Ladder Canyon

Ms. Blue Eyes and I visited Ladder Canyon today and it was worth the trip. We've both been itching for a nice long drive and this was it. We started by leaving town around 7:45. About 30 minutes in, we stopped at McDonald's to get the sausage and egg sandwich. There's very few things as rewarding as having this sandwich for breakfast. The total drive there took an hour and a half and thirty minutes out, we were amazed at how the scenery changed; rather than the dry, brown (but beautiful) desert, we were met with the Imperial Valley and green fields of date trees, carrots, garlic, etc. EVERYWHERE. These fields are made possible by the canal that brings water from the Colorado River 90 miles away.

After passing the fields, we turned north and were soon on Painted Canyon Road, which was a five mile dirt road that would take us to Ladder Canyon. Due to not having a four-wheel-drive vehicle, we decided to stop about a mile short of the trailhead and walk the rest of the way, while other people in more capable vehicles passed us by. It was no big deal really and though it was in the 80s already, we enjoyed this unplanned addition. We soon arrived at the trailhead and saw that there were eight or nine other vehicles there. A sign had been posted on the board that warned of bees blocking the path at the first ladder. It was written on a tampon. Funny. The walk thus far had been slightly uphill and this was the case until we got to that first ladder. And the bees. Like everyone else that had come this way, we decided to turn around and hike back but this time the loose sand was less bothersome as we were going downhill and nice breeze was blowing. We vowed to return again in the fall when the temperature is in the 70s.

On the way back we noticed a slot canyon and entered it. It was the first slot canyon that I'd been to in a long time and this one didn't disappoint. As beautiful as it was, the thought that was most on my mind is that we MUST shoot nudes here next visit. The final stop in the area was to a large pond that was created by a dike that had been built to contain rushing waters that came from the canyons to the north. We spotted two egrets and little frogs were everywhere and hopped from the cracks in the mud as we walked. The drive back only took a little longer than the ride to get there and we stopped for Del Taco in the same town that we'd previously stopped for McDonalds. We were super-tired and once we got back to town, we parted ways and I took a nap! Later that night I started planning the next trip though and it's going to be great!