On the road again

Where to start ? Friday morning (30) I checked out from being an employee and went to look for my mail package. By 4pm I had the verdict, no mail envelope today. A very frustrating afternoon
...... I headed south past Willow Flats, the autumn colors were beautiful, and continued to Jackson Hole for groceries. South of Jackson Hwy 191 goes thru Hoback Canyon, a steep walled canyon with a few sporadic bushes holding the talus in place. Golden Aspens splashed the upper mountainsides with bright colors, contrasting with dark conifers. Two wildfires were burning along 191: one seemed to be in the southwest corner of the park and the other was beyond Bondurant. It was getting dark quickly so I spent the night near Pinedale, WY.
Sunday morning I backtracked a little to join Hwy 189 South. The grassy plains seemed dry and held few trees. Pronghorn antelope bounded across the fields. Ravens and Black-billed Magpies foraged on several dead animals along the highway edges. Cottonwoods grew in roadside ditches and along Green River. An interesting historic sign gave details of the Green River Rendezvous. From 1826 - 1840 beaver trappers would meet each summer to sell the beaver pelts, and celebrate the summer season.
I drove on thru Kemmerer and had lunch in Evanston. The landscape was so dry. Three cowboys chased after their cattle in brown grass fields.
Leaving the interstate behind, I turned south on Hwy 150 toward Wasatch National Forest. Mirror Lake Scenic Byway is a beautiful road thru the forest. Aspens were again glowing golden against the Spruce and Firs. Small alpine lakes were pretty. The Uinta Mountains Wilderness Area looked like a wonderful place for hiking. High point along the byway was over 10,500 ft.
Wasatch NF is heavily used by the residents of the cities around Great Salt Lake. The entrance fee (Adventure Pass) is $ 7.00 for 1 - 3 days. Campgrounds are $ 18.00 per night. A thunderstorm was forming over the Uintas, and rain sprinkled me while I was hiking near Mirror Lake. I continued on, leaving the NF, and the high country.
.......I passed thru Provo quickly and turned east on Hwy 6, Provo Canyon was beautiful. 10 - 15 miles down Hwy 6 I found a small road with a parking space at the end. Junipers and Rabbitbrush decorated hillsides. Good enough for tonight.
......Sunday morning greeted me with a strong breeze blowing up the canyon. Small towns of Helper and Price had a history of mining and railroads. The landscape from Price to Green River was dry, naked earth with an occasional clump of dry grass. Grey-brown soil had eroded into arroyos by now dried creeks. From Hwy 70 I turned south on 24 to Goblin Valley State Park.
Pink canyons, red and white striped walls of sandstone, and brick-red short, rounded formations are all part of the scene at Goblin Valley. The goblins are fun-sized, and seem more friendly than the tall hoodoos at other locations. I did a wonderful hike in the slot canyon, Little Wild Horse Canyon.
Photos from Grand Tetons Park, Willow Flats and a deer at Spaulding Bay.

Season Finale

Cabin Office closed today, all the guests have departed, all the other visitor services have closed as well. I will be helping another department for a few days and will be heading south by the end of the week.
Aspen trees are turning yellow in certain areas. I have heard a few Elk bugling in the distance. Bison are acting frisky, snorting and rolling in the dirt.
The last adventure of the season was a paddling trip. A co-worker and I launched kayaks just below Jackson Dam and paddled the Snake River south to a well-used take out location. The Snake is a one-way river, as the current is strong. We left her car at the take-out area. It was a beautiful morning, with the willows and bushes in Autumn dress. A Bald Eagle flew from a tree on the river's edge, over our heads and disappeared into the forest. The water is so clear I could see fish swimming near the bottom.
........The adventure of leaving WY has yet to be written.
Photos of the north end of Jackson Lake, and a surprise encounter with 2 Sandhill Cranes near Spaulding Bay.

more photos from tram hike

A hillside of Lewis's flax, with Alpine sunflower, and yellow paintbrush.
Trees have a hard life at 10,400 ft.
Rendezvous Mountain

After Labor Day

Several guest service buildings are now closed for the Winter. All the horses have been trailered away from the corrals, the cafeteria is closed, activities booth has been shut down, and the visitor center has shortened hours. Its good to be able sell a night of cabin lodging to people who have no reservations. The cabins were 100% filled for 3 months.
...........Avian notes: The lone CAL Gull has returned to the Marina. Barn Swallows nesting on the grocery store building have successfully fledged 4 young ones. I saw the entire family sitting on a street light arm a few days ago. White Pelicans have departed from Oxbow Lake, replaced by a group of American Wigeons.
...........Yesterday I drove to Jackson Hole and beyond to Teton Village. My coupon for a free ride up the tram was accepted, and I ascended to 10,400 ft with other visitors. Mountain views to the south and west were amazing. Forest fires burning to the southeast were pushing smoke up the valley and made for hazy views in that direction. Alpine tundra flowers are still blooming in some places, and a few tree islands sheltered Yellow-rump Warblers and Chickadees. Clark's Nutcrackers flew between the tree islands gathering seeds and hiding them. These birds have phenomenal memories and can remember the location of buried seeds far into the winter.
The experience of hiking above tree-line was truly wonderful. In 2 months this area will be covered with snow.
Photos of kayaking on String Lake, Gentian blooming at 10,400 ft, and trees close to tree-line.

Seasons are a-changing

The effects of Hurricane Irene were felt way out here by some of the guests. Several people told me, "We were on the last flight out of JFK airport, or out of Washington DC, or . . . . I offered our office phone and extra chairs to families stranded in the park. Flights back home had been cancelled and their reservations had run out. Travelers were "on hold" for up to 1 1/2 hours trying to re-schedule their flights.
Monday afternoon I did a short hike to Grand View Point, walking through a lovely Aspen-Fir forest. Hillsides were golden in the late afternoon sun. It made a pretty scene with the craggy mountains behind in filtered light from the approaching thunderhead clouds. Leaves of the Arrowhead have dried and are rattling in the wind. Willows and bushes are turning yellow. Only the late summer flowers, the Asters and Goldenrods, are still blooming. Fields where the Bison are grazing have become brown and dusty green. I saw a Pronghorn Antelope running along the edge of the Bison herd, nearly invisible in the brown grasses.
The early mornings are cooler now. I took Dolphin-kayak out to String Lake where there are a few birds left. Pink-sided Juncos and Red-breasted Nuthatches are calling from the trees. I watched a Warbling Vireo feed a begging juvenile sitting on a branch. There is not much time for the second brood to grow up and get ready for migration.
........Photos of Coralroot with the fruiting bodies, and the view to the east from Grand View Point. The mountains in the national forest are more rounded.

Yellowstone again

Enticed by a report of Gray Partridge in Bozeman, MT I decided on another bird adventure. The very good shorebird migration locations in Montana are too far away for a short visit, so I opted for less driving to Bozeman. I selected a route past Midway Geyser Basin to Madison, exiting the park at West Yellowstone. Hwy 191 follows the Gallatin River going north. This is a popular area for fly fishing and white water rafting. The landscape moves from being heavily forested to a steep walled canyon, to open sagebrush flats. T'was a very scenic drive. A thunderstorm was breaking over Bozeman as I arrived, causing me to take shelter in a coffee shop until the storm passed.
........ Early the next morning I found Sourdough Trail, part of a network of trails maintained by the local Rotary Club. The trail protects a riparian corridor between 2 housing areas and a golf course. Black-billed Magpies were dominant. I also saw a Song Sparrow, Yellow Warblers, Evening Grosbeaks, and a few Mallards. Backyard feeders of a house had attracted both Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, as well as Common Grackles and House Finches.
......Birds had slowed down by mid-morning on this warm Summer day so I left town and headed south, back to the park. A few hours later I was standing on the edge of a natural wonder, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The falls were thundering, roaring down the canyon. Late afternoon sun made this a spectacular scene.
I saw Ospreys nesting on a rock spire, part of the canyon wall, and being fed by a parent. No predators will climb up to bother this nest !! At another viewpoint I watched a Clark's Nutcracker bill-wiping several times on a branch.
The next morning I launched my kayak at Bridge Bay marina and paddled out into the sparkling blue waters of Yellowstone Lake. Its a huge lake and I stayed close to the shore. Wildflowers are still blooming near the lake edge, watered by small trickles of water flowing into the lake.
.........Around Colter Bay I was beginning to think the forests were totally devoid of avian life, when a Cassin's Finch showed up yesterday afternoon. This morning, behind Jackson Lake Lodge, I watched 2 Sandhill Cranes fly over. Several minutes later I heard other SH Cranes calling. That really is a sign of Fall when the Cranes are migrating.
.......Photos of Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Rainbow in the mist of the waterfalls, and West Thumb Geyser Basin.

more photos from hiking

Purple flower is called Elephant's head (notice the tusk-like feature)

A little Pika among the rocks.

and, a Glacier Lily, the last of this season's blooms.