COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader
Saved: September 15th 2021
Edit Blog Post
Several months ago, when this trip was still in the planning stages, the community of geo-bloggers were asked to describe geology that they find sexy. The topic wasn't meant to be about double-entendres (but lets face it, there are lots of those in geology), but about geological features that we get really excited about. I wrote about
ripple marks, although there was also a brief mention of cross-bedded sandstone.
Imagine my delight then, early this morning as we made the steep ascent on the start of the King's Canyon rim walk, when I started seeing cross-bedding and ripple marks. Our guide said that I should wait until we were at the top, and then I'd be really excited...
Uluru(
Smokin' in the Northern Territory) and Kata Tjuta (
Valley of the Winds) were amazing, but King's Canyon was spectacular--definitely the highlight of the tour. The canyon had impressive stone walls with lots of cross-bedding and ripples, there were sub-tropical plants that were remnants of a different climate, and because it's spring there were flowers sticking out of the cracks and fractures in the rocks.
The stars were less distracting last night--I don't know if it's because more smoke was in the air or because I was more tired.
Despite getting to sleep in a bit later this morning though, I was still exhausted as we were having breakfast and hitting the road. We weren't trying to catch sunrise anywhere, but we did need an early start to beat the crowds and the heat on the trail.
The canyon was still in shadows as we climbed up to the rim at the beginning of the walk. There were one or two places to stop on the way up, but the path was narrow and rocky; for the most part we just kept climbing. I stayed near the back so that I could go slowly and try to ward off vertigo.
Just back from the canyon rim were gullys of massive cross-bedded sandstone, the remnants of ancient dunes. We passed through them, and through the gap made famous in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." Our guide was telling us about the plants and animals, but I was too distracted looking at the rocks.
Just before we emerged onto the rim, we came to an ancient waterbed, with ripples preserved in the sand to indicate it had been there.
The walls of the canyon bore evidence of
Infamous gap
If you remember one of the last scenes of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," you may recognize this gap in the rocsk. massive chunks of rock breaking away, so I didn't get too close to the rim (and our guide didn't even take us to all of the lookouts because they are precariously perched), but we still had spectacular views of the opposite side of the canyon, and the flat land covered by smoke in the distance.
To cross to the other side of the canyon, we descended down some stairs, into "The Garden of Eden," where there were trees and birds and still water reflecting the red walls towering above it. We had a rest break at the waterhole (oh, how nice it would have been to have a thermos of coffee there) before climbing back up to the opposite rim.
Our guide pointed out a fossil--it wasn't one I recognized, not because it was rare, but because I don't know as many fossils as I should. I suspect it was a jellyfish of some sort.
On this side, hundreds of sandstone domes, shaped by erosion, stretched away from the canyon. It's called "The Lost City," but my mind was full of thoughts of the natural forces that shaped the land and not its resemblance to cities left
by "ancient" civilzations.
COMING SOON HOUSE ADVERTISING ads_leader_blog_bottom
Tot: 0.091s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 11; qc: 32; dbt: 0.0488s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb