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| miles of velvety hill mounds and a valley below |
It literally felt like we were winding our way between the interlocking velvety hill mounds surrounding us. In several sections, the already narrow two-way winding road became a one-way narrow winding road. Those velvety hill mounds don't leave much room to build anything but a narrow strip of roadway.
We turned another corner and it was a surprise to suddenly face pinnacles appearing out of nowhere, like the scaly ridge on a dragon's back. The peaks seemed out of place in the gently rolling terrain. But now I understand why they are there.
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| first glimpse of the pinnacles |
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| this scene appears at the entrance to the park |
The visitor center was open, we went in and watched the movie about the origins of these pinnacles. The same types of rocks exist in some low hills 200 miles south of here near Lancaster. Because the type of rock in each location is unique, Geologists were able to put two and two together and figured out that 23 million years ago, a volcanic field developed as the crust of one of earth's plates pushed under another. After erupting explosively for millions of years, the volcanoes went quiet. Motions of the plates along the San Andreas Fault slowly tore the Pinnacles volcanic landscape apart, sending the western part north, while the eastern section, called the Neenach Formation, lies near Lancaster. The highest point of the Pinnacles stands at 3,304 feet. Constant weathering through rain, freezing, and earthquakes continue to erode the volcanic layers.We continued on to the Chaparral Trailhead to park and access the Balconies Trail. For 1.4 miles, the trail snaked up and around the fascinating cliffs and peaks surrounding us.
The pictures tell all:
The path back to the car park was either to turn around and return the way we had come, or be brave and continue the remaining .6 miles through a talus cave. By comparison, the talus Bear Gulch Cave we went through on the other side was a walk in the park. After my rock scrambling adventure in Arizona at SARA's slot canyon in Lake Havasu, I vowed to avoid future rock climbing opportunities. Little did I know what lay ahead as we bravely entered the Balconies Cave.
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| this warning on the approach is most amusing... considering that we were surrounded by gigantic rocks and boulders |
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| Michael entering the talus cave up ahead...somewhere among those rocks... |
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| he found the entrance |
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| and in we went.... |
Most of the "cave" was dark and required a flashlight. Thankfully mine was on my head so that I could focus on the path ahead. At one point, it looked like we hit a wall with no way out, but there was a narrow enough slit to squeeze through, followed by more scrambling and trying to find stable footholds in the darkness. There was a "senior" lady hiking on her own and very thankful to arrive at the cave at the same time as we did. Let's just say that she was totally unprepared for the scrambling up and over and between boulders and very grateful that Michael was a 'boy scout', prepared to uphold his oath to help us with a push and shove from below as we pulled ourselves up and over rocks! Well, we made it out of the underworld eventually, and were speechless at the size of the boulders hanging above us, perfectly rounded shapes after eons of weathering. I was again very grateful that there were no tremors which would have dislodged any one of the massive hanging boulders.
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| we ducked our way around and under boulders like this one |
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| the scale of the boulders was amazing (the lady who was on the path with us is squeezing her way under the boulder) |
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| the gate leading out of the talus cave is beyond the lowest boulder |
Closer to the parking lot and picnic area, blue oaks created a pretty avenue.
It was a perfect day among the ancient, rocky remnants of the Neenach Volcano that was split apart by the San Andreas Fault and pushed 200 miles north west. The force of nature, mind-boggling as it is, also created an extraordinary and peaceful playground for us to enjoy.