Paging through the info book forthe park last night we found a loop tour of the park and surrounding area so that was on our agenda for first thing today before it got too hot again. Woke up to a rain shower which is very needed here as it is dry, dry, dry. It helped drop the temperature too, if only temporarily. The highlight of the tour was the hike we took to Balanced Rock and on to Devils Doorway. Well, "hike" probably isn't an accurate description, mountain climb or staircase climb on a thirty-story building might be more nearly accurate. Leaving from the beach parking lot the Balanced Rock hike was only four-tenths of a mile. Four-tenths? I can roll that far without breaking a sweat. Well, the first fifty feet were great and then we proceeded to climb, and I mean climb, the rest of the way. Straight up. All four-tenthsof a mile. Did I mention that there was climbing involved? But Sandy, Eddie and I made it and the reward were the views. How were the views? As Teri Hatcher told Jerry in the Seinfeld Show "They're real and they are spectacular.
Of course, what goes up must come down and the return trip on the loop was no less adventurous. Not quite as strenuous because it was all downhill but just as taxing as every step down required being just as careful. These trails were built in the 30s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and I have newfound respect for their effort and how difficult it must have been.
Yeah, this is basically what we were climbing and it's not horizontal:
Halfway:
Okay, you're way ahead of me here: it's Balanced Rock
How hard do you think I should push?
The Devil's Doorway:
We completed the rest of the driving loop (sans anymore hiking) and headed straight for the beach. The water felt great and even Eddie (who is never too sure if he is supposed to be a water dog or not) seemed to be smiling.
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