with a commanding view of Castleton Tower can be found at the primitive climbers’ camp, owned and managed by Utah Open Lands, on the Castleton Road in Castle Valley.
Contemplation station.
Well-stickered donation pipe and information kiosk.
It’s a nice campsite but I worry about some knucklehead starting a fire, especially this time of year.
tending to its web this morning.
Immature black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans).
is arguably the classic mountain bike trail in the Moab area. I spent three hours in the cool early morning cranking around the ~10 mile route on a rolling sandstone surface that is awesomely fun to ride. Be assured that this trail is appropriately rated ‘difficult’ and it’s a workout even on an eMTB.
Map and trail information posted at the trailhead.
A seemingly endless but complexly eroded surface of Navajo Sandstone on which the Slickrock Trail meanders. (Click on image to enlarge.)
View of Moab and Spanish Valley and The Portal, the Colorado River canyon to the right of center. (Click on image to enlarge.)
L to R: Colorado River canyon, high La Sal Mountains and Shrimp Rock. (Click image to enlarge.)
Critical intersections are well marked on the popular trail, and I couldn’t be happier with my new Trek Powerfly 4 eMTB.
My GPS track superimposed on Google Earth.
Here’s the trail information at MTB Project.
the Pack Creek fire erupted and filled the southern sky with smoke, ultimately burning nearly 9,000 acres in the La Sal Mountains, all due to a recklessly abandoned campfire. Here’s an image from that sad day.
Smoke plume from Pack Creek fire taken on 10 June 2021.
of Castle Valley, Utah, seen in this panoramic view towards the south, captured early this evening from a perch below Parriott Mesa. I am so very fortunate that this is my back yard.
L to R: Castleton Tower, Adobe Mesa, La Sal Mountains, Round Mountain and Porcupine Rim (click image to enlarge).
to my family of bikes, the Trek Powerfly 4 eMTB. I’ve wanted to broaden my access to more technical trails, narrower single track as well as steep slickrock where the RadRover does not perform very well.
2022 Trek Powerfly 4 eMTB with large frame and 29 x 2.3 inch tires, hydraulic disc brakes and Bosch CE crank motor. I’m eager to hit the trail in the cool of the evening shortly after sundown.
was digitally tallied this morning on my RadRover 5 eMTB during my early ride below Parriott Mesa. I’ve had the bike about a year and a half and ride it nearly daily. Yep, it’s that fun.
has been added to my array of kinetic toys.
is going well, having captured and released five (5) so far. A nearby neighbor is doing the same, releasing his in the same area where I release mine, painting his tails blue while I paint my tails orange.
Orange-tagged rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus) enjoying a ride to a new home.
Afternoon update: Make that seven. Got another one. I suspect one more may be lurking at my place.
This afternoon’s evictee, already painted with an orange tail and ready to travel to its new home.
in this macro view of the common salsify wildflower.
Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) fruiting head.
has thick thighs used to fight other males. Here’s one on a yucca plant defending its kingdom.
Leaf-footed bug (Acanthocephala spp.) about one inch long (2.5 cm).
are still regularly visiting my feeder, and here’s one caught in the soft light of sunrise.
Adult male Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) in breeding plumage.
last night with the Milky Way rising above Round Mountain early this morning.
Core of the Milky Way galaxy arcing above silhouetted Round Mountain. (Click image to enlarge.)
landscape right now, with a number of plants at their peak. Put on your sunglasses. Here’s a sample captured during my morning ride.
Rough mule’s ears (Wyethia scabra) and my awesome RadRover 5 (sporting brand new tires).
Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) and the Priest and Nuns, the Rectory and Castleton Tower (L to R).
Prince’s plume (Stanleya pinnata).
in the blossoming prickly pear cacti (genus Opuntia) in my rock garden.
was accomplished today with my neighbor on our eMTBs in nearby Onion Creek, a collapsed salt-cored anticline in its early stage of development.
The Narrows in Onion Creek. Note my friend in the highlighted orange circle in the center of the image.
The contact between the gypsum caprock of the Pennsylvanian-age Paradox Formation (left) and overlying red sandstones and conglomerates of the Early Permian age Cutler Formation (right). Note the orientation of the dipping red beds relative to the Paradox diapir.
Exposure of the highly deformed Paradox Formation at the heart of the Onion Creek diapir. Odiferous Stinking Spring, containing sulfur-reducing bacteria, occurs at this location.
Technical article (pdf): Moab salt-intruded anticline, east-central Utah.
in the cottonwood trees this morning for a raiding band of jays, hungrily gleaning seeds and dead tent caterpillars from the canopy.
Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus).
Click image to enlarge.
on outdoor gear that is used in rough and rugged environments. Here’s the screen of my Garmin Fenix 6X Pro watch after a tumble several days ago. Gulp. Then I realized I had put a screen protector on the three year old device when first purchased. The Gorilla Glass used in the watch screen is entirely unscratched. Brilliant.
today in Castle Valley as a friend and neighbors visit. Warning: Don’t ride one unless you want to buy one.
Two RadRover 5 ebikes on the left with two RadRover 6 ebikes on the right (rightmost is step-through frame).