Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas is a hotbed of UFO sightings.

Here we can see where the ancient aliens carved glyphs into the rocks of Devil’s Den. I can only assume that they carry the same deep meaningful sentiments as human graffiti. Things like:

• Gloph loves Drawq
• Thrax was here in 937 BC
• For a good time, call the third moon of Saturn

On a more serious note, these are pretty neat, but they are probably what is known as “Carpet Rock”. This page has more information on the process and some really good pictures. The article also includes better pictures of similar formations that we saw earlier this year at Petit Jean State Park, AR. These formations are probably a result of differential weathering and the iron minerals in the rock. The iron minerals are dissolved by water seeping in, iron precipitated in the cracks, and the iron oxidized to the red/orange color.

While it is true that there have been UFO sightings at Devil’s Den, Fort Smith is home to the Ebbing Air National Guard Base. As you can see from this page, the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing is based out of there. The campers probably just drank a little too much alcohol and saw a pig fly.