Dramatic cloudscapes...

have been occurring the last couple of weeks, thanks to the monsoonal weather pattern that seems to have arrived early this summer.

Round Mountain, the focus of powerful metaphysical forces, at least according to some people.

In case of fire...

this 6,000 gallon tanker truck is loaded, locked and ready to rock. Let’s hope it’s not needed this fire season but it’s ready to go, positioned at the Castle Valley Fire Station 1 on the Castleton Road.

Sojourn to the Solstice Snake Panel...

in Pritchett Canyon today, to witness the play of light on the elusive rock art panel around the longest day of the year. Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!

The light of the Sun is controlled by a narrow gap in the sandstone fin just before noon.

The illuminated “arrowhead” pierces the snake’s head for a couple of minutes at approximately 11:15 am, with this phenomenon occurring only during a several day period around the summer solstice. I was there so you didn’t have to be.

This is a huge petroglyph, spanning 17 feet (5.2 meters) in length. And it’s the only glyph on this beautifully varnished sandstone wall, perhaps suggesting its special significance.

Nearby and much smaller Warrior Panel, about five feet (1.5 meters) in width.

The digits: 9.43 miles with 1,624 foot ascent in moderate hiking conditions. I’m not going to post my GPS track in order to maintain the secrecy of the location of this special panel.

Sunset on the summer solstice...

in Castle Valley finds that the projected shadow of Castleton Tower points directly at the prow of Adobe Mesa. I caught the apparition on my evening ride, waiting patiently at this vantage point for the shadow to sweep across the lower slopes. Magnificent.

Click image to embiggen.

Pre-sunset panorama showing lengthening shadows as dusk approaches on the longest day of the year.

A well situated open air pit toilet...

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.

The Slickrock Bike Trail...

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.

One year ago today...

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.

The magnificent expanse...

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).

A new and exciting addition...

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.

Relocating rock squirrels...

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.