Hell Hole Canyon at sunset

That's such an inappropriate name for this canyon to me.  There's one with the same name in Ivins, but this one is out in Washington - at first meeting it was called Dog Town Wash - but now it's labeled Hell Hole Canyon Trail at Sienna Hills.  To me it is one of the most peaceful, beautiful, rugged, awesome places.  I love to walk up it with Paul.  I like to ride up it on a bike, but it is SUCH and uphill pull, that walking is just much easier if you are looking for relaxation instead of hardy exercise.  I especially love it at sunset.  Tonight we just needed some 'us time'.  We went out before going to dinner and walked up it while there was still quite a bit of light.  The recent rains made it even better than usual with pools of water reflecting the cliffs and making small trickling sounds as it moved from pool to pool; it was still running across the trail in a few places.   And the amazing variety of rocks that are there is one of the biggest features that make this place awesome.  The tall walls of the canyon have many layers of different rocks that are just joyful to me!  

I especially love the Shinarump sandstone, or picture rock, that is found in the wash.  There's actually an old quarry there they got and maybe still get some stone out of.  The colored swirls make beautiful, natural pictures in the rock.  I nearly always find a little piece just big enough to carry out to bring home with me.  I always want one that is too big to carry and then have to downsize.  

Like I said, tonight was a great night because of the leftover water from the recent rains and also because of the warming weather.  The frogs were croaking a symphony tonight - like they were glad to finally have warm enough weather to come out and voice their celebration that Spring is coming! Probably not that at all, but that's what it sounded like to me.  Probably more of a mating game for them!  And the small sounds of the water trickling in the stream and also the splashing of waterfalls down through the rocks near the top was musical.

And then there are the owls! I was hoping we'd hear one tonight and I wasn't disappointed.  We heard one on the way up when it was still just a little light and then on the way back down we heard it again, and then it flew over the top of us from one canyon wall to the other and then back a few minutes later checking us out!  We could see it silhouetted in the twilight.  So cool and a little eerie feeling watched in the darkness!  

And so, the canyon provided us with another really lovely evening walk...a date night we needed after a week of doing and doing.  We just needed the peace of an evening walk with perfect lighting, beautiful sights, and sounds...and no sounds at all sometimes...just the serenity of nature doing it's magic on us.

Found a 'cowboy' petroglyph - made by recent hands instead of hands from the past.  Good try, but not good enough!  

I call these piano key rocks!  

Cool reflections!  

Us trying to look majestic among the rocks!

Drill hole from quarry work.

At the end of the trail you could see the powerful effect of the recent rains in this canyon where it washed away the covering from these pipes put in to funnel the water under the road.  The water was now running under the pipes.