A Fall Jaunt up Strawberry Creek

 The fall colors have disappeared at the higher elevations to be replaced with a dusting of snow on the bare aspen branches, but at the lower elevations two weekends ago, the colors were still great. A group of us decided to head up Strawberry Creek for a hike.

 The kids didn't mind posing on the rock wall at the trailhead.

 We've hiked here below, a simple loop about two miles long. There still aren't any signs, so we didn't know exactly how long. And I had heard rumors of a new trail in the area. I kept that in the back of my mind as we headed up the trail. The kids took off running. They couldn't go too far ahead, because Rule #1 was Stay in Sight of an Adult at All Times.

 Soon they came running back and pelted the adults with snowballs. That made us decide on Rule #2: Snowball Throwing at Legs Only.

 Jenny, nine months pregnant, was ready to enjoy the hike. She's so awesome!

 Soon the kids were ready for a snack, which we decided we would have at the first bridge, along with a photo op. It works well--sit still and you get a snack!

We had one more rule for the hike, Rule #3: No Whining.

Desert Boy managed to fall into the creek from the bridge and drenched himself, immediately breaking rule #3. Lucky for him (and for me), I had a change of clothes with me.

 The kids loved the bridges and watching the water go under them.

 After about an hour, we reached a trail junction and headed uphill to a nearby sign that said Osceola Trail. We decided to give it a try, hoping my info was good that a trail would then connect down to our vehicles.

 The Osceola Ditch was constructed over a hundred years ago to transport water to a mining area. Much of the ditch still exists, and we happened to be in a shady part of it, which meant more snow!

 We kept moving in the shady part, it was a bit chilly.

 Then we came out into the sunlight and the kids discovered ants.

 All the kids were good hikers. And one decided to climb a tree. Guess who.

 By this point Desert Girl also required a change of clothes, but I didn't have any more, so she got to wear my fleece as a dress. She was quite stylish in it.

 We reached an old road that looked like it headed in the right direction,  so we headed down. A few trees were in the way, but the kids had fun crossing them.

Then we came out on a trail! It was easy from there. It will be helpful when some signs are installed so you know where you're going. Overall, we had fun on the loop hike, with about two hours of hiking at a very leisurely pace.

Kids Challenge: Build a Bridge

 The kids like a good challenge, and I like getting them outside. So I told them, "Go build a bridge."

Fortunately it was a warmish day, because you might be able to guess how this challenge ended.

 Simple bridge.

 Bridge testing.

 Desert Girl not so sure, but the "big" kids ready to help.

 Twinkle toes made it!

 Ah, easy peasy.

 One bridge wasn't enough, so the kids moved on to make another bridge, near an irrigation diversion.

 Well, now they've crossed two creeks and have to find a way back. They take their bridge building supplies with them.

 Henry isn't so sure a bridge is necessary.

But the kids try a new bridge-building technique.

 This almost worked. (Do you notice some wet pants?)

 A slightly different bridge system.

 The teamwork was great.

 Just one more creek to go!

Success! They all made it back, and only slightly wet.

We'll have to do this again when we find a warm day.

Where have you tried to make a bridge?

Thank You, Park Ranger

As we enter the third week of the government shutdown, we really miss our national parks and the park rangers and other park employees who take care of these special places. As I looked through my photos, I realized I had so many photos of my kids interacting with park rangers. Park rangers have really helped encourage my kids' love of nature.

Park rangers have taught them things they never expected to learn, things that they not only remember, but ideas and thoughts that come home and are shared with their parents, grandparents, friends, and relatives.

Park rangers have pushed our kids to learn more. The junior ranger program has been fantastic, truly inspiring the next generation to care for our national parks. My kids want to pick up trash not only in national parks, but everywhere they go. They ask about picking flowers when we're out on a hike, knowing that in national parks they are protected. They know that if they have questions about something they see, they can find a ranger who most likely will know the answer, and if not, will probably look it up for them.

Park rangers do much more than teach and sign junior ranger certificates. They share their talents, getting us to think about the amazing resources that national parks protect in new and innovative ways.

Park rangers get down on the kids' level, showing them that they are important. They listen patiently to kids' stories and questions, and help steer them in the right direction.

Park rangers show kids (and sometimes their parents!) new ways to think about the places they visit.

Park rangers are heroes to our kids.

As we travel, we seek out national parks, as we know the 401 National Park Service units preserve unique features and history of our country. These are places that are worth visiting, places we dream about and stay in our memories long after we've left.

National Parks are not restricted just to geography. They are featured on our money. They are visited via the Internet. Most importantly, they are an idea that helps define our country.

Park scientists, educators, and rangers visit classrooms to inspire even more kids to visit.

We want to go to our national parks. We miss seeing these fine people in the green and grey.

We hope that we can soon once again visit these beacons of wildness, history, and special places.


And although we can't go to these places right now, know that we appreciate  everyone who cares for our national parks. Thank you, Park Ranger, each and every one of you. And thank you, all National Park Service employees. You make a difference.

Time to Visit Some State Parks

Well, the federal government may be partially shut down, meaning that National Park Service units are closed. That sucks, but it's not the end of the world. To try and find a silver lining, this is an opportunity to explore the state parks in more depth. And we are fortunate to have some wonderful state parks!

Here are a few we've enjoyed over the years:

* If you wanted to visit Everglades, Biscayne or Dry Tortugas National Parks, try Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West instead. Great snorkeling, nice beach, and some interesting history.

* In lieu of Arches, Canyonlands, or Capitol Reef National Parks, visit Goblin Valley State Park. It has a cute campground, neat goblin features, trails, and is close to some great slot canyons.

* Instead of Golden Spike NHS or Timpanogos Cave NM, Antelope Island State Park is in the Great Salt Lake of Utah.

And instead of the marvelous Great Basin National Park, you could try

• Cave Lake State Park
• Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park
• Cathedral Gorge State Park

And although I've been to all of these state parks (some quite recently), I realized when I put together this post that I don't have posts on any of them! Time to get busy!

State parks are often overlooked, and this is a time where we really need to thank those who run them and maintain them. It's good to have such a diversity of places to go and appreciate.

A Trip to Post-Fire Lexington Canyon

A little while ago we decided to take a trip up Lexington Canyon in the South Snake Range near Great Basin National Park to see what had happened since the Black Fire. The fire started July 1 and burned about 5,000 acres, with some of it getting a little exciting with big wind gusts that had firefighters calling for retardant drops and more than 100 firefighters. Other times the fire was quiet, burning slowly in high elevation forests. In late August we had quite a monsoonal pattern, with thunderstorms building and actually delivering rain nearly every day. Some of those rains were really heavy, including one over the fire that caused a flood washing many miles, out to the highway, with a wide debris path.

We stopped to take a look at the muddy wash bottom and were surprised just how wide and deep the water and debris had been. 

We sent Desert Boy to the bottom of the wash for scale (and to run out some of his energy!)

 He looks so small! Good thing this flood was in a place where no one lives.

 We drove along the road, not really seeing much sign of the fire until we got to these burned cottonwoods.

 That turned out to be the spot of a washed out culvert. It wasn't nearly large enough for all that water and debris washing through the channel.

The road was impassable at the culvert, but beyond it was in good shape (better than the Snake Creek road).

 One of the things I was really interested in was what plants were coming back in the fire. These beautiful purple asters made an appearance.

 A little farther down the road we found the old cabin. This is where the Woodwards lived for a short time back in the late 1800s. They tried their hand at farming and helping with Quate's sawmill up Big Wash, but eventually left the area. I don't believe anyone has lived their since then, as it is quite remote, and over the years the creek eventually dried up.

The firefighters had saved the cabin by cutting most of the shrubs around it. This makes it quite accessible now.

 It has no roof, but the old windows frame the view.

 Nearby is the dry creek, with the dead cottonwoods sticking up like burnt matchsticks.

  New cottonwoods are already making an appearance, and by next spring, this area will look a lot different.

 We continued up the road, seeing how the fire had mainly stayed down in the lowest part of the canyon.

 Farther up, we found willows growing.

 We also found skunkbush (above) and rose.

 As we neared the turnoff for Lexington Arch, we saw that the fire had climbed higher up the mountains.

The road was still in good condition, and we continued up to the spring, where we found a splash of green. We camped here in 2012, but it looked so different on this visit!

 The insects loved a blooming dandelion!

 The old trough was twisted even before the fire.

 Here's a view of the spring and tank from the other side of the dry creek bed. The rock formations in the background really stand out now.

 Mullein blooming.

Stinging nettles.

 The spring still leaves puddles in the road!

 Yarrow.

 It looked a little more burned as we continued past the spring.

 The fire was hot enough it even burned the rocks!

 The road was in good shape till we reached where a side canyon met the main canyon. Then the washouts got more severe, and before long, the road had turned into the stream bed.

 It was a strange feeling walking among all the dead trees--but it was easy walking.

 I rather liked this saguaro-looking stump.

 The power of the flood was evident in many places.

The kids weren't so excited about hiking, but we really wanted to get a view of the Arch, and we had already come this far.

 We kept looking for interesting sights. We saw that the flood had transformed the landscape in so many ways. In the photo above, the flood washed away enough of the soil that the tree roots were exposed.

 We took a little snack break and my husband took a couple photos so I could be in one!

 I had been on this road to Lexington Arch several times, but I had never been very aware of the tiny creek bed next to it, mainly because it was almost always dry. Now the creek bed is wider than the road.

 We walked in the creek bed for quite a ways, observing the tangle of roots in the banks.

 A cool burned tree.

 Rock lodged in the tree trunk.

 Desert Boy's sad, "are we there yet" expression. Then he spotted something.

 The trailhead sign! The sign still stands, although it burned and you can't read anything.

 We all took a look at it. We couldn't see the trail right at that point, but it's in good shape further up the hill.

 We found the road and hiked back on it (wasps were attracted to Desert Girl's sparkly shirt and were stinging her, so we took her shirt off and that solved the problem. We didn't have extra clothes and it was quite warm, so she was fine).

 Whenever I see islands of green in a burnt forest, I wonder what influenced the fire so it didn't burn that spot.

 I loved seeing this Indian paintbrush so far up the canyon!

 And then we saw it, Lexington Arch! Looking at this photo really makes me want to hike up there and see how it looks up close.

 It will probably be quite awhile (if ever) that the old trailhead is reestablished, but it's not that far from the end of the mostly decent road to the old trailhead.

To see what Lexington Arch used to look like, here's a post from 2008, and another from 2012.