Blythe Intaglios

 On a recent adventure, I stopped at a gas station and started filling the tank. A gentleman at a nearby pump smiled over at me.

Actually, I believe he was smiling, since the corner of his eyes crinkled. With nearly a year of wearing masks outside, it’s now easier than ever to know a person’s expression. 

Eyes crinkle – there’s a smile. I crinkled back while nodding my head.

“Do you enjoy Italian ice cream?” he asked, from beneath his green plaid face covering.

Not sure how to react, I just nodded, and crinkled my own eyes.

He pulled the bottom of his mask out a bit. “Sorry, stupid mask. I asked if you have had a chance to enjoy the Blythe Intaglios. Since you’re in Blythe and all.”

The truck filled, I shook my head. “Nope, I gotta go,” I mumbled through my own mask, a sharp looking black one, with Route 66 stenciled on it. I had no idea what he was talking about, and for once, I wasn’t curious. 

“What were you discussing with that guy by the pump?” Laureen asked. She’s always curious.

“I don’t know. Something about an Italian dessert, I think.”

“What?”

“Yeah, weird,” I responded. “Something to the effect, if I enjoyed Blythe Intaglios. I didn’t even know Blythe had an Italian restaurant, let alone one serving ice cream.”

Silence for a moment, and then Laureen stated. “He was possibly talking about geoglyphs. Like the Nazca Lines in Peru.”

I started the truck. “Please, ask Mr. Google that, and let’s see if it’s ground art or Italian ice cream.”

Turns out, that the Blythe Intaglios are actually a group of figures etched into the desert floor. I mean, some pretty large figures of humans, animals, and swirling markings on the ground.

Intaglios is not a dessert - but this looks yummy

Never knew they were there. In fact, there are over two hundred of these geoglyphs in the Colorado Desert.

Okay, what is a geoglyph? 

According to the website, geographyrealm.com, a geoglyph is ‘a work of art which is created by arranging or moving objects within a landscape.’

I move stuff in my yard a lot, so I must have created geoglyphs without even knowing about it. Laureen should be proud.

“Honey, I moved that pile of leaves, leaving some pretty interesting rake marks.”

“You are nothing but a brilliant artist, creating a geoglyph such as that.”

The praise would never stop.

Actually, geographyrealm.com, wouldn’t agree with my depiction of the art work created by moving a bag of leaves from my yard.

‘For an art form to be regarded as a geoglyph it must generally be more than 4 meters in length. It must also be stated at this point that this art form is difficult to see or even be identified on the ground but are easily appreciated when seen from the sky.’

Then what is this Italian ice cream, the guy at the gas station was talking about? Oh, sorry, the Intaglios.

Sounds rather snooty to me.

Where would I find the definition for such a word? Of course, I used the website, myintaglios.com – where else would anyone think to look?

Intaglios, is an Italian word that means engrave. According to the experts, they must be with such a website, the term is even deeper.

‘An intaglio is an object that has had some shape of figure engraved or incised into its surface.’

Why couldn’t the Blythe thingies be referred to as the Blythe Geoglyphs? Why make the carvings on the ground sound like a dessert?

“Do you have room for a nice Italian Intaglio?”

“Ah, no, I am stuffed with the two helpings of Cacio e pepe. Thanks, though.”

Anyone, who has traveled to the boating meccas along the Colorado River, probably have passed the location many times. Yep, heading north along U.S. Highway 95 from Interstate 10, out of Blythe – you can't miss the place.

Pulling the boats, the jet skis, the trailers, the desert toys along that ribbon of black asphalt, you’ve passed the place. 

Going to Parker – you’ve passed the place.

You get my point – you’ve passed the place.

But did you stop?

A stop is needed to view this intriguing historical site. It’s an easy, well-marked dirt road and the stop is worth it - even pulling boats or toys,

According to the Bureau of Land Management, the drawings in the Blythe area, were created by the natives living there about 450 to 2,000 years ago. But, other research indicated the drawings are only between 900 to 1200 years old.

Drone shot - shows the entire drawing

Since there is no written record from that time period, it is only best guess work when these involved pieces of ground art work were actually scraped.

So, again, what exactly is a geoglyph? Think of the Nazca Lines in Southern Peru – those most folks are familiar with. They scraped out desert drawings of birds, people, animals, and other objects were made about 1500 to 2000 years ago. These drawings are huge, one measuring well over 1,200 feet long.

Giant spider in Nazca, Peru 

Laureen and I almost saw these drawings, when we visited Peru with our children years ago. We were headed to Cuzco, to visit Machu Picchu, with a planned stop at Nazca to take in the ancient land carvings.

Of course, we took the supposed twenty-one hour bus trip from Lima to Cuzco aboard First Class Bus Service.  Nothing is too good for my family.

Took us nearly thirty-two hours. A muffler flew off two hours out of Lima, leaving our ears ringing for weeks, as if we had been working with jack hammers every day. When we reached Nazca at two in the morning, the bus suddenly needed a fuel pump.

The driver was very apologetic though. “I am so sorry, we won’t be able to see the lines in the ground. It’s too dark and we are way behind schedule.”

“What?” I asked, his mouth was moving, but all I could hear were bass drums pounding in my ears.

Not quite this bad - but pretty bad

The flight from Lima to Cuzco is only a bit over an hour. Note to self, don’t be so cheap in my next life.

In the Blythe Intaglios area, there are six figures in three locations. There are three human figures – though Laureen swears one of them is an alien, two four footed animals, and a spiral – could be a snake or some other slithering reptile – I’m not sure. But what I am positive of is, that they are all worth taking a look at.

Desert animal and squiggly lined thing

It is believed, per the BLM and others that they were created either by the Mohave or Quechan tribes, but as far as my research showed, no Native American tribe has taken credit for the drawings.

An interesting point is, that most of the 200 such geoglyphs located in the desert are near the Colorado River. Makes sense, since many of the tribes believe that this mighty river was the sustainer of life for the desert dwellers. Water means life, so, perhaps in respect, these giant ground drawings represent gratitude for having the life sustaining river so close by. 

We may never know why they were drawn or by whom, and according to geographyrealm.com,

‘As of today, we can say only one thing – the geoglyphs were built by ancient people. By whom and for what purpose, remains a mystery.’

Since the Blythe Intaglios are so huge, for example, there is one depicting a male is 171 feet long, it is best to view them from the air.

The big guy - scientific for - The big guy

I tried hoisting Laureen onto my shoulders so she could get a better look, but that ended in a complete disaster.

Hard to see from ground level - but see, you can

So, the use of a helicopter or drone is the best way to view these marvelous art works. I settled on a drone.

Of course, the figures can easily be seen by looking at them from ground level, and that is what counts. To look, and appreciate the ingenuity of a culture who carved a belief into the ground, possibly without realizing people hundreds or thousands of years later would also appreciate their single dedication with such artwork.

We certainly did.

Iquitos, The Past Will Kill

For any novelist, the toughest part or writing a novel, is sometimes finishing the work in the first place. The telling of the setting, characters and all of which make up the fictional piece seems easy at first since there is a story which needs to be told. But when is it time to leave the keyboard? 

The story is written. 

The work is finished. 

Let it be, as the Beatles once sang. 

After a year of writing a story involving two former cops from Riverside, it was time to put the book to bed. The adventures had been told. There were corpses littering the ground from Southern California to the hinterlands of northern Peru. Enough terror and sorrow for one book, but it did have a happy ending. Well, perhaps that is up to the reader and not the wordsmith to decide. But was it done?

These were some of the 'hinterlands' to reside while doing research

The best thing when a novelist thinks it may be ready for readers is to send it off to the editor. Then, wait to hear back. Finally, when the writer receives something like the following from their publisher after a submission: 'John, I do want it. I have sent the attorney a memo to get you a contract.' it makes all the hours alone behind the keyboard worthwhile. Of course, it took many years to receive a contract for John's first novel, 'Hunted', but it has paid off since this is his fourth with Black Opal Books. He's hoping for a long relationship with this growing publishing house in the state of Oregon.

And here it is!

John R. Beyer's fourth novel with BOB

The work will be released this Saturday, the 17th of November.

As any fictional writer realizes, there has to be a lot of truth to a piece or it will sound like fiction. That actually does make sense since it is the job of that very same fictional writer to make the story believable. Fiction, even science fiction, isn't fun if isn't at least plausible. The relationships must ring true. The science must work. And in any work of fiction, the times and places must have a feeling of reality. John knows to make a story feel real, there must be sound research and exploration, and that is reason our intrepid trio took three separate journeys to Peru, including a month-long trip deep into the Amazon jungle. Iquitos to be exact -- where much of the novel takes place. John wanted to research, explore, and live that life...and drag his loving wife and best friend along with him. So the author and his daring team, Laureen, and Paul Bakas suffered mosquito bites, heat stroke, suffocating humidity, and generally had a great time gathering the information John needed in order to put pen to paper and bring life to the story rattling around in his cranium.

Along the way, we met some characters, some of whom appear, in one form or other, in the novel. We played with rescued sloths and monkeys, fed orphaned manatees, swam with pink river dolphins, fished for piranha and generally had the most wonderful experience my wife said she'd never want to have again. And, in the silence of the jungle night, we heard the unmatched cacophony of life end so swiftly with a deafeningly silence that inspired a scene in the novel (spoiler alert).

Some of the following photographs may look familiar to regular followers of our blog, but a trip down memory lane is sometimes good for the soul.

Cooling off with a breeze in a covered dug out on the Amazon

Nothing better than a couple of  lukewarm beers in the jungle

John and Paul with Ademir - our guide for a couple of days

The author with his number one Editor in Lima

The work is done, edited, printed, and soon on the bookshelves for readers to enjoy, but the memories of the research and exploration will never be forgotten or completed. There is always the next book to write. Perhaps one or two have already been started.

To purchase 'Iquitos, The Past Will Kill'

https://blackopalbooks.com/
https://www.amazon.com/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

And at other book sellers around the globe...

Huaca Pucllana

I'll be your tour guide!

 One of the greatest things about traveling is to see what many have not seen. Duh! That makes sense doesn't it? But we have met and discussed traveling with a multitude of people who have spent ample time in an area and never seen what was under their nose or at least eye level.

Even Captains make bad decisions.

J had a friend who had been in the army and stationed in Germany for two years back in the nineties. The gentleman never ventured more than five miles from the base during those 730 days. To this day he regrets his decision not to explore the country and countries near him. The history he missed could never be gained from reading books. The lost chance of talking with locals will never be his to endeavor because unfortunately at this point in his life he can't afford international travel.

What a waste of a moment.

Sometimes travel is not in the finances for some but when the opportunity becomes reality then exploring you must go.

J and L have been to Lima three times and loved each trip. Exploring and researching before and after the trip always pulled up something we had missed and this last trip surely amplified that certainity.

In the heart of the largest city in Peru lays a wonderfully well preserved and restoration project that is a must for anyone venturing into South America.

This is just the beginning to unveil what is beneath.

 In the Miraflores district of central Lima there is a staggering arrangement of acres upon acres of adobe and clay structures including pyramids dating to the 3rd to the 8th centuries. This once proud center of ceremonial and administrative area for an ancient civilization - which we know through various records and accounts from conquering entities - lasted nearly 700 years. But it actually continued somewhat secretly after the Huari took over the area in the 8th century with the local people still going to the site and worshiping as they wished knowing that their discovery may cause their own imminent death. It got to the point that the top levels of the worshiping pyramids were scraped or broken down by the believers so the invading 'armies' wouldn't know they were there worshiping.

Model of a worker at the time period.

 Religious freedom was an unknown topic at this point in history but those with the desire to worship will always find a way. Destroy a temple or pyramid and pray within its rubble.

Rather clever really.

During the oncoming ages, places of worship were abandoned, areas of sacrifice forgotten , rites were mere myths, and the exact location of this or that were built over or ignored.

But the Peruvians are proud of their history - good or bad - and this large area in Miraflores has been under constant archeological preservation for decades. The history of these almost forgotten Peruvians are at the utmost of the reestablishment of this central area of knowledge.

J is very happy with this discovery.

Uncovering history.

As years go by more and more will be learned about not only the priests and the people who actually lived within the walls of  Huaca Pucllana but those of its citizens living nearby supplying the everyday needs of this large religious facility.

And isn't that the name of the game - if you believe, no matter what century you will support those you believe in?

No politics here - just a thought.

A beer and a wine can make a day so much nicer at the end just ask L and Paul.

Peru - 3rd Time the Charm

The idea of traveling to Peru is always in our thoughts. Not only is it a chance to travel out of country which is something thoroughly enjoyable but we also have a close friend in Lima. We'll refer to him as Carlos since he is retired military and want to keep his last name out of print. Carlos had a particularly interesting and precise occupation in the not so far past.

His job, and thus the requirement for anonymity, was to hunt down terrorists who belonged to the Sendero Luminioso (Shining Path). The Shining Path was a group of murderers and thugs led by Professor Abimael Guzman who went into the hinterlands of Peru terrorizing the farmers. Guzman espoused a Maoist form of Communism and wanted the government of Peru to have a total regime makeover. The military government of Peru allowed for the first time a free election in 1980 but instead of getting involved Guzman and his followers decided to start a guerrilla war against the government which left countless dead in the next twelve years until his capture in 1992. According to a report from 2012 there is supposed to be nearly 4,000 current members of this terrorist group who still raises its pathetic but dangerous head to murder innocents.

Then again, what terrorist group doesn't kill innocent men, women, and children? Remember Beslan in 2004? If not read my novel 'Soft Target'.

Unlike many countries who want to treat terrorists as common criminals, Peru had a different approach. Elimination versus long stretched-out court appearances which tend to make terrorists into celebrities. No, Peru's idea was efficient, quick and permanent. As a Russian spy once told Carlos - "In Russia we will build monuments for any civilians who die as we wipe out these terrorist thugs. It's how we do business and our business is short and lethal to those who want to vent their nonsense by taking hostages." Barbaric? I'm just a writer and not in the first hand field of ridding the world of those who make it their goal to terrorize.

Enough of the philosophical typing.

My lovely spouse, Lauren, and I first met Carlos while on our honeymoon in Peru. Typical tourists we took in everything we could see in that first short trip in Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu.

What you looking at?

 It had been such a marvelous trip that we decided to return to Peru with our three daughters, Erica, Jessica, and Kelly. This time we stayed for a month and they loved it just as we had, but despite the occasional complaint since "Dad's" idea of an easy day while vacationing is leisurely twelve mile hikes around cities and sites.

"Rub your feet tonight but let's get some miles in. Never know if you'll be back here again in your lifetime."
The three girls grinned and stepped up. 

It seems only a few short years, later we found ourselves back on a Lan Peru airliner heading to South America to see Carlos. This time there were three of us, John, Laureen and our great friend Paul Bakas who would be the videographer and confidant.

We have action

The purpose of this journey was six-fold: visit with Carlos and family, research for John's new novel, obtain material for our blog, film a trailer in the Amazon, do some twenty-two minute video segments on traveling, and to have fun.

The fun, there was no doubt, would be had.

When we land back at LAX we will be hitting the keyboard with tales from Peru and especially from Iquitos - the largest city in the world, with a population of over 400,000, which can only be arrived at by boat on the Amazon or by air. There aren't any roads in or out.

And the golf course issues machetes with each bag of clubs.

If my ball is eaten by a Caiman - is it a one stroke penalty?