clears the prow of Adobe Mesa early this evening. In two days there will be a total lunar eclipse, but unfortunately the weather forecast predicts cloudy conditions in southeastern Utah this Friday evening.
A unique and engaging local character...
has shuffled off this mortal coil, when, sadly, creative narrative poet and rock art expert Rory Tyler passed away at home in Castleton, Utah last Friday. Close friends are gathering with Rory’s brother in order to determine how to preserve his on-going academic work on local rock art and to honor his legacy.
Rory Paul Tyler, 1950 - 2025, RIP.
An early aerial sunrise...
is captured over central Idaho as my trajectory boomerangs back to canyon country.
Mount Timpanogos looms more than 7,000 feet (2,130 meters) above greater downtown Provo, Utah and Utah Lake.
Dissected pediments extend below the Book Cliffs near Sunnyside, Utah.
An early morning departure...
from GJT to SLC and onward to GEG yielded several interesting views when the weather allowed. Remember, geologists always get window seats.
View northwestward across Grand Junction, Colorado shortly after departure. The sinuous dark area is the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers.
View northward, turning into the Salt Lake Valley over Utah Lake with the snow-covered Wasatch Mountain front.
The historic earthen causeway for the Lucin Cutoff railroad line separates the Great Salt Lake into two waterbodies with differing aquatic ecologies.
A peculiar roller cloud, about 40 miles (64 km) in length along its north-south axis, sits atop and defines Hells Canyon in Idaho.
The view from "Contemplation Station"...
near the base of Round Mountain, another frequently visited waypoint on my near-daily mountain bike rides. The energy is strong here and it focuses one’s mind, aligns your chi and calibrates your chakras.
Knocking on wood and a flash of color...
in the cottonwoods signals the presence of a woodpecker.
Male “Red-shafted” Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus).
The view from "Inspiration Station"...
of the incredible landscape of Castle Valley National Park is nothing less than spectacular on an equally spectacular afternoon.
A supremely superb late-winter day...
in Castle Valley National Park. The singletrack beckons.
A gathering of nerds...
occurs once a month on the Utah - Colorado state line, here framed by the Book Cliffs to the north. The so-called Warp Core chapter of the National Association of Rocketry organizes model rocket launches at this remote site where members fly low-, medium- and high-powered model rockets. It’s a ridiculous amount of fun and here are some of my launches from today.
The launch site in the Grand Valley west of Grand Junction, Colorado. NOTAMs are filed and we have a waiver to fly to 12,000 feet (4,000 meters). Coordinates: 39.27910365938015, -109.04074725724564
The scale model Doorknob sounding rocket moments after ignition.
Cherokee Pro roaring off the rail on a G40-7W engine to an apogee of 1,711 feet (522 meters).
The recently finished (but not yet painted/decaled) Bull Pup on its maiden flight skyward on a F20-4W engine.
A dead calm morning...
absolutely demands a rocket launch. Willing to comply, Nike X achieved a 576 foot (176 meter) apogee on a “C” engine on a 48 second-long flight.
Nike X and me. The Aerotech wireless launch controller seen attached to the tripod works fantastically well, allowing a greater standoff from the pad, using Bluetooth and your smartyphone.
The orographic effect of the La Sal Mountains...
is ripping apart the dawn skies as the tail end of a small winter storm passes through the region.
Dramatic light on Sister Superior...
highlights the eastern skyline at dusk.
A high contrast sunset...
lends itself to an Ansel Adams-y image.
Still on track to be a dry winter...
despite the recent snow and rainstorms that passed through the region.
A view of the high country with its fresh mantle of snow.
We’re only half-way to an “average” snowpack but there are still 46 days until the typical peak.
A snowy surprise...
greets the breakfast visitors at the feeding stations this morning.
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta).
This junior muley...
enjoys a diverse diet during this dry winter, caught here through the front window at dusk.
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) browsing on sagebrush.
Smoking a honey locust seed pod.
High altitude mare's tails...
herald a big change in the weather pattern for southern Utah the week ahead.
Cirrus uncinus clouds above Castleton Tower.
Relaxing on one leg...
while its head turns on a swivel, Sharpie visits at dusk.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus).
Blue birds against a blue sky...
as a small flock of jays noisily announced their presence this morning.
Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus).
An interesting groundwater seep...
at the stratigraphic contact between the Cutler and Moenkopi Formations below Adobe Mesa bears some further examination, but it’s a difficult scramble to its location on steep and unstable slopes. Light-colored mineral deposits, likely either calcium carbonate (calcite) or calcium sulfate (gypsum), occur at the margins of the seep.
