Ponderosa Pine sap
Or maybe just a little sappy.
Taking a little road trip to Marble View on the Kaibab National Forest.
After lazing away my first two days off I decided to take a leisurely ride out of the park and into the adjacent Kaibab National Forest. I have several favorite places.
Guess I needed to get off the pavement.
The Aspen are leafing out and show a neon green against the dark firs and pines.
A few signs of winter still holding out on the northern exposures.
Plus several trees down across the road.
Yet the meadows looked clear for a hike on the Arizona trail.
Eventually, I saw light at the end of the forested tunnel.
And the beginning of a view.
That’s Navajo Mountain in the distance over 100 miles away. And Marble Canyon which formed as the Colorado River carved through the long ago deposited sediments that make up House Rock Valley.
This open, tundra-like overlook is speckled with tiny wildflowers.
Mostly I just sat and absorbed the view.
Eventually it was time to drive back through the forest.
Where I stopped to dance with the Aspen and wrote a story in my head.
Marble View camping on the Kaibab National Forest overlooks North Canyon, Marble Plateau, Marble Canyon where the Colorado River cuts through and beyond. Plus a great place to hunt for fossils.
Arrived just in time to catch the sunset colors splayed across the canyon.
And also a great lightning storm to the south and east.
While the full moon tried to break through the building clouds.
I played with various settings on my camera.
Still don’t really know how the dang thing works.
Even had a tripod.
This morning the sun shone and we went fossil hunting.
There are plenty of fossils to hunt.
I’ll use the crinoids that look like beads on some necklaces.
Then another storm approached.
And Mike finally convinced me to head back to camp where we thought we’d wait it out. But, it seemed to be coming down heavier.
So, we packed it in and headed back through the forest in the rain.
And even saw hail on the ground.