I went back to our Little Grand Canyon yesterday to find out if there was anything worth seeing.
The last time I went, two weeks ago, I took the trail advised by a guy with a Sierra Club website. I walked for half an hour and made it to a nice bluff with a cool view, and then decided to walk back down because it hadn't been what I was expecting.
Yesterday I took the other trail on that nearly four mile loop. That's cool. You're not walking for very long at all before you get to the rocks. I don't think canyon is the proper word to describe it from the ground- maybe by helicopter.
On the ground the trail goes down what the trail refers to as "carved sandstone steps". They also casually mention that the area is prone to flash floods and not a good idea in heavy rains. This is because part of the trail goes down what would be a waterfall if it had a stream run into it. And yes, someone, probably back in the 30s, did go to the trouble of cutting steps into the rock, but there are still places you have to slide. The rocks are slicker than mud because of all the green slime growing on them.
It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done since I went on the fossil hunting trip in middle school and we climbed up a steep gravelly hill in a park that used to be a quarry. I love climbing stuff- not like with ropes and things, I think it's not really climbing, but more like a mountain goat or a squirrel.
One of the puddles is probably a pool all year round, and it's got pollywogs in it right now. I first figured they'd be grown and gone by the time Nephews 1 and 2 were around: some of the little guys are just starting to grow legs. My understanding of the frog cycle of life always made it seem like it happened rather quickly, but further research suggests they will probably stick around the puddle for another six weeks or so.
There was an adult that jumped into the puddle (I can't recall, do frogs eat tadpoles?), too fast for me to get a picture, but I think it was a western chorus frog, which are apparently sort of rare to see this late in the year. Maybe in two weeks the little fellows will be grown up enough that they'll have distinguishing features.
Still, the entire walk is supposed to be just short of four miles and the estimated time to walk it is two and a half hours. I started down sometime after ten thirty and made it back to the car just before noon. That's an hour and a half. And sort of explains why I felt like death warmed over.
In other news, I'll be leaving for DM on Monday. Friday I'll run up to CR to pick up Nephews 1 and 2, and they'll be here until we drive back up on Saturday. After that, I may be in Missouri the following Sunday for a family reunion on my mother's side.
In other words, I may not be on the computer much in the next two weeks. Maybe a little bit on Friday because I'm thinking teaching them a little HTML and letting them each make a webpage or something. I figured this was something that they taught in schools these days, but Nephew 1's abilities with his MySpace bespeak total ignorance.
See you when I see you.