Irwins' Adventures: 2021 Spring & Summer

I bought a new computer this winter. This blog does not look like it did on the old one and it looks as if they have changed the program since my last post, but I will give it a try and see what happens. If it doesn't look right let me know. I will see if I can change the layout. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

I bought a new camera this winter so I had to learn how to use it.

An Arizona sunset is always good practice.

I went to the city park. They had these plastic swans floating on the lake and this cormorant decided that it would rest on one of them. The swan didn't seem to mind, although it does have goofy expression on its face.

We left Surprise May 4. Our first destination was Fredonia, AZ, a small town just a few miles south of Kanab, UT. I found a shortcut to the north rim of the Grand Canyon National Park so we spent the day driving the back roads to several overlooks.

West of Kanab is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We, of course, had to spend some time playing in the sand.

East of Knab is 40 plus mile long Cottonwood Canyon that is filled with interesting rock formations ( I may have mentioned in previous posts that we like rocks).

At the north end of Cottonwood Canyon is the Grosvenor Arch, a double arch.

Petrified sand dunes in Johnson Canyon east of Kanab. Southwest Utah has many such formations.

I am not sure that this was a sand dune but it is interesting nonetheless.

In the town of Kanab is this wonderful old house. It is now a museum.

We are always on the lookout for rock art. These pictographs are at least 1000 years old. If you look closely, you can see a faint, white, human figure just to the left of the red man.

Near the old town site of Paria, of which there is almost nothing left, are these rock formations. There have been several movies filmed here.

East of Knab is the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. In the monument is a place called " White Pocket". It is the strangest geologic formation I have ever seen. Geologist have studied it and they have no idea how it was formed. They think that whatever formed this area, happened before the sand was hardened into sandstone.

White Pocket is difficult to get to. It is in a very desolate area. From the paved road we traveled 30 miles on rough dirt roads that, when wet, are totally impassable for even 4 wheel drive vehicles (check your weather forecast). Then there are 9 miles of a deep, soft sand road. Sand in this part of Arizona and Utah is not like beach sand. It is almost the consistency of powder or flour. When you walk in the soft areas, you sink in to or above your ankles.

Everything you see in these photos is hard rock except for the small pockets of coral pink sand that has been blown in and settled in the low spots. The black spots that you see are called " Moki Marbles." They are pea to marble size black rocks that have weathered out of the sandstone.