Round Valley

I had intended to go to the head of Wahweap Creek, but, once again, had not anticipated the effect on the roads of last month's snow. I mean, it has been at least a fortnight since we've had any moisture, and it has been sunny that whole time, the roads can't still be wet can they? Well, they are surely better than they would have been last week, but the mud in Butler Valley was deep enough in the morning—while still partially frozen—that I didn't want to face it in the afternoon when it would be nothing but a wallow. So we turned around before Grosvenor and went back to Round Valley.

We dropped VSO at a little campsite atop Slickrock Bench, with a view into Wiggler Wash, and then EDO and I went out to where the road Ys just before the power lines. We parked there and walked on the bluffs to the west of Round Valley for about three miles. It was a muddy hike, but we finally found a 20 foot tall broken outcrop of buttery yellow sandstone with numerous visible layers of ancient deposition. That kept us busy for a while. By 3p we decided to go check on VSO, so we mudded our way to the campsite and found her there with a couple of fine plein air paintings.