paint a dramatic sunset after a winter storm dropped a half-inch of rain on Castle Valley today. A lovely Christmas Eve eve.
UPDATE: This storm elevates the snow water content in the La Sal Mountains to 88% of the historic median.
paint a dramatic sunset after a winter storm dropped a half-inch of rain on Castle Valley today. A lovely Christmas Eve eve.
UPDATE: This storm elevates the snow water content in the La Sal Mountains to 88% of the historic median.
at dusk this evening.
shows dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of outdoor lighting ordinances, engages in dark sky education, and enjoys citizen support of dark skies. Our tiny town of Castle Valley, Utah has finally been so designated by DarkSky International and the formal announcement will be forthcoming after the holidays.
has been left in the high desert below Castleton Tower yesterday, its purpose a mystery. A well-beaten footpath winds about 100 yards/meters from a nearby jeep road to this triangular wooden arch, tall enough that a person could walk through its opening. A small fire ring and several log rounds lay further down the path.
I’ve reported this discovery with images and precise location to the local BLM office in Moab. I’m hoping they will dispatch a crew to inspect/clean/reclaim this disturbance to the landscape.
this autumn have kept the trails in a very rideable and enjoyable condition in Castle Valley National Park. Where is everybody?!
UPDATE: I rode 118 miles last week and hardly saw a soul, except for rabbits, mule deer and birds.
resembling a cinder cone, Round Mountain is most certainly NOT volcanic in origin. It does indeed consist of igneous rock, but in an intrusive body that cooled and crystallized while still under the cover of sedimentary strata, now being exposed by the subsidence of the Castle Valley salt-cored anticline and through erosion.
Oh, yeah, it was a very nice afternoon for a ride.
at the birdbath, rated ‘G’ for general audiences.
in the workshop, the boss hits the trail for a hike on a spectacularly nice day. Busy season is just about to start. Ho ho ho.
mountain bike trail near Castle Creek, where a seasonal unravelling of matrix-supported gravels had failed from the edge of a high fluvial terrace. May have to modify a short section of the trail this coming spring.
is underway, painting the eastern skyline in a spectrum of colors.
in the backyard mountain bike park below Adobe Mesa, after a brief overnight snow squall. Wonderful.
in the brush for a breakfast morsel. This is a smart and determined bird.
rises behind, and nearly silhouettes, Castleton Tower at dusk this evening.
the morning after the Thanksgiving holiday storm. Nine to 20 inches of snow is reported in the high La Sal Mountains.
visits the watering hole early last evening, artfully captured by the infrared trail camera.
in your diet. I’m glad to see that Bugs Buddy is getting his vitamins, minerals and fiber during his foraging around the house.
likes to hammer on stucco and I hope it gets a splitting headache as it does so. It’s an attractive bird, though.
of the largest rocket ever launched, brought to humanity by SpaceX early this morning from south Texas. (Images below from the SpaceX webcast on X.)
Excellent slow-motion high resolution video of the launch: NASASpaceflight.
around the birdbath, caught by the ever-seeing trail camera. I’ve suspected as much since I have to refill the birdbath every morning with several gallons of water now that the irrigation system is turned off for the season.
There’s also a heating element in the bath to keep it from freezing through the winter, so it’s a reliable water source for birds and other wildlife.
UPDATE 16 November 2023: They’ve become regular nocturnal visitors.
is one of my favorites, and here it is enjoying the birdbath this afternoon.