Red Rock Canyon offers a variety of recreational activities as was evident this weekend. The place was crowded with bicyclists. The road is a 13-mile loop and would surely best be seen at the slower pace of a bicycle. A convertible which offers an unobscured view would be perfect for those of us who are less ambitious. The canyon is also haven to climbers and is considered to be one of the five best places to climb in the United States.
We followed behind Dick and Shirlee, our Junkie friends, who have made this run several times in the past.
Spanish Dagger yucca
Why Are The Rocks Red?
"More than 600 million years ago, the land that would become Red Rock Canyon was the bottom of a deep ocean basin. Changing land and sea levels resulted in the deposition of both ocean and continental sediments that became the gray limestone found today. About 180 million years ago, a giant sand dune field formed over what became the Western United States. Powerful winds shifted the sands back and forth, forming angled lines in the sand. Over time, the sheer weight of the layers of sand compressed into stone. This formation, known as Aztec Sandstone, is quite hard and forms the cliffs of Red Rock Canyon. Esposure to the elements caused some of the iron-bearing minerals to oxidize. This oxidizing process can be more easily thought of as a 'rusting of the sand,' which resulted in red, orange and tan colored rocks."
From the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Guide, Fall-Winter 2008
The land in the foreground has been cleared by fire within the past year or so.
Across the road - what a difference....
Shirlee, Vic and Dick
Paula, Vic and Shirlee
NOT A MAINTAINED ROAD, TRAVEL AT OWN RISK
NOT A MAINTAINED ROAD, TRAVEL AT OWN RISKHere we leave the loop road for the Potato Ridge route
which is part of the Rainbow Wilderness Area. Most vehicles are incapable and this was as far as they wisely chose to go.
Green-leaf Manzanita, which is in the Heath family, is the most prevalent plant on a major part of the route and is only beginning to bloom. The trunk and stems are woody and a deep red in color.
A red prickly pear cactus
Green-leaf Manzanita, which is in the Heath family, is the most prevalent plant on a major part of the route and is only beginning to bloom. The trunk and stems are woody and a deep red in color.
Here we get to the interesting part of the run. Dick leads.
As we aired down the Jeeps' tires at the beginning of the OHV portion of our day, we were approached by a couple from CA in an FJ Cruiser. They wanted to run the route as well but were concerned about running alone. They inquired about following along and we all welcomed them to join us. Their vehicle was pretty well equipped but did run into trouble in one area. Good thing they chose not to go it alone.
One section allows the driver to choose between the high or low routes. Dick had said we would take the high or less bouldery route when he proposed this run. Here is just a small part of the low route. Good decision, Dick!
