Vasquez Rocks

The huge red rocks in the last part of Section D look incredible. Dad said that they reminded him of a Star Trek scene. I found out later, from the Vasquez Rocks Nature Center in Agua Dulce, that Star Trek was filmed in these rocks! Other movies were too. We didn’t see any aliens, but up close the rocks have all sorts of pockets, ledges and caves. We saw a huge nest on one ledge, and signs of animals being eaten in others. It was really interesting. I would have liked to spend more time exploring.

The sedimentary rocks were formed about 25 million years ago. They have been pushed up by the Pacific plate ramming into the North American plate. So, their appearance is the handiwork of the San Andreas Fault. I looked for fossils but didn’t find any.

There were lots of caves to check out too, some of them further off the trail than others. I took a detour to see what was in the cave I thought I might have discovered. But it had already been discovered by others…

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