rock are not always what they seem.
The Palisades stand like elegant castles alongside one section of the road.
The royals wanted their people to have a comfortable place to live. Each shelf on the towers serves as a home for scaled, feathered, and furred residents. The grateful residents tend the gardens growing next to the towers, providing food for all.
Wordless Wednesday
Weekly Photo Challenge – 
An amazing example of petroglyphs can be seen on the road into the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Wow! I have seen petroglyphs before but never so many in one spot. There are more than 650 drawings on Newspaper Rock at this state historical monument. The dark desert varnish provides a nice contrast to the messages carved into the stone.
The first carvings at this site have been determined to be 2,000 years old. People of the Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo, and Pueblo cultures have carved their messages into the rock over the years. Unfortunately, it looks like some more modern graffiti artists added to parts of the scene.
The meanings of the messages here have been difficult to figure out. Do they tell a story or are they merely scribbles? The Navajo refer to Newspaper Rock as Tse’ Hane – translated as “Rock that tells a story.” It does indeed appear to tell many stories. Only the people who made the carvings know exactly what those stories were.
The refuge was created in southern Oregon in 1936 to protect pronghorn, otherwise known as antelope. This icon of the Wild West is an interesting creature. More closely related to giraffes than deer, their uniquely shaped horns have a bony core that is covered with a sheath that they shed every year. They are capable of running at speeds as fast as 55 miles per hour for short distances.
