Waterfalls

 High water has created waterfalls in lots of interesting places in the area. The one above is in a channel that is usually dry. In fact, we "canyoneered" it last summer during the Fourth of July weekend when one of my brothers was out visiting.

 This is a flood control structure on one of the creeks.

And a view of it from downstream. All this water is a little frightening, so we've been careful to keep the kids far away from the fast moving water.

A different flood control structure. These help prevent the creek from cutting the banks.

This roaring creek is in one of the nearby campgrounds. Some campsites are extra damp!

There's not much snow left to melt up top (although we went hiking over some five foot drifts at 10,000 feet today). Still, there's plenty to keep the water running high for a few more weeks.
Waterfalls in the desert seem like a special treat.

Desert Flowers and an Unexpected Sight at the End

I'm always looking for new (to me) flowers to put on my A Plant a Day blog. So when I took Desert Boy out to preschool last week, we went for a long walk/jog (a little training for a triathlon I might blog about soon). We had walked much of the same route two weeks earlier, but many of the flowers had changed. That's one of the challenges of finding all the plants in an areas--some aren't particularly visible for more than a week or two every few years.

The pink penstemon above is a common one, a young Palmer's penstemon (Penstemon palmeri), one of only two pink ones in the area. Even though it isn't new to me, I sure enjoy seeing it again!

 I went on a different road and climbed up on this rocky hillside, where I got a nice view of the valley and cloud-shrouded mountains on the other side.

 One of the many flower species on it were these dancing yellows, called nakedstem sunray (Enceliopsis nudicaulis). I enjoyed seeing them--they brightened the desert hillside so much!
They are just little bundles of sunshine.

 I saw this plant as I went skipping down the hill. It looks a bit like out of a Dr. Seuss book, but only a couple weeks earlier, it had nice little flowers on it that you can see on the Shockley's rockcress page.

 This tiny plant, only about 3 inches high, is called browneyes. It blooms more at night than the day, so I was glad it was overcast so I could see more of it blooming.

 I also found lots of Cryptantha, a genus in the Borage Family well represented in this area. From a distance it doesn't look too impressive.

 Close up, I was amazed at how many hairs protect each little white flower.

Our walk continued, with Desert Girl saying hi to the curious cows at the dairy, Henry wanting to chase after stray cats, and then to a fork in the road. I had a little time left before Desert Boy finished preschool, so we took the longer route.

 The playa that is usually dry was full of water, with some shrubs submerged. This wet spring has certainly been a nice change.

The flooded playa seemed a little boring, until I noticed something moving about on the other end:

Birds! An ibis, American avocets, and a couple ducks were probing for food. It was a wonderful treat to get to see them in an unexpected place.

A Walk Down the Channel

A couple weekends ago I walked down the overflow channel above town. During high water, the biggest creek from the nearby mountain range swells with snow melt, spilling over the diversion ditch. This year we have a high snow pack but due to the cold weather, the snow is slow coming off the mountain, and we're just at median stream flow levels. That means once it warms up, we're in for quite a flood.

Right now the water is still fairly clear, not washing down much dirt. Nevertheless, it's gradually rising, enough to inundate this western wallflower.

The top part of the overflow channel was lined with dense-growing willows, making the banks hard to traverse. My trusty dog Henry decided he'd rather ride back to town then go bush-whacking with me. I hoped there weren't any hungry mountain lions hanging out in the thick brush. I usually depend on Henry scaring them away, so I felt like I was really on an adventure without him.

As I got farther downstream, the water dwindled, sinking into the alluvium. The riparian vegetation changed to sagebrush shrubs gradually, although I still found willow thickets. I stopped looking over my shoulder quite so much as I got to more of the sagebrush!

The looming clouds over the mountains threatened more rain. I really enjoy overcast days like this, since we get so few.

Eventually the water dried up, less than one-third the way down the channel. It takes a lot of water to make it all the way down to town. Nevertheless, in the next couple weeks this dry streambed will transform into a raging river. It's exciting, but also scary, especially when you can hear those boulders rolling along the stream bottom due to the power of the water.

Part of my excuse for walking down the channel was to look for flowers. I found a couple I hadn't previously identified, so that was exciting. I also saw a lot of this rush. I have a hard time getting excited about identifying rushes, sedges, and grasses, but they probably make up over one-third of the vegetative species here.

I'd just say that it was a great day to be outside!

Then it got even better when I stumbled upon this patch of Erigeron, or fleabanes. They really lit up the rocky ground.

I didn't see them anywhere else except that one big patch. I think I like surprises like that. When you have to work a little harder to find nature's beauty, you appreciate it more.

I also saw lots of birds and even managed to capture a decent photo of this black-throated sparrow. I'm already ready for the next exploration trip.
Happy trails...

Playing with Water

A couple weeks ago we had a wonderful, warm Saturday morning, and we met up with some other moms and kids in the playground. The kids went down the slides, hung out on the swings, chased each other around, and did all the normal playground stuff.

Then one of them wanted a drink. The water from the water spigot is usually delicious--cold, mountain water. On this particular day, a hose was attached to the spigot. And that hose meant it was time for even more fun.

While the bigger kids took the end of it, little Isaac and Emma found a leak in the hose that was just perfect for them. The next series of photos show them exploring the leak and figuring out how to stop it. They might be little, but they are already learning to be good at managing water!

Aha, the water is stopped with Isaac's foot.

The cat Alaska stops by to watch the little kids.

Meanwhile, here's what's going on at the end of the hose.

Aron is taking a big rock to the "construction site."

It's hard to believe we had such nice weather the kids could wear short-sleeves and sandals. It's back to snow today. It has definitely been a tumultuous spring, which I guess has made us appreciate the nice weather even more!

Swimming in Winter

We needed groceries and I had a really strong yearning to go to thrift stores, so we packed up and headed to Cedar City yesterday. The forecast was not good, but we decided to try anyway, and went through several snow squalls on the way, but the roads were in pretty good shape.

We found wonderful treasures at both the Catholic Thrift Store and DI (Desert Industries thrift store). The Catholic Thrift Store had a flyer about a yard sale to benefit the Japan tsunami victims. So we headed to it (held indoors because it was snowing), and found even more things we couldn't live without. There's nothing like going into a thrift store or yard sale not needing anything but coming away with something that you suddenly realize will make your life more complete (or cluttered).

After lunch and grocery shopping, it was time for a trip to the Cedar City Aquatic Center. My friend Chandra had told me about it, and I couldn't wait to go. We got our day passes, changed in the immense locker rooms, and then went out to the pool area.

We were totally amazed. Before us was a huge leisure pool, with basically a playground set in two feet of water. Behind it were three lanes for laps and a lazy river. In one corner was a four-story water slide. Over on the side was a little play area for toddlers in about six inches-one foot of water.

And that wasn't all!

There was also a hot tub for age 14 and up and a competition pool for lap swimming with eight lanes.

In the summer there's an outdoor pool with diving boards.

I didn't take my camera inside, so I don't have any photos (which is sad, but I'm not sure if I could have kept my camera dry!). Here's a photo from the Iron County newspaper that gives you a little taste of the pool, looking from the lazy river over the hot tub to the big play area:

It was a Saturday afternoon so pretty crowded, but it was still so much fun. Desert Boy went down the slides countless times. I did some laps to help get ready for a triathlon in May. I had to try out the big waterslide, too (it was fun but dark). Desert Girl started out standing in ankle-deep water, a bit stunned at all the commotion. By the end, she was eagerly going down the kiddie slide and even getting her head wet. My husband loved the hot tub and found that the pool water was pleasantly warm.

We'll definitely be heading back! It's across from the middle school up on the hill near Walmart, and adult admission is $4.50. They have a website to check out hours and fees.

We don't see much water in the desert, so when we do, we definitely get excited!

Point Reyes National Seashore

While we were out in California, we decided to go to Point Reyes National Seashore, a place we had never visited before. My husband's sister and her family were our gracious guides.

Our first sightseeing moment was the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the overlook on the north side and learning a few tidbits about the bridge, like it was built in 1937 and painted International Orange.

It was windy and raining, so we didn't stay long. But of course we (meaning compulsive me) had to take a few photos, and we had some willing models.

Our plan was to head up Highway 1 to the National Seashore, but that way was flooded, so we had to take an alternate route. The alternate route took us through a redwood tree grove (ah, those lovely trees!) and was quite scenic. I was really enjoying a total change of scenery, and cousin Lola was in the backseat, keeping Desert Girl and Desert Boy happily entertained.

When we got to the main visitor center, we looked at some of the exhibits, ate our picnic lunch, and then decided to head out to the lighthouse.

This was the view from the parking area at the lighthouse. The storm clouds just added to the dramatic scenery.
We found a short trail that went to a viewpoint, and took it to stretch our legs.

We were glad to have rain gear!

Ruby and her mom.

The ocean was a long way below us, but its effect on the landscape and vegetation was obvious. The vegetation was fairly short, having adapted to a rather harsh climate.

Next up was the trail to the lighthouse.

The direction of the prevailing wind was obvious by the lean of these trees. Ruby looks like she's enjoying a walk in the park!

Some black-tailed deer were munching on the vegetation, not particularly afraid of human visitors.
Then we got to a tiny visitor center and a set of stairs leading to the lighthouse, set on the cliffs below.

Not too many people were braving the weather, so we nearly had it to ourselves, even though it was a weekend. And the sun came out for a few brief moments.

It was about a 300 foot descent to get to the lighthouse, over 300 stairs.

The foghorn and light were automated years ago and are now housed in this little shack. Not nearly as picturesque as a real lighthouse!

Due to the height of the cliffs, they didn't need to build a tall lighthouse. In fact, it was a challenge to get all the materials to this location. In addition, they had no fresh water source except for what fell from the sky, so they built a cistern and collection basin.

It would have been a rather lonely life as a light house keeper, and I think I might have gone slightly mad seeing the ocean but not having an easy way to get down to it.

My brother Ed enjoyed the scenery, too.

After checking out the area, it was time to head back up. I had Emma in the front carrier, so I was ready for a good cardio workout.

And up. They had painted numbers on the steps so you knew how many more you had to go.

On one step I found this neat little snail.

It sure was a strange-looking creature!

We got to see the beach to the north again on the trek back to the parking area, along with the slug-like elephant seals that were on the beach.

A break in the rain meant it was time for some goofing off in the parking lot.

Emma was fascinated with the dog.

After a quick snack, we decided to head to the beach, where dogs were allowed (they weren't allowed on trails in the national seashore).

This was some of the landscape we drove through to get there, green pastures with lots of cows. Ranching was a historical use of this area, and many ranches are still in operation within the national seashore.

Some of the cows were dairy cows, while others were beef cows.

We parked in a huge parking lot and were virtually the only vehicles. Apparently there's a lot more visitation in the summer!

Despite it being December and wearing winter coats, some of us still had to take off our shoes and socks and run through the sand!

Desert Boy and Lola decided to play the wave game, trying to just let their feet get wet.

The shore was a little on the steep side, so it was hard to judge how big the waves would be.

They got some good exercise running back and forth.

Desert Boy was absolutely fascinated with the waves. After all, he doesn't get to spend much time at the ocean.

He was spellbound.

Will my toes get wet?

And to see the action, click on the video below.



Before we left the beach, it was time for a family photo.

Thanks for the good memories!