MOKE MARBLES

MOQUI MARBLES

SHAMAN STONES

MOKO BALLS

NAVAJO CHERRIES





There seems to be quite a few names for these very unusual geological formations found here in Southern Utah and Arizona. I find myself hiking across 'pools' of these rock about 2-3 times a week. (more on that in a moment)
American Indians that lived in the area are said to have used these strange geological anomalies for games, and in their slings for hunting and to absorb bad spirits and to even reduce pain. (more on this in another moment)
Break one of these stones open and you will find that they are filled with sandstone. The dark outside shell has iron, phosphorus and lime in its make-up. Nobody seems to know for sure how these fascinating rocks were formed...but there sure a a lot of interesting theories. Astroid hits, volcanic actions and mostly mystery are the hypothesizes I have read about. But all agree, they are old, old, old. 120-199 million years old!!!
Some folks in these parts believe that the stones hold mystical powers. Hold one in your hand and it may absorb negativity and replace it with useful energy. (Im all about useful energy!!) Maybe...just maybe I had better appreciate the fact that I can and do hike over beautiful 'puddles' of this stone, and that I do gain more from the experience than I realize. All I know is that these marbles have been in the Navajo Sandstone for millions of years and that its a safe bet that they were in there before the dunes were turned into stone by oceans of water those millions of years ago!!!
How about that!!??

HIKING IN SNOW CANYON STATE PARK

She did not entirely approve of volcano's; their
action, she implied, was disruptive like the
tantrum of a child. Rivers that overflowed their
banks were rather silly. The grandeur of mountain
ranges and the fertility of valleys she spoke with
respect. Her tone, when she described a plateau,
was almost affectionate.
from: Good Morning Miss Dove
by: Frances Gray Patton

We have a geological wonder in our backyard.
Snow Canyon State Park is the said wonder.
I'd wager that most residents of our community have never wandered the many trails that can be found there.
The Park is made up of white and red Navajo sandstone.
3 times in the last couple of million years, lava flows have seeped through its deep canyons. Because of these ancient magmatic events, the lava flows in Snow Canyon happens to be a perfect example of something called inverted topography.
What is inverted topography you ask??
Well, as I understand it, it happens when older rock sits above younger rock.
How does this happen you ask??

In a nutshell, it goes like this:
1.4 million years ago the first lava flow began. Lava erupted from vents and cinder cones that are prevalent in this area.
1.1 million years ago, another flow came through the park region and this time the lava came from/near Pine Valley Mountain.

20,000 years ago, the Santa Clara flow came through and blanketed the park with another layer of lava. THis flow came from additional vents and fissures that are nearby. This last flow went south through the canyon and covered the canyon floor.

The beautiful Navajo sandstone that protrudes from this basaltic flow, which we take every opportunity to climb, are called turtlebacks!! Love that!!! These turtlebacks are all thats left of the high ridges of the canyon that the lava flow around.

So...if I havent confused you completely...maybe this diagram will help illustrate what I had difficulty using words to describe.

(image from a great book- Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah by Richard Orudorff)

HIKING AT SAND MOUNTAIN

If the desert is holy, it is because
it is a forgotten place that allows
us to remember the sacred. Perhaps that
is why every pilgrimage to the desert
is a pilgrimage to the self. There
is no place to hide, and so we are found.
from: Refuge
by: Terry Tempest Williams

Its been over 2 years since I've had the opportunity to hike in the deep, delicious sand at a place we lovingly call "Sand Mountain."
It was my chance in introduce its beauty to my son and and to dear friends and new owners of Desert Cliffs Resort and Spa!!
I strapped on my beloved hiking sandals and waited in sweet anticipation to get moving. I felt confident that the trail would look familiar and be all that I remembered it to be.
The first half of the hike went well. I got us easily down to the green, vibrant Virgin River. This is the only hike in our repertoire that involves flowing water!! There's something special about a river flowing through a desert!!
But then....to find my way back....was another matter. We were never lost per say....but I came out somewhere wholly unexpected!!! What does this mean??
I get to go back and do it again!!! Before I attempt to take a guest out there...I have to be sure!!
Shucks!!! I'm gunna do it again!!! Wanna come??!!

Hiking shoes required!!
Coral dust inevitable!!

Zion Park In the Rain!!!

The Utah deserts and plateaus and canyons
are not a country of big returns, but a
country of spiritual healing, incomparable
for contemplation, meditation, solitude,
quiet, awe, peace of mind and body. We were
born of wilderness and we respond to it more
than we sometimes realize. We depend upon it
increasingly for relief from the termite life
we have created!
from:Heart of the Desert Wild
quote by: Wallace Stegner

Nick introduced us to the hike known as "Many Pools"

The weather was unusual-and helped to fill some pools that had dried out in the heat of the summer.

We stumbled upon some Indian paraphernalia that had been left behind after some sort of ceremony had been preformed the evening before. Interesting. Wish I could have been a fly on that wall.

The power of wind and rain, water and ice-evident everywhere one looks in our glorious Park.

see....MANY pools!!!!

Sprinkle a little water...on a hot thirsty desert...voila!!!! Flowers!!!

Oh the tenacity of a cedar tree!!! Holding on for dear life!!! Or is that a pinon pine!!?

Hiking the trails with good buddies from around the country....makes life all the better!!!

Lookie that....Im not the only crazy that loves hiking sandals!!!

Pine Creek Canyon....never will see the likes of me!!! Its a safe bet!

Wet, red, coral dust is fine by me!!!

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS MORNING??

May all your trails be crooked,
winding, lonesome, dangerous,
leading to the most amazing view...
where something strange and more
beautiful and more full of wonder
than your deepest dreams waits for you.
from:Desert Solitaire
by:Edward Abbey

I got up this morning expecting it to be like any other morning really. Im the first one up at 5:15 AM; I dress in my hiking attire which is a bright florescent green shirt, shorts and my marvelous Keens. I cant eat that early in the morning, so I check my email real quick and then head out the door. This morning I climbed into the truck and found that My Builder had been a sly one...there on the seat was a present with a card, just waiting for me to discover!! Awww...how sweet is that!!!!
He went shopping for me at one of my favorite places-COLDWATER CREEK-and choose a beautiful white blouse for my wearing pleasure!! Awwwwww....so, so spoiled am I!!
As I was driving through sleepy, peaceful St George my phone rings, vibrates really- and it was my Builder again, wishing me a happy birthday.
All this before 6:00 AM!!!
At work, Im handed a 50.00 gift certificate for the Spa, and every one wished me a heartfelt happy birthday too. Then we were given our assignments and we headed out to the trails. This morning we had 6 guests hiking with us. We had the 101 hike which was to be Anasazi Ridge. A beautiful hike indeed!!
If I didnt think that this day was going to be a good one, this mornings hike firmly confirmed to me that its going to be a GREAT day!!
When we only had about a half an hour left to hike, we took our guest down to where the Anasazi petroglyphs are located on the side of the hill. Its a treat to descend into the shady side of the hill to 'hunt' for the petroglyphs that are scattered throughout all the nooks and crannies on the sandstone rocks. Its kind of like a scavenger hunt. As we billy-goated our way along, we spotted a gentleman perched on a rock ahead of us. He was a local resident and it soon became wildly apparent that we were going to have a wonderful experience with the petroglyphs!!! His name was Ray Urbaniak and he has written a book about these remarkable Indian writings. And...he was at this particular spot this morning because it is still considered the summer solstice and he was waiting for the sun to appear between the cracks in the rock. He then proceed to educate us a little about what it was that was going to happen in a few short minutes. The guest were game to slow down and stop and watch and learn, so we all found perches, and listened. Ray has a twinkle in his eye and a passion for what he knows and sees in these beautiful Indian writings. He was so very happy to share with us wealth of knowledge.
Try and visualize this with me. We have "Tube Man and Owl Man and the spiral sun sign etched on this sandstone rock before us. I have walked past these quys for years now. I have always appreciated them for their uniqueness and for their clarity and for the history they represent.




But.....I didnt know!!! I didnt know anything!!! And now I do,(at least a little more) and I can hardly explain the awe and wonder I feel now. These figures were drawn with such care and precision and forethought, that my mind has been boggled once again. I kind of get chills when I think about it now. The sun came through that little crack above our heads, as it rose in the east above the red rocks of Snow Canyon, and shone down on these "men", these stick figures so to speak, and fell with exactness as a line through their fingers and toes and then moved said 'energy' on to the next figure above it. It was poetical and marvelous to witness. Then the light was gone. Then it came back, and had shifted the perfect distance so that the light began to move up the body again, but this time it went right through the center of their bodies!!!

(the white line you see going through "tube mans' hand is not etching. IT IS SUNLIGHT!!)

We couldnt allow ourselves to stay for the whole show (I love my job too much to screw up too much) but Ray told us it would happen again a third time and the ray of light would appear again and move up the left side of the figures, bisecting the left hands and carrying energy to each figure and to what they represent!! magical!!! How about that!!!???
Oh but wait!!!
THere's more!
As I was leaving the Spa this morning, and heading for the truck, I spotted another good omen. Right out the back door were some road runners!! Now, you may not realize this, but spotting a road runner around here is a big deal. They are an elusive bird. They make themselves scarce around these parts. Its considered good karma or mojo if you happen to spot one on your trail or anywhere near by. This morning...what do I spy...but TWO of them. It became apparent that they were, shall I say, distracted, when I saw them. They were in the midst of doing some danc'in and wiggl'in and mak'in the most unusual clicking sounds I've ever heard. I sure I was witnessing an elaborate kind of courtship dance!!! As soon as I got the camera out and attempted to snap some shots, they became distracted and scampered across the parking lot...so even though the pictures are disappointing... can I say that my glorious morning has been anything but disappointing!!!
Its good luck to spot a road runner!! I had TWO sightings!!!!

And.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!
Im grateful to this marvelous world in which we live and to many who share it with me!!!

The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't
biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful
that death has fallen in love with it; a jealous,
possessive love that grabs at what it can. But
life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a
thing or two of no importance, and gloom is
the passing shadow of a cloud.
from: Life of Pi
by: Yann Martell

About that coral dust i collect between my toes....
(it gathers there whether i wear my favorite hiking sandles or whether i hike in shoes)
i guess it could be argued that it really isnt dust.
i suppose that a vast majority of it is indeed just plain ol glorious red sand. Sand that has been eroding away from the magnificent red rocks through all generations of time.
But there is dust too!!!
Today, i have learned from the newest edition of the SOJOURN magazine, that 'dust' can come from the most unlikely places.
Did you know....
"The earth is still gathering more than a hundred tons of space dust every day-to the delight of scientists. Each speck, broken from an asteroid or shed by a comet, might hold a hundred thousand smaller specks. And among those sub-specks are the diamonds and sapphires, the inky-black carbon and rich organic molecules that date to the days of our planet's creation-and even earlier....Even the manner in which the tiniest grains cling together holds clues about how the dust grew as the Sun and planet took shape. Since every atom in our bodies came from inside of stars, explains astrophysicist Don Brownlee, by studying these interstellar dust particles, we can learn about our cosmic roots....."
Happily scientists receive a steady supply of clues. The earth grows fatter every day, snowed under by a continuous microscopic flurry of space specks. Rare as they are, on average, every square yard of the planet should nonetheless receive one speck each day.
Statistically, its a good bet that there's a fresh piece of space dust on the hood of your car daily-and a dozen fresh specks on your roof. Lie on your lawn for a day and you stand a shot at being pelted by a glassy mini-marble or a delicate crumb of comet dust.
"They're everywhere, " Brownlee says. " You eat them all the time. Any carpet would have'em. "
(Exerted from the The Secret Life of Dust by Hannah Holmes)

Space dust, coral dust, sand....its all GOOD!!!
im just so grateful that i can be out 'gathering' whenever i choose!!!

(image from deviantart.com)