Today was a very big day...11/11/11, Lange Thanksgiving, and our first adventure in a Slot Canyon! Because it was Thanksgiving and we had to get back in time to cook, we headed out early for another new hike. This time up to the Calcite Mines, which included a loop through a slot canyon. It was sooo cool, I had never been in one before! And of course, crazy Andrew was in effect, steering us away from the beaten path and onto our own adventure through the mountains. This time it all worked out, and we created our own loop out of what would have been a couple out-and-back trails...very awesome! Then home again for the best turkey dinner in the history of Thanksgiving...A Cider Brined Turkey. Josh was the head chef in charge of the meal, and the rest of us sous chef helped out. We had quite a delicious spread!
Andrew, heading up into the Calcite Mine mountains.
On the way up, we could look down and see the slot canyon that would be our return route...it looked cools, we were getting excited!
Cool Swiss cheese looking rocks all over the place!
Stacia and John heading into the upper section of the slot canyon.
A little inverted rock climbing for John.
Stacia, John, and Katharine...the walls are getting higher and narrower.
Andrew, plotting his escape route in case of flooding.
Brother-sister on a grand adventure.
It's really getting cool now as John goes in deeper.
Smooth, narrow, high walls...no escape routes here!
Stacia and Andrew hiding around the curves.
We climbed out of the top of the slot canyon, and started forging our own path towards the Calcite Mines.
The newlyweds!
Me in the Swiss cheese rock.
John, looking back towards the valley floor.
Andrew and John after climbing up to the top of the big rock (Andrew's idea, of course)!
We found a nice spot for a picnic.
There turned out to be a Jeepers (or really Bronc-ers) convention at the top today. It was cool that every single Bronco was a different color.
Hiking up one last peak for a full vista view of our route back down.
Such cool territory.
John and Andrew, trying to find their own route down again...Stacia and I vetoed!
But we did all agree that this rock needs to get explored next time.
This rock looked like a statue, with the side view of a prehistoric skull on top.
Back into the slot canyon, this time the lower section that led back out. So many cool waterslides and really narrow sections!
Dad and John.
Back at home, Chef Josh was busy cooking up a storm of the most delicious food!
The whole family gathered and serving up the Thanksgiving feast and celebrating another great trip to Borrego!
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