Wednesday, April 11, 2012

LESLIE GULCH

AFTER MISSING EVER OTHER TRIP TO LESLIE GULCH I FINALLY GOT TO GO! 

LESLIE GULCH IS TUFFS OF VOLCANIC ASH FROM A COLLAPSED VOLCANO, WHICH LATER HAD ANOTHER VOLCANO JUST NORTHEAST OF HERE ERUPTED AND DEPOSIT MORE ASH RESULTING IN THE DARKER LAYER THAT HANGS ON THE ROCKS.  

TESS AND I SET OUT ON OUR BIG ADVENTURE WITH WARM WEATHER FORECASTED.  WE CAME INTO MARSING AND FOUND OUT THAT THE APRICOT TREES WHERE BLOOMING.... 





   
WHICH WE HAD TO GET OUT AND TAKE PICTURES OF!

NOW OFF TO....


WE DECIDED TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND THEN DECIDE WHERE TO HIKE. 
WE WHERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE CALIFORNIAN BIGHORN SHEEP WHEN WE SPOTTED THEM.
WE CALLED THIS ONE BIG DADDY!

  AND THE REST OF THE GANG.


THIS IS AN UNMARKED GULCH ALONG THE WAY WHICH WE WILL DEFENITLY HAVE TO HIKE SOMETIME SOON.  


SINCE THERE IS SO MANY FLASH FLOODS EACH GULCH IS ACTUALLY A DRY CREEK BED.  WHICH MAKES FOR AWESOME HIKING TRAILS


  CANT HAVE AN ADVENTURE WITHOUT... SELF PORTRAITS

 WE FOUND THIS CAVE ALONG THE ROAD AND TESS HAD ME GO TAKE A PEEK.(WHICH I WAS NOT FOUND OF DOING)  AS I WAS VENTURING INTO THIS LITTLE CUP IN THE ROCK SHE WAS IN THE TRUCK TELLING ME THAT SHE COULD SEE A DEAD COUGAR...(AND THAT WAS SCARING THE CRAP OUT OF ME)!!  BUT ONCE IN THERE WAS NOTHING BUT THIS OLD NEST...THANKS LADY!




 PRETTY ROCK FORMATIONS WHERE EVERYWHERE!




AND EVERY TIME WE TURNED AROUND WE FOUND THESE...CHUCKER IN THE ROAD.


 TESS THOUGHT THESE LOOKED LIKE BOOK SHELVES. 





AS WE CAME BACK THROUGH THE CANYON WE DECIDED ON HIKING...


 ME ON THE START OF THE TRAIL.

 TESS FEELING THE ROCK THAT FROM A DISTANCE LOOKS SMOOTH...REALLY ISNT.


THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE A GREAT ROCK CASTLE. 


 ALIEN MARK ON THE TRAIL....

STARTING TO SEE THE BLACK GLOOP ON THE ROCKS. 



WE DECIDED THAT IF WE RAN INTO ANYONE THAT WE WOULD ASK WHAT WAS AHEAD. IT TOOK TOO TIMES AND FINALLY WE WHERE TOLD TO STAY TO THE LEFT AND GO UP SO SEE THINGS FROM ABOVE....IT WAS WORTH THE HIKE...




TESS AT THE TOP LOOKING PROUD!! 


 WE CALLED THIS THE TEEPEE


 SINCE THE LAST HIKE I LEAD AND GOT TICKS I THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY FAIR TO LET TESS HAVE A TURN.  



 .LOVE THIS LADY!!



 I LEARNED TO DO SELF PORTRAITS FROM THE BEST...AND AS YOU CAN SEE WE BOTH DO IT AT THE SAME TIME!


 SINCE WE HIKE TOGETHER SELF PORTRAITS ARENT ALWAYS NEEDED...I TOLD TESS TO SQUAT DOWN SO I COULD GET A GOOD SHOT AND OF COURSE SHE DID BUT NOT WITH OUT A FART NOISE AND A POOP COMMENT....YEP NO DOUGHT WE ARE FROM THE SAME FAMILY!!

 THE SUN FINALLY CAME OUT FROM BEHIND SOME CLOUDS AND BOY DID IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE ROCK COLOR!!
TESS HIKING TO THE HONEYCOMBS

 MY LOVELY COUSIN


 SHE LOOKS LIKE AN ANT!!
 HONEYCOMBS. 


WE CONTINUED HIKING AND CAME UPON WHAT EVERY ATV RIDER KNOWS...WHERE YOU GAS IT AND DRIVE UP ON THE SIDE OF THE HILL AND BACK DOWN...

HERE TESS DEMONSTRATED HOW TO DO IT....EVEN WITH THE VROOM SOUND





 ALONG WITH OUR ALIEN MARK WE FOUND SASQUATCH HAIR AND EVERY SQUATCH FOLLOWER KNOW YOU MUCH SNIFF THE HAIR TO TELL IF IT IS REALLY SQUATCH HAIR!!


OUR TRAIL DECIDED TO GROW RATHER SMALL... 


TESS ROCKING THE TERRAIN  


AND SHOWING OFF HER BOOTAY 


MY HOW STRONG YOU HAVE GOTTEN! 


STRADDLING THE CRACK! (WHICH WE COULD HAVE JUST PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER) BUT NO WAY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO EASY... WE FOUND THIS THE BETTER ROUTE.


WE FINALLY CAME TO A CRACK WE HAD TO CLIMB THROUGH... IT WAS A TIGHT SQUEEZE AND WE DID MAKE IT... JUST WE HAD SOME MINOR DIFFICULTIES.



TESS GOT THE GIRLS STUCK 



THIS WAS ALL SAND ON THE ROCK...IT WAS MADE BY THE WIND. 


 BACK TO THE START OF THE TRAIL...SHORT HIKE BUT WELL WORTH IT!!


 BLUE SKY DEFINITELY MAKE THE ROCKS POP WITH COLOR.





 I THINK ITS TIME FOR ANOTHER SELF PORTRAIT...NOW BACK IN THE TRUCK.




HEART SHAPED HOLE IN THE ROCK 





ONCE WE LEFT LESLIE GULCH WE DECIDED TO MAKE A LOOP AND GO THROUGH SUCCOR CREEK.


 THE OVER LOOK TO SUCCOR CREEK.



ON OUR WAY HOME WE NOTICED ANOTHER CAR PARKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD LOOKING AT SOMETHING. AND AS GOOD ADVENTURES WE LOOKED TOO. WHAT WE ALL SAW WAS A HUGE HEARD OF DEER  STANDING A FEW 100 YARDS OFF THE ROAD...