Monday, July 14: Lair o' the Bear (Part 2)

[mistressofmuses]

I am slowly but surely getting caught up on posts!

There's a short drainage tunnel at Lair o' the Bear that goes under the roadway, which is just off the trail, but at least slightly secluded. It's a popular place for graffiti, including a few pretty impressive pieces. Most of what was there this time is stuff that's been there for a while, but I still like seeing it, ha.


One of the new pieces that I hadn't seen before. Eye and flower.


This one has been there for a couple years now, but it's impressive, and I still love the way the vines drape over it.

Nine more pictures:

(I still wonder if "Piss off Karen" is addressed to the Karen, or to the viewer. I also like the little figure drawn above the X.)


Face + squirrel?


This one has been there for a while, but I like the raccoon.


Looking back.


Another that's been there for a while, but glad it still is. Also like the silly little dog on the corner.

There is one swallow nest in the tunnel, which has inspired some art:


Yup!

But also:


Lol, it's not wrong.

And I do love art that's in conversation with the other pieces:


"Birds aren't real."


Not real.

(I was glad the swallow eventually obliged me, and posed next to the label, haha. Though the colors show up much less well from a ways away and at an angle.)

There are other tunnels that are much harder to access from the trail, so I'm sure there's art that I've never gotten to see, ha.

Comments

[liminalovertea]

People diss on street art, but I love it! It's like a sparkly little secret meant to be found where most people wouldn't go.

[mistressofmuses]

I know a lot of people dislike street art, but I do genuinely love it. Especially when it's stuff like this: it is hidden away, not doing any harm to anything, but just being a fun little glimpse of something unexpected and lovely if you go looking for it.

[olivermoss]

The amount of vines over that one girl is fantastic.

The racoon is cut. I laughed at the labeling

[mistressofmuses]

I love the way the vines have grown and draped!

The labeling made me laugh. I appreciate the clarification it provides, haha.

[re_vised]

I never realized there were tunnels there! Where are they?

Love the artwork. The little corner dog and the smoking woman are my favorites.

[mistressofmuses]

The tunnels all go under the highway, so if you take the main trail that heads west from the parking lot and parallels the creek, they'll be on the right. This one isn't really too terribly far up the trail, and doesn't require any real off-trail time. A couple years there's been a small amount of water running through, but none this year. We didn't even notice it the first time we went, though!

The other one we noticed would be a lot harder to get to, because at that point you would have to wade across the creek to get there. There's also one that's visible from the parking area and would just require walking through the field, but you'd be super visible the whole time, haha.

I was very charmed by the little corner dog, and I love the smoking woman. That one was wonderful to notice the first time.

[re_vised]

I can't believe I never noticed the first tunnel. Oh well! haha

[mistressofmuses]

We completely missed it the first time we went! There are also some vines that hang down over part of the entrance, which helps to kind of disguise it.

Now you have special knowledge of it, if you're ever back in the area to visit!

[re_vised]

I will definitely go check it out if we ever go back to that area!

[spikedluv]

Haha, bird.

[mistressofmuses]

Such a helpful label! (But also, birds aren't real.)

[boujee_redneck]

Fucking LOL at the "birb, poop, and 'birds aren't real'" tagging... Like, what will future anthropologists say about this sort of thing 10,000+ years from now if they chance upon this tunnel and this magnificent art remains? What kind of conclusions might they draw about us? xD

(...And yes, I am aware there are other pictures above of more "advanced" artworks, but these just get me lmao.)

[mistressofmuses]

I hope that somehow, this tunnel and its labeling is the only artifact to be found for this region and era. It would be perfect. (I suppose the obvious joke would be they'll say it "was clearly for ritual purposes" lolol.)

[boujee_redneck]

*snorts* xD That truly would be amazing.