Willow Springs is a popular area in Red Rock Canyon NCA because nearby there are picnic tables, several hiking trails, historic petroglyphs and Agave roasting pits, and nice rock walls for rock climbing and rappelling. From the picnic area there is a wooden bridge that leads to one Agave roasting pit and there is another roasting pit at the north end of the parking lot.
The Petroglyph Wall hiking trail leaves from the north side of the parking lot and it is a short hike to an area that contains several petroglyph panels. There are also other petroglyph panels and ancient paintings in the area, some of which have unmarked locations to protect them from vandalism.
The Willow Springs Loop Trail leaves from the parking lot and makes a large loop around the bottom of the canyon. The Loop Trail passes by the Children's Discovery Area and the Lost Creek Falls Trail, then crosses over the road and returns to the parking lot.
A little known undeveloped side trail also leads to part of the canyon that is unaccessible from the Lost Creek Falls Trail. We followed the side trail up a steep incline and then along a ledge that was quite narrow in some placed. Once in the canyon we counted seven additional waterfalls that cannot be seen from the road; however, we could not reach most of the falls without some technical climbing equipment.
Along the trail to the unnamed water falls we passed a number of unusual rock formation; and, unfortunately, we managed to get impaled by some Agave spines.
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BONUS HISTORICAL PICTURES
Just after the United States had dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan and Japan had surrendered, ending WW II, Mom and Dad went to town and Dad came home and said that he had a surprise for us. We were excited. A new wagon? A new pony? A new tractor? Then Dad told us that we had a new baby brother. A what! I think we got the wagon anyway.
Since Wileta had the first boy baby born at the Pierre Hospital after the War ended, the doctors and nurses wanted Mom to name him Victor. They even took up a collection and offered to give her $10. She decided that she liked to name Merl better, so she declined the offer and the money. Mrs. Hanson was in the hospital at the same time, but she had a girl baby. She took the money and called her daughter Vickie. (Her real name may have been Victoria, but everyone always called her Vickie.)
I don't have many pictures of Merl as a baby, but attached below are some of the pictures that I could find.
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| Ronnie, Wileta and Merl |
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| Jerry, Merl, Wileta and Ronnie |
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| Ronnie and Merl |
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| Merl and Ronnie |
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| Ronnie and Merl eating Easter Eggs |
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| Ronnie, Eldon and Merl |
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| Ronnie and Merl |
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| Grandpa & Grandma Hawkins with Jerry, Ronnie and Merl |
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| Ronnie and Merl |
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| Curtis Welty, Ronnie, Merl & Jerry - We just loved having our picture taken |
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| Grandpa Welty, Grandpa Hawkins, Merl & Ronnie |
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