Stop 1 of 11 (Site 1b) 

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Pedestal Rock - The leaning mushroom-shaped rock in the foreground is termed a pedestal rock   Making a pedestal rock simply requires a narrow base.  Granite, however, isn't made with this type of a shape. Granite comes in cubish-shaped blocks. 

To turn a cube of bedrock granite into a pedestal takes several steps.  First, the bottom of the block is stuck in the soil and the top of the block sticks out of the ground. Second, the part of block in the soil decays (weathers) faster than the part sticking out of the ground.  This is because the water in the soil stays in contact with the granite longer. Water breaks down granitic rocks, like this example, into sand-sized particles called grus, seen here:

The third step is the erosion of the grus.  As the grus erodes away, the base of the pedestal narrows. Eventually, the rock's narrow base no longer supports its own weight and topples.