Our guide, Adrian, drops the car tires PSI, climbs back into our traveling suburban, and hits the accelerator through the deep red sand. We slide from left to right along the desert for a few minutes until we reach our next destination, Rattlesnake canyon. I see a great mountainous plateau to the east, and a narrow entrance to the south with a ten foot ladder to climb up into the unknown.
The canyon is named for its similar shape to the slithering serpent, not as a home for the snake.
At least that is what Adrian tells us. With it being November though, I know that snakes have already gone into hibernation for winter. Excitedly, I climb the ladder and start exploring.
I find the narrow, winding walls somewhat claustrophobic at first, but the beauty within washes away the initial closing fear.
Squeezing through small arches, between walls, up and over stone, each turn shows strange new beauty. I turn around and see the light changing the colors on the wall, showing new formations.
The canyon is short, maybe a 1/2 mile to the end, but the wonders it holds are endless.
The canyon is short, maybe a 1/2 mile to the end, but the wonders it holds are endless.
