from the most beautiful place on Earth.
The last rays of the day...
paint a dramatic sunset after a winter storm dropped a half-inch of rain on Castle Valley today. A lovely Christmas Eve eve.
(Click on image to enlarge.)
UPDATE: This storm elevates the snow water content in the La Sal Mountains to 88% of the historic median.
Portrait of a young muley buck...
at dusk this evening.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
A "Dark Sky Community"...
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.
The Milky Way above Adobe Mesa (left) and Castleton Tower, the Rectory and Priest and Nuns (right) as captured from Professor Valley in June 2021. (Click on image to enlarge.)
An unusual artifact...
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.
Relatively dry conditions...
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.
Despite its volcanic appearance...
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.
Hand specimen of the trachyte porphyry found in Round Mountain. Note the large, white crystals of sanidine feldspar, evidence of its igneous origin.
Oh, yeah, it was a very nice afternoon for a ride.
Full frontal Flicker...
at the birdbath, rated ‘G’ for general audiences.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus).
While the elves toil away...
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.
Recent mass wasting along the singletrack...
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.
A technicolor sunset...
is underway, painting the eastern skyline in a spectrum of colors.
First tracks on freshly fallen flurries...
in the backyard mountain bike park below Adobe Mesa, after a brief overnight snow squall. Wonderful.
Laying the ground work...
in the brush for a breakfast morsel. This is a smart and determined bird.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus).
November's Beaver Moon...
rises behind, and nearly silhouettes, Castleton Tower at dusk this evening.
Click on image to embiggenate.
Twelve hours later, early the following morning, the full Beaver Moon sets behind Porcupine Rim.
The first frosting of Castle Valley...
the morning after the Thanksgiving holiday storm. Nine to 20 inches of snow is reported in the high La Sal Mountains.
A handsome buck...
visits the watering hole early last evening, artfully captured by the infrared trail camera.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
Leafy greens are important...
in your diet. I’m glad to see that Bugs Buddy is getting his vitamins, minerals and fiber during his foraging around the house.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
This annoying woodpecker...
likes to hammer on stucco and I hope it gets a splitting headache as it does so. It’s an attractive bird, though.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). More than 100 informal common names are known for this bird, including yellowhammer, clape, gaffer woodpecker, harry-wicket, heigh-ho, wake-up, walk-up, wick-up, yarrup, and gawker bird.
Excitement guaranteed for the second flight test...
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.)
Propellant loading underway of the Super Heavy Booster and Starship 25 with super-chilled liquid oxygen and liquid methane.
Successful liftoff! All 33 Raptor engines ignited with the capability of lifting 150 tons into Earth orbit.
Excellent slow-motion high resolution video of the launch: NASASpaceflight.
Midnight at the oasis...
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.
Kit fox (Vulpes macrotis).
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).
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.
