(2560
x 1920)
Mark Twain National Forest,
Missouri on the trip down. Apparently I saw something
interesting...
|
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x 1920)
Foss Lake State Park,
Oklahoma. This is when things really started looking "weird"
|
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x 1920)
A Great Blue Heron at Foss.
|
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x 1920)
Danielle in New Mexico,
sitting in the Jemez River.
|
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x 1920)
Jemez River, New Mexico
|
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x 1920)
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.
A view of Fajada Butte
|
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x 1920)
This was definitely an odd
place to put the tent, but in the Southwest, these are often the only
options!
|
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x 1920)
Anasazi ruins in Chaco Canyon
|
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x 1920)
Looking down on Pueblo Bonito
|
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x 1920)
Looking over the Chaco Canyon
|
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x 1920)
Finally arrived at training
near Golden Shores, Arizona
|
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x 1920)
Our Cowbird traps yielded a
nice Yellow-headed Blackbird.
|
(2560
x 1920)
We had all been at training
for only two days when we spotted this Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.
|
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x 1920)
A Chukar and chick come to drink at the fake babbling brook in Mesquite.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Looking out from
the balcony of our house in Mesquite. Virgin Mountains in the
background and Wolf Creek Golf Course Community in the foreground
|
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x 1920)
The Virgin River as seen from the Recreation Area between St. George
and Mesquite on I15.
|
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x 1920)
Heading south on I15 from
St. George, Utah to Mesquite, Nevada - a 40 minute drive.
|
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x 1920)
Pahranagat National Wildlife
Refuge, our most northern study area. |
(2560
x 1920)
Looking over the upper
Pahranagat Lake
|
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x 1920)
Another treat in the Cowbird
trap: a Lark Sparrow
|
(2560
x 1920)
My favourite
visitor to the traps, an adult male Gambel's Quail, easily my favourite
bird in the southwest (no offense to the WIFL's!)
|
(2560
x 1920)
The habitat in Pahranagat.
Chest waders were a necessity at the beginning of the season.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Cholla cactus growing south
of Tucson, Arizona.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Another view of the "cactus garden".
|
(2560
x 1920)
These pictures are all from
the same area. Just had
to pull over...
|
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x 1920)
No trip to the
Southwest would be complete without a picture of the Saguaro cactus.
Most of the ones we saw, though, were while driving 80MPH on
the
highway. |
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x 1920)
Sedona, Arizona...
Too nice for just one night!
|
(2560
x 1920)
Wolf Creek Golf Course, home
for the summer. Something about all this water in the desert
doesn't seem right.
|
(2560
x 1920)
The Virgin Mountains and the
SWCA truck and ATV's as seen from our soon-to-be demolished front yard
(can't stop progress!) |
(2560
x 1920)
Zion National Park, on the
road to Kolob Reservoir.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Zion...
|
(2560
x 1920)
Camping at the Kolob
Reservoir in Zion, up past most of the trees other than Trembling Aspen.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Valley of Fire,
just north of Las Vegas. While its namesake is the red rock,
the
low elevation gives the name a double meaning: it is hot during the day!
|
(2560
x 1920)
A natural arch in Valley of
Fire
|
(2560
x 1920)
The ATV drive down to Mormon
Mesa, beautiful in the morning, scorching in the afternoon!
|
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x 1920)
A view of Virgin Peak while
going down to the Mesa.
|
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x 1920)
Another shot of the ride back. Somehow the heat doesn't make
it through to the photo, but trust me: It was HOT!
|
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x 1920)
A Cholla of some sort along
our ride. With 13 miles to our farthest site, there was
plenty of time for sightseeing.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Barrel Cactus.
There were a scattered few near our parking spot...
|
(2560
x 1920)
This view is right
from where we park the truck. It typifies the local desert
views,
with mountain and mesa in the background, and Joshua Tree in the
foreground. The barrel cactus was an added bonus.
|
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x 1920)
A better look at the common
Joshua Tree.
|
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x 1920)
The second four-day vacation found us going to Utah. This is
Cedar Breaks National Monument |
(2560
x 1920)
Took a hike around the rim,
with lots of great pictures to be had...
|
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x 1920)
Another picture of the rim.
At 10,500 feet the main trees are Firs; walking
through them felt like boreal Ontario. |
(2560
x 1920)
By the way, 10,500 feet is
high enough to have snow in early June. I didn't expect I'd
be making a snowball that weekend! |
(2560
x 1920)
Bristlecone pine.
The oldest of this species was about 4800 years old.
This one is
not nearly that old, but still an impressive tree. |
(2560
x 1920)
A montane meadow, which
looked like a good spot for a picnic lunch.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Bryce Canyon National Park.
Similar to Cedar Breaks but lower in elevation, bigger, and
much much busier.
|
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x 1920)
Another view from the rim of
Bryce Canyon
|
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x 1920)
After walking along the rim
for a couple miles, we start heading down into the canyon itself
|
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x 1920)
Another couple miles later
and we're heading out the other side and up to where we started from.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Through the looking glass at Bryce
|
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x 1920)
The view from the front
porch at the Pahranagat bunkhouse
|
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x 1920)
Wildflowers growing off a
cliff-face near Charleston Peak |
(2560
x 1920)
Charleston Peak, southwest
of Las Vegas
|
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x 1920)
Red Rock Canyon
|
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x 1920)
My "campsite" on my second
trip to Valley of Fire; just a sleeping pad on the rocks and under the
stars. |
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x 1920)
Valley of Fire
|
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x 1920)
In the morning when I woke up, I noticed that I was sleeping 10 feet
below a series of petroglyphs! |
(2560
x 1920)
A Giant Sequoia tree.
Their size cannot be imagined until you stand beside one.
|
(2560
x 1920)
This Sequoia had fallen,
then had been chopped up. For whatever reason, the job was
not finished.
|
(2560
x 1920)
A mountain skyline in
Sequoia National Monument
|
(2560
x 1920)
A rocky outcropping in
Sequoia.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Interventionist
Art at its best. Some would call it graffiti or vandalism but
seeing this rendition of "Low Flying Aircraft" sure made my day!
|
(2560
x 1920)
My second trip to Zion
National Park
|
(2560
x 1920)
This time I visited the main
area; definitely the most busy, but spectacular
|
(2560
x 1920)
The hike up to Angel's
Landing
|
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x 1920)
A triumphant moment captured
by Mr. Tom Magarian. Actually, we had yet to climb the ridge
to my left. |
(2560
x 1920)
Yet another view of the
Virgin River Gorge from Angel's Landing
|
(2560
x 1920)
Although this is
actually Tom's tent, if I had had mine set up here, it would have been
an identical picture (mine was 15 feet away and without this view)
|
(2560
x 1920)
The Virgin River as seen
from Zion National Park(ing lot)
|
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x 1920)
One last view of Zion before
leaving
|
(2560
x 1920)
One of our better trails in
the habitat. Usually they are not this open!
|
(2560
x 1920)
Me and Alana doing veg in
Overton
|
(2560
x 1920)
Overton Wildlife Management
Area
|
(2560
x 1920)
Three Willow Flycatcher
nestlings waiting to be banded at Nest 31B
|
(2560
x 1920)
Sarah holding a nestling right before banding. |
(2560
x 1920)
One of the siblings calmly
waiting its turn in the bird bag
|
(2560
x 1920)
Me walking through the "Mud
Trail" in our Mesquite study area
|
|
(2560
x 1920)
Sarah and I doing veg at the
end of the year in Pahranagat, when all the water and mud is gone.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Me taking a soil moisture
reading. It sure is nice to wear shorts to work for a change!
|
(2560
x 1920)
Joshua Trees south of the
Pahranagat bunkhouse
|
(2560
x 1920)
Once away from the lake, the
Pahranagat area turns to desert within a couple hundred meters
|
|
On
my very last day I finally decided to climb one of the nearby
"mountains" at Pahranagat
|
(2560
x 1920)
Once at the summit, I
realized I
was nearly the highest point within view. The bunkhouse was
merely a tiny green speck near the center of the photo
|
(2560
x 1920)
Very nice WIFL habitat in
Key Pitman, and a very nice
trail!
|
(2560
x 1920)
On my way home at the end of the season. A storm rolls over
the Wyoming plains, with the Tetons in the background.
|
(2560
x 1920)
At the foot of the Grand Tetons.
|
(2560
x 1920)
A most impressive skyline
|
(2560
x 1920)
I wish I had more time than just a morning to spend here.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Rising abruptly out of the sagebrush, Grand Teton peak reaches almost
14000 feet. |
(2560
x 1920)
Last view of the Tetons as they recede into the horizon
|
(2560
x 1920)
Into Yellowstone National Park
|
(2560
x 1920)
One of the famous geysers.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Between the hot springs, geysers and mineral deposits this was a very
surreal landscape. |
(2560
x 1920)
Although a beautiful park, getting a shot without people in it was
difficult. This was the epitome of Ed Abbey's term National
Parking Lot |
(2560
x 1920)
The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
|
(2560
x 1920)
Yellowstone Falls consists of an Upper and Lower section,
both impressive in size.
|
(2560
x 1920)
A closer view of one of the falls.
|
(2560
x 1920)
No camping spots were to be found within Yellowstone so I set up just
outside the eastern edge.
|
(2560
x 1920)
I think this backyard view was better than any I would have had within
the park!
|
(2560
x 1920)
The Badlands of South Dakota
|
(2560
x 1920)
I stopped here for a brief hour-long visit, having time for no more on
my rushed trip home. |
