Canyon Lake, Part 2
Dolly the Steamboat was gliding us gently through Canyon Lake as we enjoyed the scenery. The Captain was regularly pointing out formations that resembled something. Unfortunately, I had no way to simultaneously record both sight and sound so I had to depend on my old memory. This one may have had a name but to me it resembled a raised fist with one or two finders extended.
Our quiet cruise was punctuated with the tiny roar of jet skis. Looks like fun.
But when I first looked at the photo on my computer, I was struck by the appearance of the water — why was it so green? Algae? Copper leached from the rocks (Arizona used to be nicknamed "The Copper State" because of the amount of copper ore found here)? I don't know.
I did not notice the color while we were there. And yes, I could have changed the color in Photoshop but that would have been a different experience, n'est-pas?
The artist in me loves the solitary saguaro cactus growing on the canyon wall.
A saguaro does not form arms until it is around a century old and 15 feet tall.
So most of these are young'uns — I only see one with arms — who may be the parent.
The calm was again shattered, this time by the power boat racing along side us. Note more green water — it wasn't a fluke in just one photo.
This brings back a memory of a happier time when Kona was still alive and healthy. Our neighbor took us boating on Canyon Lake together with Terry, our neighbor on the other side of Mike's townhouse (we all shared the same building comprised of three units). We brought sandwiches and drinks — Terry made Japanese seasoned rice. We had a wonderful day.
Here we saw more variety in flora which clinged to the rocks of the canyon walls. Note that the boat was not that close to the wall — despite that appearance, it's actually the result of pushing my zoom lens to its limit (300 mm).
High above, a Raptor soared scanning below for a potential meal. I would guess that it was a hawk but I'm sure one of my friends will be able to provide a more precise identification.
I can't recall for sure but this may have been one of the rock formations that the Captain called out with a name — it looks like the head of an old Indian Chief, looking left off into the distant land that used to be the domain of his People.
The Captain did not mention this one but I think the dark figure looks like an Indian maiden carrying food for her family. This was my favorite.
On the far bank is a flat peninsula which they turned into a picnic area including solar-powered bathrooms.
And this is the dock for those who are visiting that same picnic area.
Last for today — another majestic canyon wall.
