Calico Basin

Back at the end of April we had been having a lot of rain, so the weather was a lot cooler than usual.  One day was just absolutely beautiful - cool, mostly sunny (with an occasional drizzle).  I decided to take Ann and Ian up to Red Rock Canyon again, this time to Calico Basin.  There is a boardwalk around a meadow area, along with trails away from the meadow area.  It was great to get outside and do something a little different.

The first part of the boardwalk includes going up a hill.

Once you're up the hill, there aren't many more sides to the boardwalk, as you are just a foot or so off the ground.  There are little plaques all along the boardwalk stating to please stay on the boardwalk so as to not damage the meadow area.  Ann and Ian both did a good job of staying on the boardwalk.  We did see a few photographers around that were hopping off to take pictures, and I got to have the "just because others are doing it doesn't make it okay" talk with Ann when she noticed what was happening and wanted to hop off too.

She liked to run ahead of me and Ian

It was cloudy out, which was just gorgeous

And it was quite green thanks to all of the rain

Chasing after big sister

More green

I was occasionally able to get Ann to stop for a bit to take some pictures of her

She doesn't always look straight at the camera, so we're always telling her to look at the words on the camera.  So here I was asking her where the words were on the camera and she was pointing to them

"Cheese!"

I love the flowers here

I also enjoy the fact that Ann can take pictures of me (and that she enjoys doing it...win-win!)

This is the closest Ian ever got to trying to get off the boardwalk (he wasn't really even trying that hard, he just sat down and put his legs over the edge).

Rocks!  This was on the trail outside of the meadow/boardwalk area.

"Do I have to pose for pictures?"

She is becoming much more adventurous which is really fun to see

I saw this flower blooming on this cactus plant and I just had to take a picture of it.  It was just off the trail to I told Ann to stay there with Ian and not go anywhere for a minute while I take a few pictures.  While I'm snapping pictures, I hear Ian fussing.  When I turn around I see Ian sitting on the ground with Ann crouched down next to him holding his leg saying "Ian was trying to move!".  I told her she could let go of him now :)

Taking a look at the beautiful desert landscape

Time to head back to the car and head home

More beautiful flowers

Meep, meep!  Just after we got in the car and started to leave, I saw a roadrunner and stopped to snap a picture really quick.  Ann asked me why they were called roadrunners and I told her that it was because they were birds that ran...in the road (such a lame joke, I know!)