in the early morning when one can still get out and ride on even the hottest days. It was quite the nice 17 mile (27 km) ride this morning, especially with the additional cloud cover, and I call this spot on the singletrack Ephedra Gardens because of all the Mormon tea.
Peak flow on the Colorado River...
for this runoff season will certainly occur this week, and here it is running at 20,700 cubic feet per second (cfs) around noon near Moab, Utah. While this sounds impressive, it is less than half the peak discharge of the previous water year. Median peak flow is 20,100 cfs based on 105 years of record at the Cisco gage so this is a normal year.
The second brush fire...
in as many weeks has occurred on Pace Hill below Castle Valley this hot and dry afternoon, both likely caused by an inattentive driver dragging a trailer chain creating sparks along the road. Fortunately the volunteer fire fighters were already on it but this does not bode well for the fire season ahead.
Here’s information about last week’s fire plus several bonus astrophotos by yours truly.
This observant squirrel...
has so far avoided the live trap, and here it is spying on me from a high limb. This is number four.
Rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus).
Soaring on thermals high overhead...
as the warmer days of summer arrive in the high desert.
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura).
A calm Memorial Day morning...
at the Round Mountain Proving Ground saw five model rockets soaring skyward. Here are just a couple.
Moab Man hitching a ride on the MOAB to low Earth orbit, blasting off on a “F” engine.
Once again the Frangible Arcas is the high flyer of the day, achieving a 1,341 foot apogee on a “E” engine.
The Kokopelli mountain bike trail...
runs 140 miles between Fruita, Colorado and Moab, Utah. My neighbor and I rode our eMTBs on the segment that mostly hugs the Colorado River between Dewey Bridge and Cisco Landing today, 20 miles out-and-back. It was moderately technical in spots with steep climbs on loose and bouldery slopes, but overall it’s a magnificent ride on a beautiful day.
View upstream with the trail traversing through the ledgy Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic).
View downstream of the Colorado River, running at about 15,000 cubic feet per second at the nearby Cisco gage.
There are occasional route markers beckoning one to follow the humpbacked frisky flute player.
Carry water!
A newly arrived sunflower seed shucker...
brightens the feeding stations this morning. It is a gorgeous bird and unfortunately this image doesn’t do it justice.
Adult male Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus).
A well hidden historical artifact...
exists out in the open for all to see about one mile below Dewey Bridge on the opposite side of the Colorado River. Countless motorists on Utah 128 pass by a sturdy wooden ladder tucked against the escarpment, built circa 1940 in order to survey the site of a proposed dam in the canyon. Here’s an excellent article on the relict by our local writer.
The view across the Colorado River where the ladder is somewhat difficult to see against the sandstone cliffs, especially if watching the road and travelling at high speed.
Flaunting their brilliant beauty...
at my feeding stations, these gorgeous bright blue birds shirk all efforts at camouflage. I’m delighted that they’re hanging around.
Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena).
Flying straight and true...
under relatively calm conditions this morning, I launched and recovered three model rockets with the Warp Core rocketry club in Grand Junction, Colorado at their launch site on the state line. Members lofted about 20 rockets until increasing winds shut down operations around noon.
First off the pads today, Zephyr Jr. zooms to a 554 foot apogee on a “D” engine, landing only about 50 feet away under calm conditions.
Finally painted and decaled, the MOAB roars to 575 feet on a “F” engine.
Aiming higher, my Frangible Arcas soars to 1,335 feet and lands a considerable distance down range under increasing winds.
Magnificent mammatus clouds...
hang from the cloud base above Castleton Tower and Adobe Mesa as a squall line moves through Castle Valley this late afternoon.
Shake hands with this wildflower...
and you’ll immediately understand where it gets its name. And it’s the biggest sunflower on the Colorado Plateau.
Rough mules ears (Wyethia scabra).
The rodent relocation project has commenced...
for the season in an effort to stop the destructive digging of these otherwise amusing critters before it gets out of control. This is number two.
Rock squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus).
The size of your little finger...
and able to fly backwards, hummingbirds are amazing avian aviators.
Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri).
Ears like periscopes...
extend above the cheatgrass as Bugs Buddy nibbles away on leafy greens.
Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).
Bright aurora shine over southern Utah...
in an enormous geomagnetic storm this evening, the largest in nearly 20 years. Here are several wide views captured shortly after midnight of the rare (at this latitude) and dynamic light show. Behold the Aurora Borealis in its fullest expression.
The phenomenon began with quite a bit of color variation directly to the north. Parriott Mesa in silhouette on the right.
A gradual color shift towards orange and red occurred very slowly.
The brighter curtains of light moved gradually towards the northeast over a period of about an hour. Castleton Tower at far right.
UPDATE: Here’s a nice summary of the event by our local scribe: Aurora borealis brightens Castle Valley with a colorful display.
Two-thousandths of a second...
is still not a fast enough shutter speed to sharply freeze the wingbeat of a hummingbird. Here’s one tanking up while on the wing at the sugar dispenser.
Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri).
There must be gold in Round Mountain...
if this evening’s rainbow is a guide.
