Sandia Cave Photo Page 8

Graffiti Discovered 8-25-2016

 

 

Unfortunately just after the July 30-31, 2016 graffiti cleanup, Sam made a trip to the cave on August 25 and reported new graffiti had been spray painted. Pete made a trip on 8-28-16 and recorded these photos.

Coming up the road from Placitas, one first notices this graffiti on the right, probably a different date of vandalism from that shown below.

Fortunately this section of trail that was cleaned in July was still in good shape.

The juveniles and adolescents used both green and a purple-reddish spray paint probably during the first three weeks of August, 2016.

On the left a Federal USFS sign was defaced.

Most of the new graffiti was sprayed on both rocks and wooden trail maintenance structures.
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This face was one of two large graphics using the purple and yellow spray paint.

The photo on the left shows paint on adjacent trail structures. The graffiti on the right was apparently from a different juvenile.
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Even the base of the tree in the bend of the trail with the Grotto sign was tagged.

The top of the staircase structure was marked with the same two colors.

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The main graphic in the cave is on the left wall of the entry room, an additional graffiti is on the structure and the right hand wall of the entry room.

This butt, which was collected, was right under the large cave graphic.

Just past the low wall 40 feet inside the cave from the entrance the same purple paint was found to be covering this historic marking from the 1930's, placed during the Hibben transit survey in the cave.

These two photos of the 2nd chamber (next to the wall) did not show additional painted graffiti from this new set of graffiti. This is existing graffiti from before the 2015 Summer Graffiti Removal Project.

Along the trail headed back down to the parking lot, one additional area was noticed, apparently applied as the yellow paint can was about empty. Additional butts were collected next to the purple paint rock.

(Click on the photos above to view a larger image)

 

 

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