Entering Big Santa Anita Canyon is like walking into your own private Shangri-La.

Even on a hot day, the hike is cool. Most is protected by shade canopies of oaks and alders.

My first glimpse of nirvana — Sturtevant Falls

Love these violet wildflowers. I’m sure they were thicker and more plentiful in April and May, before the heat came. But of course, the road was not open then. Darn Forest Service!

I call this my Indiana Jones photo. It looks like a cave or a tomb but it is really one of those ancient cabins that dot Big Santa Anita Canyon’s floor. Lucky folks who live there. While on the hike, I saw some folks cleaning out their cabin.

More Sturtevant Falls…

You don’t have to go to Hawaii or travel to the topics to see great waterfalls.

I haven’t looked it up. Anyone know what these are called? I call them wild daffodils. Using my cheap digital Olympus camera with the small telephoto lens, I shot this image. I used a flash, which made the background black.