Anniversary Narrows

 Joe and I enjoyed another day of hiking and 4 wheeling with Joan and Steve...this time to Anniversary Mine and Narrows. A gravel road leads to the old mines and the narrows. At the end of the road, it looks like it dead ends. This is where we parked.

 On the right bank, up a steep incline, you can walk to the old Anniversary Mine ( 1922-1928).  Today, the Anniversary Mines are located on 223 acres of privately owned land inside the Lake Mead NRA. Even though the land is privately owned, individuals are allowed to use it for hiking and other recreational activities at their own risk.


                                                                                                                     


Back in the day, these were tunnels for mining cars.



The picture below shows where the narrows begin. This land was laid down as sheets of mud in the bottom of some vast lake where ancient animals roamed.


The mud turned to stone, and earthquake activity jumbled the area and turned the lake bed on edge.

Visitors today see several mountain-sized ridges  of sandstone, limestone and mudstone of various colors.

 The ridges have been steeply tilted up...some nearly verticle.



 Water collected in small basins are called "tanks" . The picture above is an example of a tank.


Lovell Wash cut through the ridges, creating spectacular narrows that are about 500 yards long, hundreds of feet deep and only a few feet wide. In  many places you can touch the walls on both sides.

 

Steve led us up, down and all around to the top of a cliff overlooking Lovell Wash. There are wide spots here that can be used for parking.  What a magnificent view!

This is a view of the narrows.

OOPS!

...time for lunch...



... at Redstone Dune!

                            

Another great day...enjoying the natural beauty all around us AND the fellowship of great people too.

 

Thanks for stopping by...

 

 

Life is good!

 

 

Y'all come back!

Hikes with Joan and Steve in Valley of Fire

 This past Sunday Joe and I met Joan and Steve ( fosj-steve.blogspot.com ) at Valley of Fire. This marks the first time we have met fellow bloggers and the first time for us to have an up close and personal experience with the rocks...I get it Pam! 


I snapped the picture of the hawk through the Jeep window on Valley of Fire Road as we were driving to the visitor center.

Heading to the top of the ridge...

  We were on the road that leads to White Domes when Steve suggested we pull over and take a hike. It was great for Joe and I as first time hikers because Joan and Steve know the area and have done a lot of exploring on their own. 

...and the beautiful view!

After lunch, we hit the trail at White Domes. It is a 1.25 mile loop of absolute rock splendor.




The contrasting colors in these rock formations were so beautiful when viewed from a close distance.

 Along the dry wash, the path enters a short section of slot canyon. The passageways are cool...really... a nice reprieve from the warm sunshine. From here the trail turns right onto a slight slope.



Joan's view...

Joan and I stopped to admire this Chuckwalla... at least I think that is what it is. Chuckwallas eat leaves, fruit, flowers, and insects. They like rocky terrain and canhide in tight rock spaces, inflating themselves with air to protect from enemies.

...my view.

We found this arch just before reaching the end of the trail.

And then... a spectacular panarama view of the desert and mountains!

Our last stop of the day was Atlatl Rock.  Steve gave us a knowledgeable overview ot the significance of these drawings.  One detail he shared is how drawings of the atlatl, a hunting tool used before the bow and arrow helped date the petroglyphs.  It took a few centuries to replace the atlatl with the bow and arrow. Studies show that some of the petroglyphs at Atlatl Rock are 1,500 years old or more. NOTE: I wish I had recorded Steve as he explained this to us.  I hope we at least correctly passed on these few details.

Desert varnish is a black coating found on exposed rock surfaces that are no longer subject to frequent rain and high winds or abrasion.

Another Chuckwalla sunning in the rocks...

 

That was our day...and what a day it was!  Many thanks to Joan and Steve for sharing their time and knowledge with us and for properly introducing us to the desert and rocks.  As spectacular as views are from the drive through and at various designated overlook points, these short hikes provided an entirely new perspective.  We will never again think of the Mojave Desert and surrounding mountains as desolate landscapes.  We had another great hike and picnic lunch with them on Tuesday that also involved some fun Jeep off roading. 

 

Thanks again for visiting.

 

 

Isn't life grand?

 

(Taken at the visitor center)

Y'all come back!