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Author Archives: Teri J Pieper

One Last Hike

It was our final day in Utah and I started with breakfast at the Eklectica Cafe and then the girls and I went to the Moab Barkery and I went to the Back of the Beyond Bookstore. No doubt there are many other highlights in Moab but we really needed to get out and walk again. At an outdoor store, Grandstaff Canyon was recommended. It was a short distance from town so there were a few cars in the parking lot but not too many. A sign at the trailhead warned of poison ivy and said the dogs might brush up against it and not be affected, however a person could get it from her dogs. Great. Well, I already knew that but hadn’t considered I’d be running into poison ivy on trails in Utah.

We went anyway and were rewarded with a delightful canyon with a clear creek running through it. Also lots of fall colors. And at the end of the canyon was Morning Glory Bridge. It was another good hike.

First we had a walk around the campground
Dying pinyon pine
Oak
poison ivy
The shady spots never thawed out
Red dirt dogs
This is a vertical wall under the arch and water was pouring out of it.
The bridge has a span of 243 feet, making it the sixth longest natural rock span in the United States.
Morning Glory Bridge

Sunset over the Colorado

We were lucky to find Dead Horse Point State Park not busy. It is the most popular state park in Utah for good reason. It sits high above the Canyonlands National Park with incredible views down into the Colorado River’s winding canyon. The layers of rock are highlighted by the rising and setting sun. It’s a popular place with photographers and I saw a number of them with their tripods at sunset. After dark, the place had wonderful dark night skies. No ambient light in sight from our camp. The moon was bright enough that I did not need my head lamp to get around at night. And it was very quiet. After staying at RV parks near busy highways, it was a relief to be in such a beautiful place again.

Those ponds are solar evaporation ponds for a potash mine.
Ever-changing light

 

Back to Utah

We woke the next morning to even colder weather. It was 11 degrees Fahrenheit. 11. In a tent trailer. And the forecast said it was not going to get warmer. So I fed the dogs, made a quick cup of coffee and some tea in a thermos and two PBJ sandwiches and quickly folded up the camper. In near record time. I looked at weather forecasts for other parts of New Mexico, SW Colorado and into Utah. The warmest place was Moab so we headed north. It took much of the day but we pulled into the sprawling tourist town around 4:30 and found a dog-friendly hotel and settled in for a warm night.

In the morning we drove to Fisher Towers for a wonderful hike in the red rock country. It was a great hike with panoramic views over the Colorado River and into the rugged Onion Creek area to the south. The towers themselves are incredible pinnacles of red rock, attractive to rock climbers.

See the climbers?
Now you can see them.
This could be a bit of an obstacle
We found a way around it
I watched that shadow move across the rock
Hurry – you wouldn’t believe what’s around that corner!
Looking back to the Colorado River
Can you see the blue spot? That’s a paraglider or something like it. Why would they want to land there?
We had to navigate this steep slot to get around the place with the ladder
Can you see the guy on top of the rock?
Now can you see him?
Now there is a person on top of the middle rock.
Best hiking dogs ever
Best hiking dogs ever

Bernardo Wildlife Area

The Bernardo Wildlife Area was just minutes from our campsite. I had read a small article about it in the National Audubon magazine so I knew it could be a good spot to see cranes and I had driven by it before setting up the camper earlier in the day. We went there for sunset and were not disappointed. And the next day it was even better at sunset. With colder weather and more wind, I never did get back to Bosque.

Bernardo had a very nice, short auto route and several really nice blinds for watching wildlife. The best part (besides the birds) was that no one was there! And the dogs could get out of the car. They are pretty good bird watchers. Sometimes all of us stayed in the car and used it as a blind to watch and make photos. They watched and listened while I made photos.

This is a rest area featuring bird blinds with picnic tables overlooking the Seviletta National Wildlife Refuge.
The entry to a bird blind
Sky is watching birds
Not like that Sky
Two rooster pheasants near another blind
I love the way cranes come in for a landing
I wonder if these coyotes thought they were going to get a crane for dinner?
Cranes were constantly coming and going both evenings.

Bosque del Apache

We continued to travel south, staying at another RV park without goatheads this time, north of Socorro. I wanted to see wintering Sandhill Cranes and other birds at Bosque del Apache, a National Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande valley. After setting up camp, we headed for the refuge and spent the afternoon in the visitors’ center and driving one of the auto tours. The dogs spent the whole time in the car so as not to disturb the wildlife. The weather was cold and windy, not the best for bird watching and photography but I made the best of it.

Sandhill Cranes
female Northern Harrier
Harriers hunt by hovering and pouncing on small mammals
Snow Geese