Vasquez Rocks

Handsome and I have been doing lots of exploring lately. We still feel rather new to the Santa Clarita Valley area, and I have to tell you, it keeps surprising us with its beauty and variety.

These are Vasquez Rocks. Do they seem familiar to you somehow? If they do, it's just because Hollywood LOVES these rocks. Look for them in old episodes of Star Trek, The Lone Ranger, Bonanza, etc. We're pretty sure we have seen them in some newer stuff too -- NCIS, anybody?

This park is a perk to living along/on top of the San Andreas Fault? I guess that's one way to look at it.

This picture scares me half to death -- just where exactly was I standing when I took this? Or better question, on what?

Being partial to the ocean, the desert keeps surprising me. Wait. Did I already mention that? The whole surprise thing? Yep? I did? Well, color me surprised - I just plain am.

The pointy, most pronounced rock is the most famous I suppose, and I really did try to take pictures of the surrounding area, but this one rock is hard to avoid. Truly, it has the funniest way of popping out from behind trees, and I just had to snap its picture ... over and over and over, so it would seem.

 The pointy rock from far away.

Ooo something different! I just love the yucca plants. They remind me of living in Colorado when I was little and learning how to ride a bike. They were always there to catch my fall.

OUCH!

No kidding. Don't know how I did it, but if I was gonna fall, it was either on top of one of these pokey plants or some other sort of rotten cactus, but still, I love 'em.

And then suddenly, we are back and just a little closer to the pointy rock. I read on Wikipedia that the pointy rock has been nicknamed "Kirk's Rock" due to all the times it was used in Star Trek. Not being a Treky? Trekkie? Trek-ker? myself -that is to say, I don't go to Comic Con every year- I really don't know if that bit about the nickname is true, but even so, "Beam me up, Scotty!"

Regardless of Hollywood, rock formations in the park really are so pretty - so graceful - so powerful. In this way, they are much like the ocean. Beautiful and dangerous all at the same time. God's creation is often like that, isn't it? Now, why was I surprised?

 ⁵ "Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
   Your faithfulness to the skies.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
   Your justice like the great deep.
   You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
⁷ How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
   People take refuge in the shadow of Your wings."

Psalm 36:5-7 (New International Version)