Chimney Trail-- we are SOOO Tired!

Chimneys

We started out this morning intending to go on two trails, Chimneys and Butte Springs, both off the Ross Watson Scenic Drive.  We barely made it back on the Chimney Trail. 

Chimneys Trail was almost 5 miles with a completion time listed as 2 hours.  Of course that doesn't include the time, or steps, to explore once you've arrived.  We spent an hour climbing on the rocks looking for pictographs, petroglyphs, and checking  out the arch.  We found barbed wire still there from the ranching period.  We made the hike to and from Chimneys in 2 1/2 hours,  which I will take since we haven't hiked in over a year, but backs, legs, and other things were hurting--bad.  Almost 20,000 steps for the day.

It was a flat hike to the volcanic dike formations, but the loose gravel on the path was a killer.  I was so tired I was about to ask Pat for his water and snacks, and I could just lay down right there and walk out tomorrow, lol.  It didn't help that I had slept less than 4 1/2 hours (not by choice) each of the past two nights.

Nice and fresh at the start.

The left portion of Chimneys where the pictolgraphs/petroglyphs were found.

Just random lines in the pictographs, nothing very exciting.

Headed up the back side on the larger formation on the right.

At the top going through a pass.  It wasn't very high, but high enough for me. 

A view looking towards the rear. 

Another view looking towards the rear. 

Headed back. The river rock was loose and hard to walk on. 

Almost back and not so peppy anymore. About the time I started whining!

Lee Hoy, Big Bend Birding and Photo Tours, gave a workshop at Soltol Vista tonight.  It was a $150 workshop, free if you were staying at Road Runner Travelers, so I went.  It was way out of my league.  I stayed until they started practicing taking manual photos and left.  I was hoping it would replace reading my manual, but I really needed to have read the manual to participate.  Oh, well! Lee was great.  You could tell he loved photography and loved sharing what he knew.  I did learn some things but I'll stick with the auto settings for now.  Maybe I can find some YouTube videos?

Lots of Creosote bushes as we neared the rock formations.