Walk about

Home in the woods

On our last day off Tuesday, Mike and I took a walk on the Transept  trail from where we live to the Grand Lodge.

This is a forested western rim walk with great views of Grand Canyon.

Even the Mule deer enjoy the view.

We occasionally walked off trail through the dense forest. No, we didn’t walk over the tree bridge.

And saw these Pinedrops almost hidden on the forest floor.

Plus saw quite a few fossils like this brachiopod embedded in the limestone.

This is the head of Transept Canyon.

Then we walked out to Bright Angel Point.

And enjoyed more canyon views.

Wandering garter snake

A Wandering Garter Snake slid across the rock by my feet.  Read more...

SWF – Storm watching at Grand Canyon

7:02pm

The sky changes rapidly as storms move across the South Rim.

7:15pm

A small rainbow appears to the left.

7:15pm

A crack of lightning.

7:22pm

Blue sky pushes the storm away.

7:41pm

And the sun sets on yet another beautiful day at Grand Canyon.

To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

Winter soil casts

A visitor at Grand Canyon’s North Rim asks, “what are those funny looking dirt mounds in the meadows?”

Not my photo 

Winter soil casts left by Northern Pocket Gophers who are well-equipped for digging tunnels with large-clawed front paws and large front teeth used to loosen soil and rocks while digging.

During winter they also tunnel in the snow then later backfill with excess soil from new tunnels. When the snow melts, fragmented sections are the result of gopher’s winter work.

Adult Northern Pocket Gophers measure 8 inches (20 cm) in length including their 2-inch (5 cm) tail. They get their name from their fur-lined cheek pouches used to carry food much like a squirrel. However, the pockets on a gopher open on the outside and turn inside out for emptying and cleaning.

Mystery solved.

Rain in the hills means flood on the plains

On the road to Hurricane, Utah

Monday was grocery shopping day and this time we decided on Hurricane, Utah about 150 miles away, via Pipe Springs National Monument. Which Mike posted about here.

Highway 389 east

The drive there and back follows the ever changing scenic Vermilion Cliffs.

Looks like rain on the Kaibab Plateau in distance

Weather prediction was for 20 percent chance of rain at lower elevation where we were. Yet we didn’t get it.

Seen from Pipe Springs

But we did watched the storms to the east and happily received the rainbow treat that followed.

As we continued along the storm scurried south.

And appeared to hang over the Kaibab Plateau, where we live.

After passing through Fredonia and heading south on Highway 89A we came across a river of red pouring across the road and proceeded through it cautiously. A couple on a motorcycle were stopped on the other side taking pictures. Smart, we thought, for them not riding thru this swift moving water.

Then we came to a second flash flood, this one looking a little deeper, faster and full of earth. Several folks on the other side were stopped. Don’t blame the cars for not attempting this crossing but did wonder how the motorcycle made it.

Well of course there’s one in every crowd. Maybe that’s why Arizona has a “stupid driver” law.

After watching several people cross in front of us we decided to follow in the wake. It was sort of scary at one point with the water sheeting across the road into a drop off on the other side. And no, we didn’t get flipped, I just couldn’t watch anymore and moved the camera. We made it safely over, and my truck now desperately needs a bath.

But once we were across, the sky began to lighten.

And the sun shone through.

To reveal a gorgeous and quickly changing sunset.

So ends another beautiful and adventurous day in paradise.

MWT – Canyon hide and seek

Yes, those are people on the rocks out on Bright Angel Point

Saturday I worked the early schedule starting at the awful hour of 6:30am. It is always difficult for me to get up at my self-inflicted hour of 4:30. I’m just one of those people that needs two hours to wake up over coffee and blogs.

Bright Angel Canyon filled with cloud

Then I got to my canyon office view and I’m all awake with the help of a gentle rain. Every time a surprise in store. Yet I’d never seen the canyon full of clouds like this with the temple islands floating in a frothy sea. I got so lost I was almost late opening the visitor center.

Angels Gate

After a couple hours of answering the same question, “Do you think the clouds will go away?” I headed out to the Walhalla Plateau not knowing what to expect but taking my rain gear with me. Do these people think I’m a meteorologist or a seer?

First stop, Point Imperial, the highest elevation viewpoint in the park at 8803 feet (2683 meters). Sorry, no views today. And yes, that would be a great view of Mt Hayden and the confluence of the Little Colorado with the Colorado River.

This is the real view.

I continued out the scenic road to the Walhalla overlook to give a 1pm History of Southwestern Archeology talk with a similar pea soup backdrop. Only a little clearing occurred, but I was too busy answering the “Will it clear up?” question to take many photos.

Next I went to Cape Royal at the end of the road for a 2:30pm geology talk and hoped the canyon would make an appearance. At first there was little hope of a full show. Then just as I finished…

Wontons Throne

…the clouds lifted to reveal the Greatest Show on Earth.

Although some visitors had been disappointed by the canyon closure all day, those who waited it out where treated to a very different view of the many moods of the canyon.

View from Walhalla overlook

Plus they got to see the Colorado River flow its true colors because of the flash of sediments from the upstream Paria and Little Colorado Rivers.

To view more of the world, or to share your own, go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

Once again I’m gone on my days off, Pipe Springs National Monument this time, so won’t be able to link to the MWT site.

SS - Hoodoos and Shadows

Friar preaching to the congregation

I see people shapes in the deep canyons of Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Just clowning around

Do you?

The early morning views from Point Supreme provided some interesting shadows.

To view more awesome scenes from around the world, or to share your own, go to Scenic Sunday by clicking here.

Road work at the North Rim

We’ve been dealing with the resurfacing of roads and parking lots here for almost a month now. I realize that during the heat of summer is the only time this nasty job can be done. Yet it sure screws up traffic. And with 1/4 to 1/2 the parking lot closed at one time visitors are having to park along the road, which some don’t seem to understand that their vehicles need to be OFF the road. I’m surprised no one’s been creamed. I’ve driven around in circles up to 5 times trying to park so I can go to work. Plus, where concession employees park their RVs have also been resealed and those poor folks had to move their rolling homes twice. Sure glad I park on dirt and gravel in this case. But here’s the corker. With the job only half done, it’s been discovered that no catalyst was in this black messy slurry so it will never set up and now it all has to be dug up and done over. I guess when you choose the lowest bidder, you get what you pay for. The company’s name has been withheld to protect the guilty.