Twenty seven TrailBlazers and 2 canines under the command of Buffalo Bob made another scenic autumn drive to Petit Jean to make yet another search for ALL of the elusive seven hollows! In addition to fall color, we were treated to tall palisades in the huge canyons, caves, and colorful falling leaves. The day started out gray, but it was warm and muggy and eventually the sun favored us with a smile. At Bonanza Bob’s suggestion we hiked the loop counterclockwise. The trail is rated moderate, but Yours Truly’s knobby knees know better since there are a couple of places where the rocks, steep drops or slippery rocks do not qualify it for her knee-friendly rating. 

In the grotto we were disappointed at the trickle of water in the falls. To make matters worse, our buff, young, patriotic Canadian of maple leaf fame was a no-show, leaving us with no lunchtime entertainment. By popular demand, Randy was chosen to be his understudy, but Randy stopped after baring his manly chest and modestly drew the line at cavorting in the slimy water in his Speedos decorated with a large leaf – maybe next year. 

Next we trekked to the photogenic Natural Bridge where we clicked lots of pics and then continued up to Turtle Rocks where everyone always enjoys playing around like a bunch of school kids at recess. After completing the loop some of us drove to Cedar Falls Overlook, lush with color, and we also checked out the newly renovated Mather Lodge. Alas, some of our members had skipped lunch in the grotto in favor of lunching at the lodge, but they were still on the wait list after an hour as everybody and his brother was at the lodge – popular place, so we still don’t know if they left hungry!