Don't Step in that Big Hole!

Yesterday we took our first trip to the "Big Ditch" up in northwestern Arizona. Sonja has dreamed of seeing it since she saw that Brady Bunch episode for the first time. I think it lived up to her expectations.

We stayed up on the south rim for our first trip together to the Grand Canyon. Which was fine by us, since it was a bit chilly for an extended hike (around 38 degrees) and all the trails leading into the canyon were covered by snow and ice. Not the best combination when the slightest slip could mean a very quick journey to the bottom of the canyon.

Besides, we neglected to fill our flashlights with enough baked beans to last the return trip to the rim. We'll have to wait until next time to look for fossils and find the Indian boy.

The ravens at the overlooks kept us entertained, too. We were hoping to see a California Condor, but weren't lucky enough. I guess that means we'll have to go back. Darn.

On our way home we decided to stop by a scenic overlook along the "Little Colorado Gorge" in the Navajo Reservation. The warning sign wasn't lying. Leaning over the railing (in the places that had a railing) revealed nothing but air until you got to the river at the bottom. Makes you wonder if they have trouble keeping children and dogs from flying off the edge.

We thought this gorge was almost more dramatic, in some ways, than the Grand Canyon. Sure, the famous one is wide, and about five times deeper, but you rarely get to see cliff faces as dramatic as this from the South Rim...unless you hike for a ways, first.

Finally, we've recently been having trouble keeping our suet feeder filled. We've been hanging it against the trunk of a juniper in our front yard. During the day we put a new block up, but often less than a day later will find the feeder wide open with the suet gone. I figured the latch was just popping open, or a squirrel jimmied it apart. So yesterday Sonja filled it again and hung it back on the tree. Well, it looks like we no longer have a suet feeder. This time, the culprit wasn't content to simply open it up and take the goods. Nope. Whoever is responsible decided to physically remove the feeder from the tree and carry it away. Hmmm...I wonder who could have done that?