We had a picnic lunch at Madera Canyon. It was another lovely sunny day, cooler at the higher elevation. We decided to try the Madera Picnic area hike to the Amphitheater Parking Lot, only .48 mile but an increase of 150 feet in elevation. Not sure we will ever try that 2.7 mile hike.
So far, a nice sandy path.
A bit rockier
and then we heard running water which is very rare.
We found a bubbly, little stream coming out of that pile of rocks on the right side of the picture.
And an energetic tiny stream tumbled downward in amongst all the rocks.
The water is very clear
There doesn't seem to be much that is holding these rocks from tilting over into the ravine
Onward to the Amphitheater
This is as far upstream as we went.
So, we saw Patagonia Lake yesterday and today a stream with real water in it. Remember we're in the desert and any water is a very big surprise.
It is a lovely walk. Sun beams peaking in and out of the trees. Gentle breezes and an occasional bird song. We love this place.
We decided to finish our day with the paved Proctor Loop.
The path parallels the dry creek bed. I don't know where our happy little stream went, not this far down in the canyon.
Most rocks look like this one, fractured and violently broken.
So where did this one come from? It is all smooth and sculpted. These ancient mountain sides and canyons hold many secrets.
This is the rhyolite rock that the picture of the sign above describes. I could spend alot of time learning about rocks, cacti and flowers in Arizona!!!
It may not look like much of a flower garden, but this is so much more colorful than it was 2 weeks ago.
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