Broad Canyon (2) In the canyon's upper reaches there are old, twisted live oaks and junipers, some of which may have been standing when the petroglyphs were carved into the towering canyon walls. Debris piled against boulders and tree trunks speaks of torrential floods, but on a sunny mid-January day the canyon is warm and Spring-like. A few pink vervain bloom in the sand and a shiny black phainopepla flits from bush to bush flashing white wing patches. In the silence of the canyon bottom a kicked stone or a handclap sends back an echo as sharp as a gunshot. index page    back     more