The star gazing plan for last night to witness a huge meteor shower after midnight was a no-show. I did get up at 2230 and did stroll flashlight-less around the campsite and scared the living daylights out of myself. I could have sworn I was being followed by a Mountain Lion and my blogging days would soon be over. Back to bed, double lock the door and wait for sunrise. We cooked a full breakfast and decided since it was an overcast morning to drive into Canyon, TX once again and spend a few hours at the public library which had good wifi. I pounded out a few blogs, got strange looks from librarians and pretended I was looking at job employment opportunity websites in town. Headed back to the canyon and we were definitely in need of some fresh air and a hike. We followed the Equestrian trail south of our campsite along a creek. Great hike out and back. Shona was off leash and on the return stayed a hundred feet ahead of me. It was like she had to be somewhere and the heck with me. I would yell for her to stop and then I would come around a corner and find her sitting under a tree. Smart dog! She would let me catch up and then bolt again. We got to the part of the trail I really was looking forward to do again (little cliffs and hilly areas of Cottonwoods and Mesquite). After being out 2 hours she had no intention of taking this additional route home and took a right turn on the roadway, which she knew went directly to the campsite, and refused to listen to my demands. I even used the ever successful "cheese" bribe but to no avail. Got back to the RV and we both took naps!!
Awesome hike views!!!!
It looks like tonite may give us the best sunset opportunity of the week. The campsite is very quiet. I sneak out the back prior to sunset and plan to climb up to a rock point which should offer an unobstructed view. Up I go and I figure if I don"t look down during my ascent I will be OK.
Now I am perched up here in partial darkness and my strategy to not look down while ascending gives me no comfort now! I say to myself, "how the hell did you get up here?" Stupidity, that's how! The surface of the rock is covered with little bead like deposits that act like ball bearings. I was slipping and sliding closer to the edge when I realized there was only one way down. I quickly surveyed the campsite to make sure all the campers were safely tucked into their RV's and would therefore not be witnesses to my foolhardiness. I got down on my butt to lower my center of gravity and did an embarrassing crab-walk down the rock face. I got to the bottom with my palms sore and cut up but otherwise OK. What was I thinking? Now safe within my bed I proceeded to read a book I purchased today at the Visitors Center about the Geology of Palo Duro. I reach a section on page 82 which begins talking about the very area surrounding my campsite. Cool! Very interesting!
The topic is "The Maroon Trujillo Cliffs". It states: "You may notice the mudstones are almost always sheathed with a coating on which no plants grow. The sheathing is composed mainly of Calcite, the mineral forms calcium carbonate. The mudstones have a high calcite content which is carried to the surface by water seeping out from the interior. These slopes are slippery, steep and very dangerous. It is impossible to gain hand or footholds once you start sliding. Several accidents here have led to the name, the Devil's Slide. The rule of thumb is to avoid slopes on which no vegetation grows."
Oh, I should have read that first!
Good Night, Moon!!!
The topic is "The Maroon Trujillo Cliffs". It states: "You may notice the mudstones are almost always sheathed with a coating on which no plants grow. The sheathing is composed mainly of Calcite, the mineral forms calcium carbonate. The mudstones have a high calcite content which is carried to the surface by water seeping out from the interior. These slopes are slippery, steep and very dangerous. It is impossible to gain hand or footholds once you start sliding. Several accidents here have led to the name, the Devil's Slide. The rule of thumb is to avoid slopes on which no vegetation grows."
Oh, I should have read that first!
Good Night, Moon!!!