Sorry, no trilobites

 We saw the sign for Oak Springs Trilobites a few weeks ago coming back from the Pahranagat NWR and I'd been wanting to make the trip out to try and find some.  We took Bean and went out there on Saturday to try our luck.  We didn't really have any luck, but we had a really nice drive out in the boonies and ate a picnic there and enjoyed poking around and beating on some slate rocks trying to find some.  We did find some pretty dendrites.  Here's what they are:

Dendrites in geology are tree-like, branching mineral formations, typically composed of manganese or iron oxides, that grow on rock surfaces or within fractures.  Often mistaken for fossils, they are actually inorganic, non-equilibrium crystals that form as rapid, fractal growth patterns when mineral-rich water flows through narrow spaces. They are pretty, and we were glad that we at least found those!  

  

Stout Canyon Campout!

We left Thursday after school to go camping hoping we could camp close to Mammoth Cave again.  When we got up on Cedar Mountain we saw smoke that looked like it was over that way.  We stopped in at the fire station by Duck Creek and they said they were doing a controlled burn over that way and that we should not camp there.  They suggested going to Stout Canyon.  We started off to go there and stopped in at Harris Flat to look for a closer spot, but it was all a burned out area.  We went on to Stout Canyon and wondered if we would ever find a spot, but then we found the perfect spot!  It was off the road enough to be private and had a small stream running right by it.  Behind it was beautiful forest and above that were Cedar Breaks type rock formations.  We got things set up and had a great dinner. Then after a short walk, we played some games and went to bed.  (Paul got a perfect score in 5 Crowns!)  

In the morning we went for a down canyon road walk and saw lots of beautiful scenery and Heaton ranches.  Then we got in the truck and drove the rest of the canyon to see where it came out!  Then more exploring including driving up Strawberry Ridge road until it mudded out.  We thought we were heading to Strawberry Point.  We did see lots of wonderful campsites along the way.  Next, we did find the road, a better one, to Strawberry Point.  It was beautiful with a view that made the drives worth it.  You could see clear to Zion.  Then we drove some other roads including Unita Flat and found more great campsites!  It was a beautiful day to see beautiful places.  Then we headed back to camp for some lunch and a nap.  After that we took a heinous uphill hike to see those beautiful red rock formations behind our camp.  We ended up finding huge seeping areas covered in heavy grass.  We thought it was just grass until we stepped into the water underneath!  Crazy all of the seeps going on in this area once we knew what to look for.  We did make it up to the red rocks.  It got a little iffy going up very steep games trails, but it was cool to be up there among the rocks.  Then we followed game trails back down the very steep way back to camp.  

At camp we had time for a few games before we made a great dinner.  Then we took an up canyon walk and stopped in at what looked like a cowboy camp.  We had seen them on the way in.  It was all men from young to older and lots of horses/mules.  Turned out to be kind of a male family reunion.  They had taken all their horses/mules and gone riding in the Dive of the Buckskin canyon that day.  We had a good chat and they even invited us for dinner!  It was fun to talk to them.  Then it was back to camp to get ready for bed.  In the morning we packed it up and headed down to take Bean out for breakfast at    I-Hop. Then it was time to head home.  While coming back over Cedar Mountain to Bean we had a tiny hail storm, but the predicted rain didn't really do much more than that. It was such a wonderful camp and fun time of exploring beautiful places!  

The Sphinx and Pahranagat NWR (Nevada adventures)

 I had the Monday after Easter off for teacher prep day!  Paul had heard about this little birding haven down in Nevada.  We looked it up and decided that was where we wanted to go.  It is about 2 hours away, but we got going early to make a good day of it.  We stopped along the way to see some pretty amazing mud carvings in Mesquite.  They were easy to find.  I had thought they were an AI hoax that someone put on Facebook, but after checking it out, they were real!  

Then we continued on and reached Pahranagat NWR a few minutes before the Visitor's Center opened.  The time change between UT/NV helped out.  We visited the awesome little visitor's center and did the short hikes to the old cabin and stone  building and then we drove down to the upper lake portion of the reserve.  We had seen the lower lake area driving by on the way.  We checked out the campsites which are right on the lake, but not very far from the busy highway running past.  Probably won't drive that far for any of those.  We hiked along the lake and enjoyed spotting plenty of the local zebra lizards.  Birds were not there in any number right now.  They said that a few weeks ago the pelican migration had come by and there were lots and lots of them.  Wish we would have seen that!  Probably in May they will have many more birds stopping by they said.  But, there we several kinds of ducks, and the lake was beautiful.  The upper part of the lake is divided by a dike that we walked across.  I don't know why, but it's crazy that the upper part is beautiful and clear, and the lower part is kind of a muddy color.  We ate lunch at a nice picnic area.  By then, it was time to head home.  We went home through Alamo, Caliente, and Panaca which are all small Nevada towns that seem to have survived even though their original reason for being settled is no longer the main thing.  We saw lots a beautiful scenery.  We really enjoyed the peacefulness at the refuge.  There were some people there, but it was so out in the middle of nowhere that it truly was a peaceful oasis.  They said when lots of birds get there, it can get pretty noisy!  I'm glad there are places like this to help the bird population survive.  

Cottonwood Creek hike and more

 We put in some miles on Friday.  We went down to the yard and walked the bike path up a little arroyo and got in about 3 miles.  Then later that afternoon we drove up Cottonwood Road and then hiked about 6 more miles down/back Cottonwood Creek canyon there.  It was such a beautiful day!  We were kind of dumb and didn't take any water, but the hike was mostly in the shade because of the high canyon walls, so that saved us from being very thirsty.  We could have stopped and turned back sooner, but we had a bad case of let's see what's around that next corner.  We had hoped to hike to where the canyon walls end, but didn't quite make it.  We actually hiked out faster than we came down.  We did less sight seeing and rock collecting then because we wanted to get back and get a drink.  This creek should have been running cold water from melting snow, but we didn't see any water.  There was some dampness here and there left from the last big rain.  It was a perfect spring day, too early in the year, but we loved it for what it was. We stopped for a snack as we drove out and enjoyed the peace and beauty there.  

Quarry Visit and Grosvenor Arch

Paul got directions to an alabaster quarry that we decided to go and take a look at.  To get there we drove over Cedar Mountain and just past Kodachrome Basin State Park which was a beautiful drive.  The quarry itself didn't yield the rock we had hoped to find, but was very interesting and we did get some small stones.  Most of the stone had been exposed to sun and weather and was too deteriorated to be good for carving. After that we took another dirt road and checked out another gypsum/alabaster quarry not far away.  It was interesting to see how they had worked to get some of that stone out.   Just a few more miles down the road was Grosvenor Arch. We always love to see this amazing masterpiece of nature.  We enjoyed the front view of the two arches as well as the other opening on one side.  Then we decided to hike to where we could look through the two main arches from behind.  We had never done that before.  It was an uppity walk, but we made it and the view was awesome and we even discovered that there was a small reservoir down the road that we had never seen before.  It was very cool weather, but when the sun was shining and the wind not blowing it was pretty nice.  We decided it was nice enough to have a little snack at the picnic area in front of the arch.  We had to keep our coats on, but it was still awesome to eat and enjoy that amazing view.  We made it home with a quick stop at Juge's for Paul to pick up a birthday present and visit with them a little bit.  It was a beautiful day in beautiful places!  

Happy Thanksgiving 2025

 It was in-law year, so we were small in numbers, but it was still lovely and delicious.  We had some trouble with the smoker, so we had half smoked/half baked turkey...very good!  Ferf and Kennis joined Paul, Bean and me.  They brought lots of yummy food to add to what we had.  It was good to visit with Kennis since she's been off at school at U of U.  Ferf's other kids went other places this year.  I always think I'm not eating too much...not too much of one thing, but there are so many good things that you still end up feeling very full. Ferf and Kennis couldn't stay too long because they both had a lot of homework waiting for them.  Ferf is in nurse practitioner school right now.  Kennis is focusing on Computer Science I believe, and is a TA.  She seems to be doing pretty well.  She's like her mom and always works hard and gets good grades.  My pics are not the best ever, but they're what I have!  After Ferf and Kennis left Paul and I sacked out for a nap.  Then we took Bean and went out for a walk at Snow Canyon/Johnson Arch to get the body up and moving!  It was beautiful.  We were there for sunset. After we got home Juge and Eden stopped by to eat some pie with us!  More good times!  Happy Thanksgiving 2025!  Small but good!  

Pine Valley erosion damage

 We had a pretty good rain not long ago and it reeked havoc at Pine Valley because of the erosion that happened because of the fire that burned off the ground cover.  We had hiked up and seen the fire damage, but this erosion is making it even more terrible.  The lake is full of sand that has washed down turning it into a streambed instead of the beautiful small reservoir it used to be.  The streambed is  filled with sand/mud and not longer has a channel.  Rocks were washed down everywhere and have all but obliterated the bike trail.  It is just a huge devastation of the whole area.  I can't see it being open for camping, picnicking or hiking for a very long time.  There may not even be a trail left to get to the top anymore.  So very sad.  We didn't make it up to see how the upper picnic areas and campgrounds fared yet.  

After Thanksgiving we went up and walked some more in Pine Valley and saw the erosion damage up by our favorite picnic area.  A couple of them were fine, but the one by the stream was totally demolished.  That stream became a conduit for major destruction/erosion.  The main road was totally blocked by what had come down and the road into the picnic area was a major rock and logjam.  So sad.  We took Bean with us.  

Owen's Loop, Snow Canyon & Supe's Pond

 We took some beautiful morning walks that showcased the beauty of the desert after rain.  It took us a couple of mornings.  Here are the pics!  

Bryce & Kodachrome 51st Anniversary Trip

 What a great trip we had!  We left Thursday afternoon after I got home from work and arrived in time for dinner (at Subway) and had reservations for two nights at Ruby's Inn. Friday morning we drove over to Mossy Cave and hiked around.  We saw only 2 other people there and on their way down from the cave they pointed out a great horned owl that was perched in a big ponderosa tree!  We got some great pictures of it.  It must have been all tired out from a busy night, because it wasn't bothered enough by us to even move a feather.  We loved seeing it.  Then we drove over to the Cannonville BLM Visitor's Center.  It was closed due to a government shut down going on, but we enjoyed the interpretive displays outside.

 

Next we drove over to Kodachrome Basin State Park. The weather was perfect with overcast, but no rain happening.  We drove out to Chimney Rock first thing and then checked out all of the campgrounds and marked our favorites on the park brochure for future reference.  It was so nice there we kind of wished we were camping right then.  We also saw some tiny "huts" they are putting in that you can rent to stay in.  They are pretty cool - no water/bathrooms, but a nice bed/fireplace-heater inside and a patio/grill/fireplace area outside. We also checked out the little cabin/bunkhouses and laundromat place they have.  Next we took a great little hike - Angel's Palace Trail.  Paul has been having some hip trouble, so we didn't want to do anything too strenuous until the shot he had the day we left started kicking in.  This  hike was only 1.5 miles and had only a 150ft. rise, so it was perfect.  It had great views of the whole area.  We loved it!  Then we had a little snack in a picnic area and next enjoyed the Nature Trail - a .5 mile loop that had great info about plants, animals, and park geology. Next we enjoyed the Visitor's Center which has had a great remodel since out last visit.  It it such a unique and beautiful park and it was the perfect day for what we did! 

 Next we headed back to Bryce Canyon and drove the scenic drive stopping at the top to do the Bristle Cone Loop hike to Rainbow Point.  It's about a mile hike with beautiful views of the park and the bristlecone trees along the edge.  We had decided to do the "Hike-the-Hoodoos" challenge where you had to hike 3 trails and find the special medallions and take a picture of yourself there and then report back to the Visitor Center for a reward/sticker.  We had already done one at Mossy Cave and this was our second one.  Then we stopped off on the way down to enjoy the scenic view points.  We did another short hike trying to find our next hike (Queen's Garden Trail), but it got dark before we could do it, so we decided to come back in the morning and do that one.  We had a great buffet dinner at Ruby's Inn...really good and really a lot!  Next morning we had breakfast there and then went and did the hike.  It's 1.8 miles and the least strenuous of the park hikes down into the canyon...and it is so beautiful.  It starts and Sunrise Point and we weren't there quite in time for that, but it was still awesome and pretty cool until we got going.  It's a steep one, but so worth it for the views of the beautiful formations you see everywhere around you!  We stopped in at the Visitor Center to get our reward/stickers and then it was time to head home.

We took a different route home and visited the Quilt Walk Park in Panguitch.  Then it was on to Cedar City with a little nap stop along the way and then we went to lunch with Bean.  It was a great trip and we were glad to get home again after running some errands and then enjoying a yummy dinner with Supe and Beacher and kids!  Such cuties!  Happy 51st Anniversary!!!  Can't wait till next year!