Animals in the Hood

Gail spotted this very large praying mantis in her mom's yard while we were working there - the biggest I have ever seen!

This afternoon we were picking up trash along a local thoroughfare (our non-consumer response to "Black Friday"), when Gail yelled, "A snake!"  She had found a San Diego Night Snake under an irrigation valve cover.  I have never seen one before, although they are probably fairly common.  They have a venomous bite that immobilizes small salamanders, mice, etc., but is no threat to humans.  It was about one foot long.

A few minutes later, we found these two pretty bowls in great condition.

Our bird feeders attract hawks that prey on other birds.  Gail spotted this Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk eating one of our birds on the neighbor's TV antenna.

Our hummingbird feeders are humming with constant hummers.  This little Anna's is showing off his tongue.  Their tongues actually are forked and extend much further than the one in this picture.

This male Anna's was flashing an unusually pink gorget.

We have so many goldfinches!  Their feeder looks like this much of  the day.  Well, that's the latest in backyard news.

Grand Canyon: Thursday

We stretched out our last day by staying until 2:00 -  great, except we had a nerve wracking drive home through night time thunderstorms, bursts of high winds, and heavy rain squalls.

Lookout Studio, built in 1914, has four levels, and like other Mary Colter designs, seems to rise out of  the same rocks it is made from.  Her designs respect the environment and are sensitive to the
culture of the area. 

Nearby, we spotted a Cassin's Finch.

This is Ron Brown, a Park Service geologist.  His geology tour was very engaging, funny, and directed to all ages.  We learned that the Grand Canyon was once at or below sea level, but the whole area lifted mostly as one piece.  This is important because all the rock layers are in chronological order with the oldest at the bottom.  He said this is unlike California, which is a mess.

We walked with him a few hundred yards along the rim until we came to an area of limestone rich in fossils from an ancient sea bed.  That is a clam fossil above.  Ron worked in retail for twenty years after high school, then went to college to study geology, earning his masters.  He never got less than 100% on all of  his tests.  Now he works as a geologist at one of the best places in the world to study the history of the earth.

He told us if we went a little ways down the Bright Angel Trail we would see pictographs just under the rim.  There is a deer in the middle, as well as other less obvious pictographs to the left and lower right.

This was quite a hail storm as we drove about twenty miles east to see the Desert View Watchtower.

This is the 70 foot high Desert View Watchtower.  It was literally a highpoint of the trip.  Designed by Mary Colter, it has commanding views of the desert and the Grand Canyon.

This is the base level.  We loved the use of the canyon rocks.  It was built by Hopi workers in three years - wow!

One of the views from the tower.

The inside walls have traditional Hopi inspired artwork.

Some of these symbols are on the dishes (designed by Mary Colter) at the El Tovar Restaurant.

One of the many viewpoints inside and out.

One of Gail's favorite designs.

Driving back through the park is this sign.

Somewhere around Kingman, Arizona we saw the sunset and distant thunderstorms we would meet later.
This wraps up our trip.  We are excited to see more parks such as Arches N.P., Canyonlands N.P., and Bryce Canyon N.P.  -  home of the movie  Thelma and Louise, which we re-watched yesterday.

Grand Canyon: Wednesday

Early Wednesday morning we took the shuttle 8 miles out on Hermit's Road to Hermit's Rest for a hike down Hermit's Trail.  We got to the trail around 7:00 for the sunrise, but also to get a hike in before the predicted rain started.

Near the shuttle stop was a group of four Elk.  They made little high pitched bird sounds as I approached - surprising for such a beefy looking animal.

Gail took this shot of an old, dead, juniper reaching for the moon.  She took many of these photos as we had both cameras clicking.

 The entrance for Hermit's Rest.  The building is down the road a little, and was built in 1914 as a rest stop for tourists who would then go down the trail to Hermit's Camp.  The building was one of several designed by the very remarkable architect Mary Colter.  The design, like some of her others, was made to look like it was rising from the very rocks below. 

 Gail inspects a beehive oven.

Hermit's Trail is listed as "very difficult" and goes all the way down to the Colorado River.  It is seldom maintained, and much less used than the other two major trails in the park.  There was another sign stating that in 2004, a 24 year old woman marathoner and medical student, who completed the Boston Marathon in just over three hours, died on the trail. She thought she was going for a 15 mile day hike, but her route was 27 miles. The extreme heat, only taking one and a half liters of water, and separating from her hiking partner led to her death.

This was our view heading down the trail.

Lichens and colorful rock.

 Flowers were blooming in November.  These flower pics are with you in mind, Cousin Sue!

 

 

 

 

 

The trail was indeed steep, with most steps requiring 90 degree knee bends.  You had to watch every step, but the solitude was worth it.

Gail, thinking, "We're going on that!" points to the trail on the other side of this ravine. 

I had to move this rock off the trail so we could pass.

Here we are following the trail under rock ledges, down to Maria Springs. There is a rest shelter and spring - that little dark spot in the lower left third of the photo.

The shelter up ahead.  Inside was a register, and benches to sit on. 

A bat was drowning in the water trough, and some hikers we just met pulled it out.

As soon as we reached the springs, it started to rain.  We headed back up the trail.

At the top, we warmed up in Hermit's Rest with its huge fireplace.

The elk here have no fear of humans - not a good thing.

By noon, the canyon was totally obscured by rain and fog.  There were some disappointed tourists who just arrived.  That building is the historic Kolb Studio.

That is a Kolb baby taking off for a trip into the canyon.

A disgruntled tourist trying to see the Grand Canyon.

The Hopi House, opened in 1905, is another Mary Colter structure.  It has been selling Hopi crafts since that time. 
Well, one more day to go!  Tonight we are going to the El Tovar Restaurant.