To the Rainbow with Animals and Friends: An Adventure with Llamas, Weather, and Sex

This April I had the good fortune to hike one of my favorite trails in the Southwest - The 1909 Rainbow Bridge Discovery Trail.  Although it has been re-routed through the years, primarily by the CCC in the thirties, much of the way follows John Wetherill's original trail.  Without a doubt, this is spectacular country.  Llamas helped carry the camp supplies so that us old folks could enjoy the scenery.  And just by coincidence, as we were parking the truck, who should show up but Harvey Leake, John Wetherill's great grandson.  He, too, had been out exploring John's route.

A hardy group.  We may not be fast but we made it.

Gus the llama was a little goosie before being saddled, but he was good packer.  That's Gus on the left.  That's a geezer on the right.

Llama Wrangler Ann - I couldn't have done the trek without her.  Afterwards, she did mention that she doesn't want to be an outfitter/wrangler/camp cook ever again.  It's  a lot of work for sure.  Thank you dear! 

Gus checking out the sunrise on Navajo Mountain.

The redbuds were magnificent.

The weather was typical spring, varying from hot and windy to a little snow in Surprise Valley.

People have lived in this area for over 11,000 years.  By the way, archaeologists dislike it when folks put artifacts on a rock (a.k.a. Museum Rock) for a photo.  These were already here.  Always replace an artifact where it is found.  Thanks.

Bluff archaeologist Joe Pachak explains an artifact.

Always fun to locate historic inscriptions.  This one was along Nasja  Creek.

Then a little farther down Nasja was this one.

The fishhook cacti were in full glory.

This is a photo I took of an unusual two-story granary in Surprise Valley in 1974.

Here is the same granary in 2013.  Total collapse!

This is the largest cave I have ever seen carved into Navajo Sandstone.  It is in a side branch of Oak Canyon.  There were faint Basketmaker pictographs on the walls.

It was a real treat to finally locate this 1909 inscription near Rainbow Bridge.  It is in a shallow cave near where Wetherill would camp with his clients including Teddy Roosevelt and Zane Grey.

The bridge from the 1909 inscription.

Most folks are so busy admiring Rainbow Bridge that they don't notice the dinosaur tracks in the Kayenta Formation near the foot of the bridge..

I did promise sex in the title so here it is.  You might say that this little male canyon treefrog has his hands full.  Notice that his eyes are closed.  Is he having a good time or working too hard?  Good luck fella!

Lake Powell is so low now that the marina is nearly a mile away from the bridge.  Glen Canyon may live again.