November 7 -- Lake Mead's Anniversary Narrows

It's not marked, not even the area to park your vehicle, so you really have to plan a trip to Anniversary Narrows in advance by reading about it in a guide book. I read about it in Brian Beffort's "Afoot and Afield Las Vegas and Southern Nevada", where Brian says Anniversary Narrows is "as beautiful a slot canyon as any other on Earth." Well, with a writeup like that, I HAD to go...For the first-time visitor it's a bit confusing as to where it is,  but once you get your bearings you can actually drive right up the wash to the slot canyon -- though I parked a half-mile away, near the entrance road. Evidence of past mining activity is all around you; Borax was mined here back in the 1920s. There are still tunnels into the hills with fencing over them, huge rubber tires which look rather odd in the desert landscape, and tailings, leading you to wonder, "The Narrows are HERE?" But a short walk up the wash tells you this is the right place...Here's where I parked, off the access road, looking down the wash --

And here is the entrance to Anniversary Narrows, now protected as it's part of the Muddy Mountains Wilderness -- 

I'm carrying my usual hiking gear of Mountainsmith fanny pack and 2 cameras, the Canon 40D and 17-55 f/2.8 IS lens for landscapes, and Canon 7D with the 500 f/4 for wildlife, along with my Kahles 8 x 20 binoculars. Just before entering the Narrows I see a lone Dark-eyed Junco in the brush; it flies up to a rock, and is set against a colorful background -- 

You enter the slot canyon -- and you're in another world of color and light, with the scene before you changing as the morning sun rises and comes into the Narrows. I'll show just the photos, no captions needed, of my walk into the ethereal realm of Anniversary Narrows, a half-mile there-and-back trip...

At the end of the Narrows, you're back in a wash, and the canyon walls are just as colorful as what you've been through -- 

Now it's time to head back, and experience Anniversary Narrows from the view that was behind you, with an occasional look back as the light has changed --

I spend over 3 hours in Anniversary Narrows. It's an amazing place, truly unique, and Brian is right -- it's as beautiful as any slot canyon on Earth. Before leaving the area, I take a look at the mining tunnel I saw near the entrance in the wash -- 

If you wanted to explore it, you can just go around the side of the fence, but my excuse is I have no flashlight with me -- 

It's only a little after 11am, so I head up the Northshore Road to Redstone and its picnic tables for lunch, where I see a curious chipmunk -- 

And a lizard enjoying the 80-degree weather -- 

I took all the wildlife shots with the Canon 500 f/4 prime lens; I have it with me pretty much everywhere I go because you NEVER know when you'll need it... On the way back to Overton, I stop by the Wildlife Management Area and do another bird count. Not many birds as it's the afternoon, and warm, but it's one of those places where you never know what you might find...The evidence of flood damage is everywhere, especially where the 2 big back ponds are; there are at least 2 channels connecting the two when before they were completely separated by a road running between them. Alas, the road is now impassable by vehicles, and one pond is draining into the other -- 

The road between the ponds used to run from left to right; as you can see, a big chunk has completely disappeared. I'll be volunteering this winter for the WMA, where I can record the hours I do my bird hikes, and the WMA will get money for any time I spend there. Every little bit will help...

The road to adventure continues...