under a changing sky

Today started under skies wearing gray and interesting clouds.

It was dry when we headed out, starting our wandering along the Calico Hills trail that is below some very interesting painted rocks in Red Rock Canyon. Oh, no one really painted the rocks... there are sections that are bright red and other sections that show swirls of red and white. I think they are very pretty!

After climbing the hill from the trail back up to the road we realized that the weather was moving in. There were clouds hanging on the mountains, coming lower and lower. We jumped back into the car to drive to our next walking spot and the rain started. It was pretty light at first so we headed out on the Calico Tanks trail. The rain got heavier. After a bit Denise decided it would be smarter to turn back, so we did.

The road through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a one-way loop. We drove and drove, stopping occasionally at view points, sitting a bit to watch the rain. I even asked Denise if I could take a photo to show you the rain!

When we started out this morning the temperature was in the high 50s. When I took the photo looking through the car window the thermometer said that it had dropped to 42 degrees. The thing that I think is a bit odd is that when we headed back to our hotel it seemed to get warmer. Hmm... I wonder if we were just in a place where there was a cold wind blowing.

We stopped at Red Spring after finishing the loop road. That put us on the other side of the Calico Hills. I think it's interesting to see the other side! A lighter rain was falling by then, still wet enough to convince us to take a short(er) walk.

Having a shorter walking day as our first day out might be a good thing. After all, yesterday was a really long day if you factor in a longer day since we jumped back three time zones!

--- Rover