Whitethorn Canyon - Caballo Mountains

We did this hike on Saturday (12/21/19) under the blue skies and warm sun. Starting  out from near the cattle tank in Palm Park, we followed the path of the old road, if not the road itself which has virtually disappeared in this section due to the severe erosion which has left a web of deep gullies in its place.
 Through and by the enormous boulders that have tumbled down from the volcanic cliffs, we walked up to a gap in the ridge line and then over to the other side.  We followed a second road  briefly south and then went cross-country to the arroyo I'd been planning to visit. It was easy walking in the sand and gravel compacted by recent rains. The many branches narrowed to single little boxed up canyon lined with whitethorn acacia trees. There was some shade for our dogs in the bends which were very grateful for as it was quite a warm day for December 21st.

Dark cliffs contained a myriad of veins  of white minerals ( barite?). In the gray bedrock were in-situ geodes, some with  bubbly black ( manganese?) minerals.

All throughout the walking there was jasper, chert, agate and other cryptocrystalline quartz in the channel and on the banks, certainly a wealth of materials for making stone tools. We saw a deer bound up the rough hillside.  A few tiny birds flitted  in the bare branches.
When the box opened up, we turned around.

 On the way back we gave our greeting to the petroglyphs on the boulders in Palm Park, and admired the rare sight of the full cattle tank, thanks to all the winter rain we've been receiving. A wonderfully peaceful, if unspectacular hike came to end as the shadows grew fast on the shortest day of the year.