bring out rainbows.
Mostly a glorified campground...
with minimal paleontological interpretation, future visitors to Utahraptor State Park are likely to be somewhat disappointed. The local chapter of the Utah Friends of Paleontology hosted a presentation delivered by park manager Joshua Hansen this evening where he provided some details on the new park being developed north of Moab.
Vibrant red wildflowers...
are now igniting the high desert with hot spots of brilliant color.
High power rockets soared today...
above Ray’s Mesa in a remote corner of the Grand Valley in Colorado, just west of Grand Junction near the state line, organized and coordinated by the local Warp Core rocketry club. About a dozen men of all ages participated in the event and huge fun was had by all.
Catching a noontime nap...
in a secluded and shaded spot beneath rabbitbrush, Bugs Buddy catches up on some Z’s.
A reliable early bloomer...
is bursting forth in Castle Valley.
The point of legal diversion...
of Castle Creek where most of the streamflow is routed into a sluice which then enters a 1.8 mile-long (2.9 km) pipe and is ultimately delivered to a farm’s irrigation headworks lower in the valley. The natural river channel is mostly dry for the next two miles until the point where excess water is returned to the creek.
Two observations: 1) It’s not exactly a healthy riparian system, and 2) blue tarps have limitless applications.
Castleton Tower casts a sharp shadow...
on the face of Adobe Mesa at sunset during this time of year. The shadow will slowly creep further westward (to the right) over the next two months when it will nearly align with the prominent prow on the summer solstice. The Tower is nature’s sundial, a natural time-keeping gnomon.
More senseless closures...
of long existing roads in Castle Valley by the tools at the Bureau of Land Management. This one will make vehicular-assisted evacuations in case of search and rescue at Castleton Tower a bit more problematic. Real smart.
One of the closure signs recently installed by the BLM elsewhere in Castle Valley and shown in a previous blog post has already been ripped down. Hayduke lives!
The Ken's Lake Proving Ground...
in the southern Spanish Valley is a nice alternative launch site for higher powered rockets. Several were fired off today.
Today's partial solar eclipse...
as captured from Castle Valley, Utah. Peak eclipse occurs here at 12:32 pm MDT and the Sun’s orb will only be 58% obscured by the Moon.
The next total solar eclipse to transit North America will track through central Utah on 12 August 2045. Stay tuned.
My favorite overwintering avian companion...
is enjoying the arrival of spring despite its bloodshot eyes.
Winter is hanging on...
in the high country with the La Sals completely immersed in a huge snow squall.
One week past the historic median peak, based on more than 40 years of record in the La Sal Mountains, the SNOTEL network reports there is 129% of the median snow water equivalent in the snowpack. Most excellent.
Slipping into Arches National Park...
on the loveliest of spring days, my neighbor and I rode our eMTBs on the original entrance road - Willow Springs Road - a 20 mile (32 km) out-and-back from the highway. The nicest day of the year, so far.
Using this perfectly functional trailhead toilet...
is verboten according to Grand County bureaucrats, thereby encouraging unprepared climbers and hikers to dig cat holes along the trail in order to dispose of human waste. All because of missing paperwork. Brilliant!
It is prime time spring climbing season at Castleton Tower, and an administrative waiver could have been granted to keep this site open during the heaviest use of the year. Easy.
No fooling around...
this morning with the launch of a small rocket to celebrate a friend’s birthday and the arrival of April.
Spring arrives in the high desert...
in southern Utah, with the first splashes of bright color displayed by the common Indian paintbrush.
Another public lands closure...
for purely bureaucratic reasons, Grand County closes the popular climber’s camp at Castleton Tower. Your government at work. Absolutely and indefensibly ridiculous.
Some details here: Castle Valley Comments and here.
The most dramatic sunsets...
in Castle Valley occur when stormy skies begin to clear around sundown, as clouds rip apart and permit the last low-angle rays of the Sun to flare on the eastern skyline. This evening is such an evening.
A growing club of rocketeers...
gathered this morning at the Round Mountain Missile Proving Range. It’s not a very diverse group. Heh.