Description

I own no land, instead I have wheelestate. I’ve been a full time RVer since 1997. Working summers as a Park Ranger takes me to many beautiful places and playing during the winter takes me to many more. This blog is simply the story of my life's adventures.

Moved

Thank you for stopping by. Just to let you know, I'm still blogging but have moved to Geogypsytraveler. Hope you'll follow my adventures. Just click here.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

SS – Angels Window into the canyon

01 Angels Window Cape Royal Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ

Angels Window at Cape Royal

Today’s view of Grand Canyon was dotted with cloud shadows.

02 Paintbrush Cape Royal Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x902)

Paintbrush

03 Sego Lily Cape Royal Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (1024x804)

Sego Lily

And the land was dotted with wildflowers.

04 Cliffrose Cape Royal Walhalla Plateau NR GRCA NP AZ (761x1024)

While the air was filled with the sweet smell of Cliffroses.

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Thursday, July 8, 2010

SWF – Rosy glow over the canyon

DSCF8041b pano (1024x689)

All afternoon and into the evening rain clouds drifted over the South Rim, yet it may not have been raining. Sometimes the air is so dry the rain evaporates before it hits the ground.

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Monday, July 5, 2010

MWT - Bucks in Velvet: All dressed up and no where to go

01 Mule Deer NR GRCA NP AZ

Must be that time of year to fatten up on the lush greens. Saw two Mule Deer bucks happily browsing between the empty mule corral and the generator building (just in case of power failure).

02 Mule Deer NR GRCA NP AZ

Mule Deer are browsers and eat a great variety of vegetable matter, including fresh green leaves, twigs, lower branches of trees, and various grasses. They eat so carefully they can even consume the fruit of cactus.

03 Mule Deer NR GRCA NP AZ

The Mule Deer carries its thin, black-tipped tail drooped, unlike the uplifted, bushy white tail of its eastern cousin. They have large ears that move constantly and independently and thus the name Mule Deer.

04 Mule Deer NR GRCA NP AZ

They have a distinctly different gait from the leisurely, graceful leaps of the white-tail deer. When startled, a Mule Deer will move in a series of stiff-legged jumps up to 8 yards (7.3 m) with all four feet hitting the ground together. In this way they can reach a speed of 45 mph for short periods.

05 Mule Deer NR GRCA NP AZ

Mule Deer are active primarily in mornings, evenings and moonlit nights. This inactivity during the heat of the day is a behavioral adaptation to the desert environment that conserves water and keeps the body temperature within livable limits. Sweat glands and panting also provide evaporative cooling during hot periods. During the middle of the day, the Mule Deer beds down in a cool, secluded place. Another physical adaptation, its larger feet, allows the Mule Deer to claw out water as much as two feet deep, which it detects with its keen sense of smell.

06 Mule Deer NR GRCA NP AZ

Antler growth begins in the spring. Antlers are a true bone, covered with "velvet," a soft, skin-like tissue that carries nourishment and calcium for the rapidly growing antlers. Full growth is attained in late summer with the tines forking into a series of Y's and rising above the head. After the antler growth is completed, the blood-supplying velvet is no longer needed and begins to fall or get rubbed off. This leaves the antlers shiny and hard. Mule Deer breed in late November and early December. A buck will find a suitable doe and they will often play chase games at breakneck speeds before mating. They will remain together for several days. then late each winter the antlers fall off, and with spring, the growth cycle begins again.

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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy 4th of July from Grand Canyon

01 red, white & blue flowers for 4th of July (1024x551)

Sego lily, paintbrush and lupine

Here’s nature’s red, white and blue decorations found on the Kaibab Plateau. (Thanks for the idea Tom.)

02 NPS truck with Nancy John Graham Sarah & Dave in 4th of July Parade GRCA AZ (1024x891)

No fireworks allowed here, thank goodness or the forest would probably burn around us. And although I do miss the colorful light show I don’t miss the noise and smell. This afternoon we’ll have a parade where water is shot instead.

Happy 4th of July!

Be safe and sane but have fun too.

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