Hieroglyphics Trail Revisited

The past week we have stayed pretty close to home.  I wanted to ensure my stomach and digestive track were back to normal before we ventured out on any major hikes or participated in any Pickle Ball games.  We did attend the Pancake breakfast on Jan 10 and we met some interesting people at our table.  The Parks Kickoff Party was that night and we had purchased tickets.  In my experience when a party is thrown people usually show up fashionably late.  Here everybody lines up early and things shut down about 9:00.  We got there about 4:40 for the 5:00 dinner and the place was packed and dinner was already being served.  They had obviously oversold the event as we couldn't find a place to sit.  We decided to head back home, a little disappointed, but only out $4.00 for our 2 tickets.  That included the dance which was to follow from 6:00 - 9:00.  When we got back to the trailer we realized that we had nothing out for supper so we headed across the highway to the local Chinese restaurant and ordered takeout.

Later Saturday night Lori made her usual daily call home and found out that her mother had been taken to the local hospital with some digestive problems (seems to be running in the family).   On Sunday her mom was transferred to Dauphin and after a number of tests it was determined that she had Ischemic Bowel disease.  Monday she was sent by ambulance to Winnipegs' Health Science Centre and had surgery late Monday night.

The good news is the surgery went well and the damage wasn't as serious as first thought.  She seems to be doing well and hopefully she can be transferred back to Swan River in the next few days so she can be closer to family and friends.  Lori debated flying back to Winnipeg however one of the reasons we decided to get back into RVing was her aversion to flying.  After much soul searching she decided to follow her mothers progress from afar and keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.

On Monday I brought my truck into the Ford dealership to have the radiator replaced.  It had sprung a leak and thankfully the repair was covered by the Extended Service Plan on the truck.  The ESP also covered a rental car and Hertz provide me with a 2014 Toyota Yaris.  After driving an F350 the Yaris was a totally different driving experience.  I'm sure I could fit it in the box of the truck.  Wednesday the truck repairs were completed and I can once again enjoy the spacious interior of the King Ranch and feel the authoritative rumble of the diesel.  Of course instead of getting 50mpg I am back to 17mpg.  Life is about trade offs.

During Christmas break we had hiked the Hieroglyphics trail however it was so packed with people we didn't stay long.  Wednesday we decided to try again.  This time the trail had fewer people on it and we had time to explore the drawings and the pools of water created by the recent rains.

  
Some shots of the rock drawings thought to be made by the Hohokam people about 1500 years ago.  They are actually petroglyphs which are etchings in the rocks which is why they are still visible today.

 The porous rocks are evidence of the volcanic origins of the mountains in the area.



Recent rainfall filled up these holes which Charli found to be the perfect size for lapping up the rain water.

The recent rains left pools of water and a little stream fed through the rocks from above.

Lots of pretty colours and if you look closely at the pool of water below it is teeming with wildlife.

Some of the wildlife was a little more exotic 

This poor schmuck has to get up every morning and look at this view outside his bedroom balcony.

Lori decided to wait with Charli as I scrambled around on the boulders looking for that perfect picture.  After all that climbing up and down the rocks I looked back and the perfect picture was right here.  

Thursday we attended a meeting of the Photo Club and I think I will make this a weekly event.  I consider myself more of a snapshot taker rather than a photographer however I would like to improve my knowledge and skills.  This group has some very experienced photographers as well as some real newbies so it should make for an interesting and educational Thursday afternoon. 

Friday is Morning Buzz, perhaps some Pickle Ball, a haircut for Lori, some laundry and the highlight of our day will be the highly anticipated visit from the UPS truck with our Amazon order.  

Later.