After lollygagging around in the morning, the whole group of us left to go to Red Reef BLM Land. It was going to get hot again, so we wanted to spend time there early, before it got too hot.
The area is just north of Saint George and has lots to see both near and far from parking areas. We chose a few hikes that weren't too strenuous, but allowed some neat things to see.
First on the list were petrified dinosaur tracks. This was a bit anticlimactic, but was less so when we considered they were made by beasts that had gone extinct long, long ago. Apparently, I have dinosaur sized feet (Yes, I was careful not to actually step on the or near the actual track).
From there, we hiked toward a set of cliffs which seemed to hold an interesting looking canyon. As is often the case, it was farther away than it first appeared. Still, it was a nice walk as the morning was still quite comfortable.
A few of us climbed up a ways where the views were absolutely stunning.
We also hiked over to the Anasazi archaeological site. It was interesting to see, especially with the historical significance.
From there we went to the actual Red Reef Trail. This was a really neat canyon that became a slot canyon farther in. This was a ton of fun to hike back into, on, over, around...
The hike in brought us past an old gnarled tree. As I hiked past the tree, I wondered about what history this tree was witness to.
The hike brought us to several small pools that in wetter periods are likely part of raging streams. There was a surprising amount of life living in the fetid waters, including hoards of small frogs.
The canyon itself winds itself is not too difficult to get back into, but it did take effort and some climbing. The effort was worth it. Again, the view from the top was dramatic.
And the view from inside got increasingly narrow. I stopped when I reached a point where I had to think about whether it would be difficult to get back out. This was prudent. Besides, I was hungry.
After a nice lunch in a shady area, we left the Red Reef Area and went to another park. Pioneer Park is a local park and much smaller. Despite the small size, it was still fun to see. Here, the slot canyon is very short. But it was exceeding narrow. I decided not to go through it when I reach a point that both my front and back touched the walls. I didn't want to be the guy on the news that they show oiled up with olive oil, getting pulled out naked by firefighters.
Looking up from the narrow part of the canyon was a bit disconcerting.
I climbed around in the upper elevations of the park. There were several small arches. From one high vantage point, I could see most of Saint George with the gorgeous Southwest mountains in the background.
It was starting to get really hot and we were ready to be done hiking. My cheap imitation Chuck Taylor's were not really hiking boots and my legs were starting to hurt.
We went back to the condo for a raging game of shuffleboard. SO and I lost.
Dinner that night was at Pancho & Lefty's. I was surprised how few restaurants were open on Sunday. Someone could make a killing in Saint George by having a restaurant open on Sunday...
Food was good, but it was slow since they were swamped.
Back at the condo we played an exceedingly confusing game of Munchkins Pathfinder. I'm not sure the rules were not being made up on the fly. I think SO won, but we were all ready to be done for the night and turn in - at least the adults were.
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