It was hard to believe, but we actually got started before 9:00. The view below, as we were leaving the coach, made the early start worthwhile.
Below, I am on the trail to canyons 4 and 5 of Providence Canyon's 3-mile loop. It looked muddy, but it was really hard packed sand with very little water running over the surface. The further up the canyon we walked the dryer it became until it was just like walking on a beach.
Unfortunately, the ranger's office was closed. I wanted to ask what the shimmering substance was oozing from the ground and mixing with the water.
The canyons are very young - they were 4 foot deep gullies in 1850. Erosion has cut the canyons to as much as 150 feet deep today. The colors are the result of different minerals leaching out of the soil and staining the layers.
Iron Oxide (red), Limonite (yellow), and Manganese (purple)...
are the palate that paints this landscape.
The ground was cluttered with these huge leaves (that is a normal leaf resting on top). It is from a Bigleaf Magnolia. The leaves can range from 12" to 30" and the flower is as big as your head.
Many years ago there was an old homestead nearby that left several old vehicles to rust. I thought it was interesting that now a sign identifies the rusty wrecks as "a unique ecosystem" for various critters.
I believe the canyon is more picturesque from the rim than from the floor. We missed the peak of fall colors by a week or two.
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