On Wednesday, Barbara and I dropped Ellie off at the groomer to get a bath, brush, nails trimmed, and teeth brushed. While Ellie was getting cleaned up, we checked out the rock formations surrounding Sedona. If you have ever been to Sedona Arizona you know about the beautiful rock formations that surround the town. These are the same rock formations seen in the walls of the Grand Canyon. First we drove up on a mesa where the airport is located. From there I took photos to the north, above the town of Sedona. From there, we took a drive along highway 179. There are a lot of rock formations here to see along with numerous hiking trails. However, on this day it was in the 90’s so I limited my hiking to just short hikes. Take a look at the photos below and if you’re ever in the Sedona area, be sure to check things out.
This past Tuesday, Barbara, Ellie, and I travelled north to the Grand Canyon. Even though Barbara and I have been here before, numerous times, we never seem to get tired of it. In fact, I have spent close to 50 days in the Grand Canyon and have studied it a lot. On this trip, we entered through the east gate and visited the south rim. From experience, I have learned, that it is faster and easier to get to the south rim through the east gate because it is usually less crowed and therefore, quicker to get through. The south rim gets a lot more visitors each year than the north rim. This is partially due to the fact that the north rim is only open 6 months out of the year, beginning on May 15th, and the north rim is more remote than the south rim. The south rim is also accessible by train from Williams, AZ. If you haven’t taken the train ride, I highly recommend it.
On this day the weather was prefect for taking photos. The air was cool and crisp, there was just a light breeze, there were no fires in the area, and there were just enough cirrus and cumulus clouds to make for a nice contrast in the sky.
Starting from the top down, the rocks in the Grand Canyon range in age from 250 million years old, the Kaibab Limestone, to the 1.7-billion-year-old, the Vishnu Complex, the inner gorge, at the bottom. The sedimentary rocks, that make up the horizontal layers are visible near the top of the canyon, range in age from 250 million years old to the Tapeats Sandstone, at 500 million years old. The Tapeats Sandstone sits on top of the Great Unconformity. The Great Unconformity, makes up a section of missing time in the rocks. This happens when the rocks are exposed to erosion and over time, they are removed by the forces of nature, wind, water, freeze and thaw, etc. However, in the Grand Canyon, some of these missing sediments survived and are known as the Grand Canyon Super Group. In places these rocks can be seen and make up a small portion of the missing 1.2 billion years of time. Below the Great Unconformity is the Vishnu Complex. It is made up of metamorphic and igneous rocks and are exposed as the black rocks seen in the inner gorge. I have photos of all of these different rocks in my photos below.
It’s likely that most of you have already visited the Grand Canyon, but if you haven’t, I hope my photos encourage you to visit sometime in the near future. After all, the Grand Canyon is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Enjoy!
The rocks to the right in this photo, are of the base of the Desert View Watchtower.The Desert View WatchtowerA small portion of the Grand Canyon Super Group can be seen in this photo. They are the red rocks with white stripes, sloping to the right, just above the river. The Desert View Watchtower in the distance. This tower is easily visible from the river. A closeup of the Grand Canyon Super Group rocks.These guys are blamed for more injuries to tourists each year. People think they are cute, but they have a tendency to bite and scratch. They’re cute, but keep your distance. This is a photo of the Vishnu Complex in the inner gorge.
In 1976, when I was a senior in high school, I took a wildlife management course. At that time, the Great Blue Heron was on the endangered species list. But today, they’re doing well. In fact, just about every place Barbara and I travel to, I see at least one of these magnificent creatures. This morning I saw three land just a few hundred feet in front of me. I took several photos to add to the ones I took the other day. Take a look!
Well the rain finally stopped. For the past two days we have had to stay inside because Mother Nature was unhappy and she was dumping a lot of water on us. This morning, I grabbed my camera and Ellie and I took a walk down to the lake. We found a Great Blue Heron, an Egret, and a song bird along with a few flowers and a shot of Lake Conroe. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the Egret because it wouldn’t allow me to get close enough. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow. I hope you like them.
A few weeks ago, Barbara, Ellie and I wanted to escape the heat of Tucson, so we took a drive, northeast of town, up the Catalina Highway to the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Mount Lemmon at an elevation of 9,171 feet mean sea level (MSL). Due to the elevation change from the valley floor to the top of Mount Lemmon, the temperature at the summit is generally 20 to 30 degrees cooler. This was a welcome change for us.
In the valley, we were surrounded by mostly Saguaro and Barrel Cactus. About half way up the mountain, the cactus gave way to small oaks and at the top of Mount Lemmon mostly conifers were found. This is a very well-maintained road, which made for an enjoyable and scenic drive. On our adventure, we used an app that Barbara downloaded to her phone that guided us along the Catalina Highway, telling us about the history of the area, places to stop, and about the geology and vegetation seen along our way. There are a lot of cyclists on this road so be sure to keep a sharp eye out for them.
The drive is approximately 30 miles, round trip, and took us about three hours to complete. So, if you are ever in the Tucson area and would like to escape the heat, you might think about a drive-up Mount Lemmon. It’s definitely worth the time.
Small Oak TreeThe remains of an old prison that was built here.Hoo-Doo’s (rock formations)Looking down into the valley from the Santo Catalina Mountains.
A few months ago, Barbara and I traveled from Cottonwood, AZ to Mesa to visit the Arizona Museum of Natural History. This place contains a lot of dinosaur fossils, so it is right up my alley. Something to keep in mind when you see these skeletons. Due to the age of these skeletons, it is extremely rare to find a complete skeleton. So most, if not all, of the skeletons shown here are incomplete and some of the bones seen were man made. The curators here do a wonderful job of creating the missing bones. All of the dinosaurs are between 65 million and 230 million years old, living during the Mesozoic Era, while the Wooly Mammoth and the Saber-tooth Tiger, lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, AKA The Ice Ages, which began 2.6 million years ago and ended approximately 15,000 years ago. Based on geologic history, the earth will likely begin another Ice Age in approximately 85,000 years. But not to worry, as most of us likely won’t be around at that time. Dodged a Bullet!
Dinosaur teeth. Due to the fact that these teeth are flat and not sharp, these teeth came from a herbivore, plant eater. Wooly MammothT-RexHorseT-Rex SkullSaber-tooth TigerPetrified woodSomething more recentJavelinaBighorn Sheep (Ram, male)
This past Saturday, Barbara, Ellie, and I traveled to Seligman, Arizona. Seligman is advertised as the birthplace of famous Route 66 and Radiator Springs, from the movie Cars. While there we saw The Roadkill Café and some of the Cars movie characters. There isn’t much else there, but it was fun to see. We would have stayed longer, but it was extremely windy on Saturday so we cut our visit short. On the way back to our trailer I asked Barbara if she would like to visit the south rim of the Grand Canyon? We were only 60 miles away. She said, “I’d love to, but with the wind, we’d likely get blown over the edge.” So, we continued on back to our trailer. It was a fun day, with a lot of beautiful scenery.
FillmoreSheriffMaterA terrible likeness of Lightning McQueen.
A few weeks ago, Barbara, Ellie, and I traveled to Red Rock State Park near Sedona, Arizona. We enjoyed the view of the red rocks that surround the park, Owl Creek, that flows through the park, and some wildlife, deer. A few days later, we drove through Owl Creek Canyon where Owl Creek originates. A couple of days later, I showed Barbara a photo of highway 89A, from the air, which goes through Owl Creek Canyon. Barbara said, “Hell no,” because the highway has a lot of switchbacks. I then pointed out that we drove that road just a few days ago. It’s a beautiful area, so if you’re ever in the Sedona area, take some time to take a look around.
Owl CreekOwl CreekOwl Creek CanyonOwl Creek Canyon
As some of you may have noticed, for several months now, I have not been able to get out and do any serious hiking, take many photos or post to my blog. I have spent most of my time making repairs to the trailer, the weather hasn’t cooperated, and Barbara recently had eye surgery. However, now that we are in Arizona, most of the repairs have been made on the trailer, and Barbara can see clearly again, so I have been able to get out and stretch my legs a little.
We are currently staying at an RV park in Cottonwood, AZ and the temperatures have been below freezing most night but warm up to a comfortable 65 to 70 degrees during the day. So, this past week I have taken three hikes of 3 miles or more. Boy, can I feel the difference already. At the park where we are staying, there are numerous hiking trails on elevated and rocky terrain. It’s nice to be someplace where I can push myself, just a little, and go to bed knowing that I got some good exercise and my steps in during the day. Below are a few photos of the park and the surrounding area.
I’m hoping to be able to go explore the red rocks near Sedona, AZ next week so stay tuned.
The southern edge of the Colorado Plateau with the tops of the San Francisco Peaks, covered in snow. Looking east in Verde Valley.The Verde River runs through the park.
Late last year, while we were still in California, we visited some friends that we have not seen in a while. While we were visiting Ember and Neal, they told us about Bullards Bar in Sutter County, California. Neal works part time at the reservoir, mostly during the spring, summer, and fall. Bullards Bar is a reservoir that was built on the Yuba River back in the 1950’s. The dam is a gravity arch dam just like Hoover dam. However, Bullards Bar dam is wider while Hoover dam is approximately 80 feet higher. So, Barbara, Ellie and I took a drive up to see Bullards Bar. The reservoir was a little low while we were there, but I understand the recent rains in the area have filled it up. A lot of people have houseboats here and it looks like a great place for boating, fishing, and other water sports like paddle boarding and swimming. It is a beautiful area at the elevation where the oaks of the Sierra Nevada foothills give way to the conifer forest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Take a look!
RV There Yet? 