This is a view from an overlook before we started the hike to the waterfall. The building behind this (that I didn't take a picture of) was very beautiful also. It was the kind of place you would love to just sit and enjoy for awhile.
This is a picture of a natural (I think but maybe not) stone bridge. It was pretty cool. This was towards the end of a 4.5 mile hike through the woods though so we didn't spend much time and I was kind of tired...
This is something called a grotto (might have spelled that wrong). It's kind of like half a cave with a pool of water in it.
As mentioned before, I had a really good time at this park. There was something called the Petit Jean overlook that was extremely beautiful. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car on that one. It definitely warranted some pictures though. Maybe on my next trip I'll get some photos of that spot. On our hikes we ran into a long green snake, an unidentifiable black snake and a tarantula. If you know me at all you would know that I'm petrified of snakes and really don't like spiders either. I'm also not what most people would call an outdoorsy type person but I honestly had more fun then I've had on any other outdoors adventure I've been on. It might have had something to do with the company I went with though... :-) My favorite part of the day was actually relaxing and looking at the stars at night. I love stars!
After getting back I was very sore. I actually cannot believe how many leg muscles you use when you walk through the woods as opposed to just walking normally. It made me smile though for the next few days because I was walking like an old woman. It wasn't so bad once I got going, but standing up and walking or going up/down a stair really hurt. It made me wonder if other people noticed me walking funny... LOL! :-)
I'm glad you enjoyed Petit Jean, and you took two of the best hikes in the Park - to Cedar Falls (the steepest!), and the Seven Hollows Trail. That's where you saw the Natural Bridge and the Grotto. The "bridge" is indeed natural, and used to span the entire hollow - in the Winter when the leaves are off the trees, you can see the fallen chunks of it laying across the hollow. (You can see a LOT more in the Winter - and NO SNAKES!)
ReplyDeleteI never get tired of hiking and taking photos of this gorgeous place, and hope it becomes a favorite of yours too! You can see some of my photos here : http://markcorder.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2026