Always An Adventure: Mica Road Waterfall

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Mica Road Waterfall

Mica Road wash

Just when we were debating whether to stay late at the museum and work more or not, we got a call from our friend Bill. Bill’s a hike leader and for the last few months he and his hikes have been searching for a waterfall that he remembered seeing when he was a kid and was determined to find again. During their last hike, they found it. So Bill wanted to know if we wanted to go on a quick hike out before sunset and see the now famous (or infamous) waterfall.

Sample of the cool rock formations we saw

It was a pretty easy hike. My only problem was the amount of blooming flowers and grasses, which make for very pretty scenery but my allergies have decided to rebel against them. So there were times where I was basically unable to breathe. Thank you pollen. That does make it a little tougher. I’d like to go back once I’ve found an allergy medicine that works or it’s not spring anymore so I don’t have to fight with all the plants. Beyond the usual flowering Ocotillo and brittlebush we saw desert holly, what I guess would be a desert primrose of some kind, and a cute little purple plant that Bill said is called Lupin. There was also a great deal of Cat’s Claw, which is about as pleasant to get caught by as it’s name suggests.

Yes Harry Potter fans, this is (bad picture) Lupin

Cat's Claw and Creosote

Desert flower, maybe some kind of primrose

Bird's nest in canyon wall

The waterfall area itself is a beautiful little canyon or gorge area, with enormous walls (at least 2 stories is my guess) that have seen enough wind and water erosion to have amazing patterns in them. The waterfall itself is a smoothed out chute that is easy to imagine after a rain with water pouring down it. We saw evidence of birds- nests and owl pellets (bringing back found memories of Care Cadets and pellets), as well as some swallow-type birds towards sunset. Bill, Jessica, and Melanie decided to be brave and climb up the rock wall to see what was past the top of the waterfall. Alison and I were fine staying below. I spent the time experimenting with different angles and settings on my little camera. It’s a perfect place for that kind of experimentation and looks very different as the light changes. I’d love to go back there earlier in the day and try similar pictures with different lighting, just to see what I could get the camera to do. I’d also like the go back after a rain and see if the waterfall actually is still a waterfall. Perfect place for a picnic lunch or just to relax for a few hours. After hearing about it for so long, I think it lived up to the hype!