This morning, Cheryl and Dave took us for a hike on the Dripping Springs Trail in Organ Pipe National Monument. Dave knew a lot about the geology of the area, but I don’t remember the details. Basically, this part of the National Monument is volcanic lava that hardened in a unique way. The peaks rise to 9,000 feet and are called the Organs because their steep spires resemble the pipes of an organ. The walls in this part of the area “weep,” so the trail is called Dripping Springs. It was a beautiful hike.
Yesterday, while we were driving, I thought I saw a huge circle on a mountainside. A circle seemed geologically improbable, so I decided it must have been a shadow effect from the rocks and plants. Today, Dave showed us that there really are circles in these mountains. The lava that spewed out of the volcanoes was liquid, but hard “chunks” also spewed into the air. The soft lava hardened around the chunks and, when it eroded, the chunks appeared as circles in the rock.
This is a small chunk of rock surrounded by hardened lava.
According to Dave, Native Americans living in the area long ago would cut the chunk out of the rock. This left a rounded hole that could be used as a mortar and pestle.
Here is a larger embedded chunk of rock.
We saw a small cave along the trail. It was higher inside–maybe 10 feet high, 40 feet wide, and 20 feet deep. The ceiling was covered with soot from fires made by people who sheltered in the cave.
Our hike was followed by lunch, and then it was time to say good-bye to Dave and Cheryl. All of us wished our visit could have been longer, so we’ll plan more time together the next time we meet–either in St. Peters or in Las Cruces.
While driving to White Sands yesterday, and again west of Las Cruces today, we experienced something that doesn’t happen in Missouri: border patrol. A dog sniffed each vehicle and the guards looked inside. Yesterday, the guards asked if we are United States citizens. Dave was driving, so he answered “yes” for all of us. That was the end of the patrol portion of the program. Today, the guard simply waved Ted and me by without a word to us. Dare I use the words “racial profiling”?
All along I-10 on our way to Arizona, we repeatedly saw signs warning us of possible dust storms. At one point, we saw a dust devil.
We arrived in Green Valley, AZ mid-afternoon and began our visit with Dan and Vernie (Ted’s brother and sister-in-law) with some catching up time and dinner. We haven’t seen them for five years, so it’s good to be together. They have a full day planned for us tomorrow, and we’re all looking forward to it.