not bleak and gray

I have heard some people say the deserts and the sagebrush steppe look bleak and colorless. I would like to correct that notion... below: buckwheat, horsemint, lupine, phlox, arrowleaf balsamroot, and an unidentified flower.








A few people have commented that the pictures of the sagebrush look bleak and colorless. It can be at first glance, but if you look closer, its actually very colorful. Below: buckwheat, horsemint, lupine, phlox, arrowleaf balsamroot, and an unidentified flower.

Thousand Creek Canyon

Thousand Creek Canyon is one of the more dramatically scenic and commonly visited areas of Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. But...since Sheldon is out in the middle of the sagebrush, commonly visited does not mean the same thing it would in a national park. We hiked all day without seeing anyone else, and the trail marked on the map turned out to not really be a trail.

And, we saw (and caught) awesome herps. This lizard displayed quite the rock climbing prowess, and we also found this pacific treefrog. And subsequently lapsed into biology dorkiness and had a debate about whether it was in the genus Pseudacris or Hyla. In case you were wondering, it's Pseudacris regilla.

the birds are nesting

With the snow and cold behind us (hopefully!) the birds are nesting and beginning to have fledgelings. This vesper sparrow is singing to defend his territory.

Brewers sparrow nest in a clump of bluebunch wheatgrass.

A vesper sparrow nestling, still at that stage where nestlings are very strange and ugly looking.


There is a sparrow sitting on a nest in this sagebrush. Can you see it? When incubating, birds often won't flush until you're about a foot away. Thus, one nest finding method is to wander around hitting likely looking shrubs with a nest stick. Some species won't move even if you poke them with a nest stick.

Another Snowstorm

This morning, I thought I heard rain at 3am. When I opened my tent flap, it turned out that it was actually snow. The sagebrush was snowcapped, the sparrow nests have surely failed, someone made a snowman and dressed him up like a field biologist, and we took a town day. But, here are some pictures of my nest searching plots from before the entire refuge turned white.

I have two plots on Badger Mountain where I search for nests. This plot has a lovely hike in, through basalt canyons, burned mahogany stands, and a cliff with a resident prairie falcon. But – the area is also patrolled by a herd of feral (wild) horses. Many days I cautiously skirt the herd while the stallion stares me down in order to get to my plot.

This plot sits on a north facing slope that holds plenty of water, and has lovely meadows and wildflowers. Below: Lupine leaves, Bluebells, two pictures above: field of arrowleaf balsamroot.

Salvaged Photos

I have a camera again... here are some months old pictures from Utah I was finally able to retrieve.
Joshua trees outside Red Rocks, Nevada (home of the red rocks climbing festival!)

Never leave your tent unzipped during a dust storm, West Desert, Utah.

Some crazies rigged this slackline above this 100 foot chasm to tightrope walk across... Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, St. George, Utah.

Another view of the desert reserve, where I would climb and run.


Easter Day - hike to the Northgate Peaks in Zion.


The day after Easter - Eric killed the easter bunny.

Sheldon

We found a small patch of snow in the middle of the sagebrush desert and went skiing.


My home for the summer.

It's been raining/snowing for the past week. In the desert. It makes doing dishes interesting, working difficult, and showering something we don't bother with (too cold outside).


Our ground squirrel which lives near Badger Cabin had babies, and they are pretty cute.


Storm rolling in over Sheldon as seen from the Bog Hot hot springs.

Travels

Before starting the drive to Nevada and Sheldon NWR, Michelle and I met up in Moab and immediately set off to Potash Road to go rock climbing, setting up topropes on slabs overlooking the Colorado River.

We were fortunate enough to run into some climbers from Colorado who let us try the crack climbs they had set up – climbs out of our reach to set up as we lack both the thousand dollars needed to buy cams and the knowledge to set them. The climbs were awesome – and by making it up this one (below) I won a bet and two of the climbers took us out for dinner.

The next two days were also spent climbing, with breaks at noon to hide from the desert heat and take naps. And then, onward to Nevada and summer jobs. We drove out of the sandstone, up into the Wasatch mountains, foolishly did not stop for gas in Salt Lake City, and headed past the Salt Lake into the Bonneville Salt Flats. As we drove west, the ground turned to a hard, flat crust of salt, and my gas low light came on. The towns marked on the map turned out not to be (as is often the case in the west).

We walked out onto the salt flats, onto the perfectly flat crust of salt covering the valley. Despite the heat of the day, it was cool there, the white surface absorbed no heat. We stopped to see the sign regarding land speed records (no mention of motorcycles, only cars), then continued driving, and were lucky enough to find a gas station before I became stranded in the desert. Below: modern art in the salt flats.

We camped in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada, as the national forest promised free camping. But… the mountains were still snowed in, and we were forced to pitch our tent by the side of the road. We ate a pack of bacon and a half dozen eggs in order to have energy to stay warm and not get hypothermia, and amused ourselves watching the silly turkeys at our campsite.

The next day we made it to Sheldon NWR and Badger Cabin, home for the summer.