Hello, from the Moon or Mars! Redrock Canyon State Park
Put on your seatbelt, and join @mattlovell and me on a scenic drive through Red Rock Canyon State Park.
We left Jawbone Canyon Station, and...
Escaped outside the atmosphere past Ricardo Campground area.
The park is huge: 27,000 acres of fascinating geology. Rather than pass through the visitor kiosk, we veered north on 4wd tracks towards Dove Springs.
Red Rocks give way to white sediment, the fossil of a primordial sea.
We cut right on SC 103 and cross Hwy 14. Now we are in opal country! We rattle and crawl like a moon rover over chalk-white crags. Little trails lead off to long-abandoned mines.
Plant life is sparse, but for some reason, opals in flower form dance on their slender stems.
In the distance are pointy white oceanic sediment topped with dark nipples of lava.
We continue northeast towards the corner of the El Paso Mountains Wilderness.
Eastbound, we head past Last Chance Canyon on our way to visit Burro Schmidt Tunnel. The road was easy, and we blasted past The Old Dutch Cleanser Mine and Cudahy Camp without stopping. In truth, this post doesn't do the park justice. It is so rich with cultural significance as well as geological. I must return and really explore more thoroughly.
We continued on this road until we saw the turn off for Burro Schmidt's!
Climbing up the swelling hills...
Somewhere, we took a wrong turn, and continued straight up, and were rewarded with spectacular views.
Up there, we stumbled upon somebody other than Burro Schmidt's tunnel.
Just a little hole in the wall and a one room shack.
The only occupants remaining are a family of hawks.
Even the bees vacated the premises.
So did we.
A single Barrel Cactus said goodbye with a flower.
Thank you for breezing through Red Rock Canyon State Park with @mattlovell and me! Don't worry, we did in fact make it to Burro's burrow. That will be the next installment. It even has a kind of neat video.
I appreciate my state maintaining this place full of ancient artifacts both natural and anthropological. The story of our planet is etched in canyon walls, reminding us that there is something greater than ourselves.
Love,Cat
@creationofcare
See more installments from our adventures in Jawbone Canyon and the El Paso Mountains:
https://steemit.com/socalsteemit/@creationofcare/desert-trails-rally-race-photos
https://steemit.com/socalsteemit/@creationofcare/a-magical-wildflower-carpet-ride
I want to move into that shack! the scenery is just so pretty!
The huge view just blows me away. Water is the only problem!
Great photo journey, thank you for sharing it! Red Rocks is a beautiful place to explore.
It is really breathtaking! This was my first visit and I can't wait to explore it better. Thank you.
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Awesome, thank you!
These views are crazy amazing! Thanks for sharing a slice of the desert with us⭐️
You can see forever! Thank you 🤩