Rock Me Gently

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR

Today I only had a few things I was looking for in my hike. It had to be flat, close to home in the shade. After climbing some steep stuff the past few days I figured I needed a break. I was also going to take the dog.

I headed up to the Fred Wolff Bear Creek Nature Preserve and went west. The Preserve is certainly flat but there's not a lot there to see.

West of the Preserve, however, is a large alluvial fan that comes down from the steep canyons near Indio Mountain. I find a trail here.

As the trail grows more faint, I find several of these rock piles to follow and stay on course.

There is a good chance that these are ancient Indian markers, at least some of them. The Cahuilla had a village site here in La Quinta and hunted and gathered all throughout these hills. According to various BLM reports, this area is high in potential "cultural resources".

I also come upon this little rock circle. This may or may not be a "cultural resource" but it seems like something interesting to me.

The trail becomes less distinct but there are a couple of these rock piles to guide me in the right direction. You have to look close to see them.

I quickly get to a place where I completely lose the trail. I could go back and try to locate it again but I don't have time so I just keep moving on.

Looking ahead I see some deep canyons but I really do not have time to explore them and won't until after summer is over. There may be several hours or days of exploration up here and who knows what I might find. The Cahuilla Indians called the area around Indio Mountain something like "No passageway" since there was no trail that led over the mountain ridge at this point. Ironically, the BLM is considering putting a trail in this area to connect Palm Desert and La Quinta although, in my opinion, there are better alternatives where trails already exist. Why an Indian trail reaches into this area is something to ponder. My guess is it's a hunting trail. If there was no passageway, then animals could be cornered and killed. I've seen a hunting blind on top of Indio Mountain and I suspect there may be one to two higher up in the canyon.

I move over to a big drainage in hope of finding a sandy wash I can follow back but I am met with this. I think I'll just have to go back the way I came.

While it's not really flat, it is certainly not steep. But I do not want to hike down this in the dark without a flashlight (or with one, to tell the truth) and so end my exploration here. I'll add to my list this as a place to explore further when the weather becomes conducive to it. You never know what you might find out here even if it's on a gentle slope full of rocks.f

Hidden in Plain Sight

DAY ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY NINE

Today I was back home in La Quinta and after a day at work went for a hike at the top of the cove. I'd have to miss the first half of the Lakers game--and this is like death to me--but I am committed (or should be) so off I went.

I head for the setting sun and the temperature is quite comfortable. I have plenty of fluids along just in case.

I head up the trail toward a canyon that I visited a few months ago with my son and one of the neighbor kids. I won't go all the way to the canyon today. I don't want to miss the whole game.

The trail sign that was blown down last month has a hand written note that it will be repaired later when it cools down.

Everything plant out here now is pretty much dead or dormant but life never ceases in the desert and these seeds will become next years wildflowers.

There is still plenty of life about. It is amazing how well camouflaged this grasshopper is.

Speaking of camouflaged, I spot this blind just off the trail.

I'm not sure how old this might be but this was originally an Indian trail and there are still several rock pile markers along the trail of the type the Indians made rather than the type (three rocks atop one another) modern hikers make.

I go down to look at the canyon and wonder if this might be a good way to go and Kahlua just goes for it. I've never gone this way but it seems like a good way to me. It's been here the whole time but I've never gone this way. How did I miss it?

It's a nice sandy bottom wash and makes for a nice loop.

There a few sections where the rocks close in but nothing impassable. Sadly, some morons decided to tag some of the rocks with spray paint. I won't show it to give them any notoriety. Next time up I just might bring some paint of my own that matches the rocks.

The wash is a nice way to go despite the graffiti of some imbecile. I see three of these birds flying around but can't make out what they are. They are too quick and it's getting dark. They might be Kestrels--I photographed one in a palm tree across the street the other day--but I can't be sure. It's fun to watch their interplay and see them ride the wind.

Although I miss a good portion of the game, I am back to see the Lakers beat the Nuggets as Kobe scores 40. I'll have to watch the schedule a little more closely from here on out but if I have to miss a hike or miss a game it's no contest. I can always watch the highlights on ESPN.