We got up bright and early today to do a drive on the Schnebly Hill Road. This is a pretty tough road to navigate for passenger cars and we were grateful to have a 4-wheel drive SUV rental. The first stop made was at the Vista — the road was gated off beyond that point. Below is an HDR image taken from the Vista looking down to the Cow Pies butte and beyond.

Danielle, Nathan, and Nicholas climbed to the top of a rock at the Vista and took a little break so I could take a photo.

Below is a shot of Nicholas and Nathan — they climbed to the very top!

Ok, I mentioned Cow Pies (rounded buttes); having grown up in Iowa, I understand exactly why these buttes are aptly named. We did take a hike on the Cow Pies trail. It was about 3 miles roundtrip and was a pretty easy hike. At about 0.2 miles into the hike, we noticed lots of small black stones, which are remnants of volcanic activity here long ago.

We also went to Cathedral Rock today, but I’ll save that for another post since it’s late and I’m ready to sleep!