at the business end of the Patriot model rocket as the engine pressurizes and spits out the electrical ignitor. Milliseconds later, liftoff!
Model rocket descending under chute...
after an early launch on a calm, clear and sunny morning. This one flew to 501 feet on a “C” engine and pulled 9.4 Gs at peak acceleration, softly landing less than 20 feet from the pad.
The surest sign of an early spring...
in Castle Valley is the melodic song of the Western Meadowlark emanating from a lofty perch. This one is really broadcasting this morning.
A snowy surprise...
blankets Castle Valley this morning. But it’s not going to last long.
As a result of this storm, snow depth in the La Sal Mountains ranges from 33 to 59 inches at the SNOTEL sites, with the snow water equivalent rising to 114% of the historic median.
Swept into position by debris flows...
and sitting patiently for millennia, this pair of 1.5+ meter diameter sandstone boulders lie on an old alluvial fan surface below Round Mountain. These enormous clasts were likely entrained in a viscous slurry of water and sediment that moved down the steep topographic gradient, perhaps mobilized by an intense rainfall event, countless centuries ago.
And it was a beautiful - but blustery - day for a ride.
A fiery sunrise...
sharply silhouettes Castleton Tower early this morning. Peachy.
Rain and snow squalls...
accompanied by unseasonably warm temperatures makes it feel like spring in the high desert.
Absolutely gorgeous mid-winter days...
in southeast Utah stand in stark contrast to the seasonal forecast in The Old Farmer’s Almanac calling for a snowy and cold winter in the intermountain West. The high country snowpack is tracking the historic median, though, so I’m not complaining.
Who needs a drone...
when you can launch a camera on a rocket?! I’m anticipating that the Castle Valley Town Council will prohibit such activities in three…two…one…
The largest rocket in the arsenal...
was launched today on a “F” engine, also carrying a strap-on downward-looking video camera to record the flight. Too cool for school.
Winter atmospherics...
cloak the high desert landscape this afternoon.
Fight over water rights...
at the bird bath this evening.
Lift-off...
of several model rockets this afternoon, with a digital flight recorder onboard. The rocket engines have gotten a lot bigger, and the gadgets have gotten a lot cooler, since I was a kid. Fun beyond words.
An evolving evening mural...
of light and cloud and cliff at sunset. One never tires of these magnificent displays at the end of the day.
Wintry weather has finally arrived...
but only several inches of snow has fallen in Castle Valley, though the high country has been elevated to 90% of median snow water content for this time of year. It hasn’t stopped me from patrolling the trails and all the tire tracks be mine.
Multi-species use of the singletrack...
below Castleton Tower. Coexist.
Sunset on Parriott Mesa...
signals the end of the year, the edges of the escarpment illuminated by the lingering alpenglow made more intense on the red rock.
Thirsty early muleys...
drink down all the water in the birdbath shortly after dusk, leaving none for the late arrivals after midnight.
A Christmas launch...
of a model rocket, my first in 55 years, went off with a satisfying woooooosh! Just as I remembered it as a fledgling rocketeer in my youth. Priceless.
Christmas Eve moonrise...
from the most beautiful place on Earth.