Red rocks, black rocks

It was smooth sailing as drove north out of Los Angeles this morning against the rush hour traffic. What a relief to leave behind the stress and the frustration of driving in that city! I made a brief stop in the town of Littlerock to buy some snacks at a favorite road trip destination, Charlie Brown Farms. Okay, I admit most of my purchases was candy! But, they DO have a great selection of that and other food goodies. About an hour and a half later, I arrived at Red Rock Canyon State Park. I had actually forgotten that I had visited this park about six years ago and was only reminded as such when I saw the rock formations near the visitor center.

No matter. I had a leisurely lunch in the picnic area, then drove around taking photos. The rock formations were similar to those I've seen at other parks, but that didn't make them any less beautiful. At one point, a couple of antelope ground squirrels ran across the road, and I was able to snap some pics of one. It looks like it grabbed some flowers as a snack.

In the afternoon, I continued up U.S. Hwy 395, stopping at a site called Fossil Falls. Considering there's no sign along the highway directing people to the site, the word still must get around that it's worth a look. The lava rock has been worn smooth by water that used to flow over the falls. It was just a short half mile in and out hike, but chose to just see the falls area from above. Before leaving the area, I also took some pictures of the volcanic cone not surprising called Red Cinder Mountain.

Tomorrow, I'm planning to do some more challenging hiking...at altitude! I'll be visiting someplace I've never been to before and another place where I have. I'm hoping it won't be too hot, since that will make things a bit more challenging for me. I hate the heat!