Steve gave me two choices of places to stop and I chose Cathedral Gorge, as it seemed to have more interesting geology and a more extensive visitors center. Good choice! The campground is very nice - they even rake the gravel pads every day! The staff at the visitor center are very friendly and helpful, and they gave us a really nice guide book to all the petroglyph sites in Lincoln county. We won't have time to check them all out this time, but we'll be back again.
Cathedral Gorge is a very picturesque canyon full of deeply eroded slopes and "hoodoos" - eroded pillars. They are composed of soil that is primarily volcanic ash, loosely compacted. Because the soil is soft it erodes so fast plant life can't really get a start, so the eroded areas are very much exposed, thus the interesting textures and shadows.
The picnic area, stone restroom building and water tower were all built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) in the late 1930's. The restrooms and water tower are no longer in use, but stand as testament to the beautiful stone masonry done by the corp. The picnic shelter is built in typical southwestern ramada style, with an adobe roof. The large beams are called "vigas", and the smaller "latillas." Mud is layered over the sticks to form a solid roof. Great in this very dry climate, but it doesn't wear so well anywhere there's much rain. This one is in very good shape so it must get regular attention. Click on the slide show below for larger pictures.
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