Slot Canyons

Two months later...

The first three pictures are of a slot canyon along the Calcite Mine trail.  A little trail off to the side took us through this canyon.  The guidebook instructed us to stop when we came to a small wall, but a few adventurous souls decided to continue further while the others relaxed and enjoyed some cookies.

the one below is upstream from the small wall just before the canyon widened - and became less interesting.
While walking through the canyon, I was reminded of a trip to Wisconsin Dells many years ago when I was but a wee lad.  On a Duck Tour, my family and I got off to visit a canyon called "Fat Man's Misery" (or something like that.  Perhaps "Fat Man's Nightmare.")  I don't remember just how wide that was, but I don't think a large person would be very happy in some parts of these canyons.
the one below was explored on our last full day in Anza-Borrego.  I'm not sure the name of the trail - it's not important - but it was very popular with both hikers and off-roaders.  Before we entered the canyon, we encountered some mean looking VW Beetles ready for some serious rock climbing.  The people attending the vehicles were nice enough but a little perplexed as to why we would be hiking when we could be in an ORV.  I had a similar question for them and the beer.
I hope you enjoyed this journey down  - actually up - the slot canyons visited this year.  I have some more pictures that I will put up; those will show that I didn't go on this trip by myself.

Silver Falls State Park

I love waterfalls.  I love Silver Falls State Park.  It is located about 45 minutes east of Salem and feels like it is in the middle of nowhere - at least until it is over run by visitors in the spring and summer.  Last weekend was very nice and there were very few people on the trail - relatively.

These two are of the same fall - Lower North - from different sides of the stream.  The trail goes behind the fall where you get a little shower and hear the thud of the water on the rock just below.  The picture below seems a little hazy because there is a lot of mist thrown up in the air.  I was about 200 yards away from the falls when I took this shot and had a hard time keeping the lens from fogging up and getting some moisture on it.  It's hard to be me sometimes!
So these waterfalls are not included in the count for the Trail of Ten Falls, but they are still nice and I enjoy them.  Sometimes the smaller ones are nice as well.
I was not far off the trail here (in fact I could have used the bridge over this little stream as a foot rest) and many people passed by without noticing me.  How do I know?  I scared them when I said hello.  Entertainment for all.
Hope you enjoyed the falls.  Stay tuned for more pictures from the desert.

Desert Waterfalls

At last some pictures from the trip to the desert!

The first day out, we went on a little hike to stretch the legs and start to enjoy our surroundings. About halfway up the canyon that we were hiking, a little stream showed up. Evidently a young lady in the group ahead of us was taken completely by surprise and was not use to fording very shallow streams - she ignored the stick, slipped on a rock, and fell on her backside. Her shocked shriek was barely audible over her companions' - and I'll admit, my own - laughter.

The hike was pretty easy and we were able to take our time and enjoy the views. It turned out that there were a lot of small waterfalls as we followed the stream.

As we neared the palm oasis (our destination), the stream widened and the vegetation was more spread out. Meg and Tom put up with my photo side trips and Jenny had some people to talk to while she waited.

We turned around at the palm oasis which - as you have probably guessed - was an oasis with a bunch of palm trees. It was a good spot for a break and many people were eating lunch and taking a break. Most were on the large boulders that were there, but others were hidden behind rocks, bushes, and I saw one young lady in a bush.

There were many opportunities for photos and many interesting - yes, interesting - sights. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough to get a shot of a roadrunner and the only coyotes that came near showed up at about 4 o'clock one morning and started howling. I have some more pictures to share but I thought I would post what you expect to see in the desert.

Please Stand By

My computer is malfunctioning - I will not be able to add any pictures until it is fixed. I have many that I want to share from this past holiday period.

Back at It

Here are some of the latest shots. I went out to Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge on a chilly, foggy day.The first stop was at a great place to watch the water fowl, if it isn't foggy. I could hear them making noise but couldn't see fifty yards from the parking lot. Instead I stayed focused on the area right around the lot which was filled with spider webs and dew. The above picture is of a fencepost and spider web. I was happy to get the shot between gusts of wind to keep it in focus.
I then headed to a short trail through the woods. I had been here before and knew what to expect and where some of the other promising spots would be. I was amazed at a couple of places where the trees would disappear into the fog. These two pictures don't quite capture the claustrophobic feeling that I had throughout the morning. I was never sure exactly what was twenty yards ahead.
The woulds open up a little at the top of the hill and it was very mysterious and quite shocking. The deer also seemed to appreciate this area. I came across 8 of them lying down and grazing in this part of the trail. In all I saw 13 deer during my hike. They were quite peaceful and I was able to get to within 10 feet of one before it slowly walked off the trail.

They foggy, damp, chilly pictures are nice, but I am ready for some cold and snowy shot followed by desert scenes.