Shark Valley

As I mentioned in my last post, we recently took a vacation, and it was to a warm spot. Looking out the window at many inches of snow and thinking about a temperature that freezes your nose hairs by the time you get into the truck makes me want to go back to that warm spot. So here's the return, at least a visit of the memories. After a day and a half of travel that included two planes, we arrived in Miami, Florida.

The next day we gathered with family and headed to the Everglades. We wanted to visit Shark Valley, which is in the middle of the river of grass. It is also known for having a lot of alligators, and bicycle riding is a good way to see them up close.

I think this alligator is grinning at my brother, daring him to get closer! Alligators can move at 25-30 mph for short distances. I'm not sure how fast my brother can move.

Some of our group took the two-hour tram ride on the 15-mile loop. The rest of us biked seven miles to the tower and back. It was very warm and humid, but it was flat, so that made the riding relatively easy.

The Everglades is known for its birds. It used to have even more birds, but although the numbers are fewer today, birds are still a frequent sight. Above is an anhinga, also called a snake bird because when it's swimming its body is mostly underwater and its protruding head looks like a snake. After it has been in the water, it often spreads its wings to dry.

We saw over a dozen gators right next to the paved path. Desert Girl was quite concerned, but she felt safe in the bike seat.

This trail near the tower was closed due to high water. A peek down it made it seem quite wild, with many gators hanging out, waiting for a tourist who didn't follow the signs.

We finally got to the tower (in about an hour), and it felt good to get off the bikes and stretch our legs.

A white ibis was busy eating in the wetlands.

The tower is quite high, giving a great vantage point to see more of the Everglades. Coming from a mountainous area, it felt really strange to be in such a flat place.

The sawgrass stretched out as far as the eye could see, with little islands of trees where the elevation gained a few inches. Lending more drama to the scene were big storm clouds, which built every day we were in Florida.

A very tame cormorant sat on the railing the whole time we were on the tower. It even stayed when the tram arrived, with about 50 people all coming up to the tower at the same time.

I'd say that the view was worth hanging out for!

The way back was rather uneventful, with more beautiful birds and plenty of gators. We were fortunately spared mosquitoes--I didn't get a single bite the entire trip.

Even though it was winter, we still saw a few flowers blooming.

This tricolored heron (I think that's what it is) was not bothered by people and continued on its hunt for more food.

I had not been to the Everglades for 12 years, and it sure felt good to be back for a quick visit. I'd like to go back again some day and do some kayaking among the mangrove islands. It is such a fascinating place, and such a different ecosystem than anything else in the U.S.

Next up: more trip memories. Maybe they'll make you feel a little warmer too!

Moab Trip--Day 1: Elk, San Rafael Swell, & Goblin Valley

Last weekend we took a three-day trip, with Moab as our main destination. I had signed up for a 5k Adventure Race, part of the Moab Trail Marathon race. My husband agreed to take three whole days off. That might not sound like much to some; I work with a bunch of people who regularly have three days off each week. But for us, three whole days together is quite an occasion. So I started planning early, bound and determined to make the best of those three days. I looked through guidebooks and trolled the Internet looking for the best things to do and places to go.

Not far out of town, we came across something I hadn't planned for. We saw a big bunch of beasts out in the distance. Were they wild horses? No, that didn't seem right. They were elk. Totally unexpected, as we had never seen them there before. Fortunately I had my camera handy, and we pulled over to the side of the road to watch them.

The elk started running. Where were they going?

Towards a herd of pronghorn. Oh my goodness, it was like Wild America right in our backyard. Wow!
We passed several more herds of pronghorn--probably 40 to 50 in total. My husband reminisced about how few pronghorn he saw as a little boy. The population sure has increased since then.

The first hour and a half of driving we were with my brother and his friend. She was having some car troubles and we wanted to make sure they made it okay. It was a good thing we did, as her car broke down and we had to give it a jump. Fortunately that allowed them to get to a bigger town where they could get replacement parts. We bid adieu and headed our different directions. Soon we were on I-70, heading across the middle of Utah. We needed a stretch break at one point, so we pulled off at one of the many rest stops along the scenic San Rafael Swell.

It was hard not to take off hiking down in the beautiful country! The agreeable temperatures made it even more appealing. Desert Boy was full of energy, so we climbed around a bit.

Don't fall!

It made me want to climb so much! But I had decided climbing wasn't on the agenda for this trip, at least not technical climbing. We had other things to do and places to go. The next was Goblin Valley State Park, about 40 minutes off the Interstate. I had seen the signs several times, but never had taken the time to visit. This time we were going.

Here's the view from the parking lot. It looks like a lot of little gnomes. If it looks slightly familiar, it might be because a scene from the movie Galaxy Quest was filmed here.

I told Desert Boy we could play Hide-n-Seek, and he took off running.

Where are you, Desert Boy?
It was a good game, and as we were visiting off season, we had it nearly to ourselves. Plus we were perfectly comfortable in jeans and shirts.

Desert Boy took a photo of us. We are trying to be better about getting family shots, and I realized we should try for a few couple shots, too.

Amid all the dry, desolate goblins we found one little muddy pool. The kids wanted to know how deep it was. I told them they could, but they weren't allowed to fall in.

This was their solution. It fit with the little chant they say frequently: "What's going to work? Teamwork. What's going to work? Teamwork." It is always music to my ears.

Goblin Valley State Park has three fairly short trails. I think we were on part of one for a little while. I would love to go back and do more. We drove through their campground and found that the campsites are not only located in a great location, but the campground has showers! That made us want to go back even more. A few amenities while camping are highly desirable to this family! Plus I would love to go hiking around the goblins under a full moon.

Our day wasn't finished--my Internet research had revealed a nearby slot canyon...to be continued...

Finding Snake Skins

 I was ready to do some desert exploring one morning, so I headed to an area I hadn't visited in years.

This Hole-in-the-Ground Sinkhole. It's quite stunning, especially since you don't know it's there until you're at the edge. One side has really steep cliffs. Since I had never walked completely around it, I decided to give it a go. The views were great. While I walked, I kept an eye out for rattlesnakes. I thought that they might have gone into their dens for the winter, but I wasn't sure. I've hardly seen any rattlesnakes this last summer, but I know some people who saw more than usual. I like seeing them, I just don't want them to surprise me--or me to surprise them!

 Then I saw something that made me do a double take--a snake skin. As snakes grow, they shed their skins. They leave them behind, and if you find them before the elements cause them to disintegrate, they make for an interesting show-and-tell item for a little kindergarten student.

 Can you spot the shed in the photo above?

 When a snake is ready to shed its skin, it rubs its nose on something rough, like a rock, to tear the skin. Then it starts to wriggle out of the skin. Then--here's a cool part I just learned--as the skin is pulled off, it is turned out inside out.

 One of the snake sheds I found was in really good condition, with the whole head clearly identifiable. I was really excited and showed quite a few people. My husband thinks I'm overreacting a little, so I'll just throw the question out there: Have you ever seen a snake skin with the head still in good shape?

p.s. For more info about the sinkhole, see my book, pages 236-37.

Life on the Playa

 I wasn't feeling the energy for my weekly Black Rock run while Desert Girl was in preschool. So instead I decided to do a little exploring. Since I had playas on my mind (see this earlier post if you haven't already), I went to a nearby playa.

 As I approached, I spooked some of the wildlife. Several pronghorn took off, as well as horned larks, a raptor, and probably more. I parked on the edge of the playa and got out to start walking around.

 A lone pronghorn, probably hoping I would just go away, bounded past. Fortunately I had my camera ready.

 I've never been able to see how a pronghorn runs, so I was fascinated with the photo results. Pronghorn are the fastest land animals in the Western Hemisphere, with speeds exceeding 40 mph. Worldwide they are second only to cheetahs. Pronghorn have 13 distinct gaits. I have to say I don't know what this one is.

 One of the cool things about pronghorn (cool enough to make me put it as my Favicon (the little icon that shows up next to the name of my blog) is that they are endemic to western and central North America. They have been around much longer than deer or elk, and they have evolved with the ubiquitous sagebrush and are able to use it much more efficiently than other ungulates. There used to be 12 species of pronghorn (Antilocaprids) here in the Pleistocene, but today only one still exists, Antilocapra americana.

Although pronghorn can run fast, they can't jump well. Instead of jumping over fences, they usually crawl underneath them. It looks as awkward as it sounds. Someday I might get lucky and get a photo.

I could see the pronghorn off a ways in the desert, watching the playa. I wouldn't have seen them, though, if I didn't know to look for them, as they blend in really well.

 The bone on the playa showed that not all animals are able to escape their predators.

 I found these nice pronghorn tracks.

 The tracks were near this puddle. Flocks of horned larks kept flying around. I'm sure this water is a major attractor. Playas are often dry, but when they have water, they are a hotspot of diversity.

 One of the things that attracts me most about playas is all the patterns that can be found on them. Near the edges I found small black gravel on the playa. It had filled in many of the mud cracks, accenting the dessicated pattern.

 The tree-like drainage pattern caught my eye. Even on a small scale, the patterns are fantastic.

 When you get out to the middle of the playa, it's hard to imagine what could possibly live on it. It seems so desolate and forlorn, so hard to make a living.

 The playa attracted some short-termers for a party.

 An elevation change of a few millimeters permitted a bush to grow out on the playa.

 And then I found this beetle out near the middle. What are you doing out here, little beetle?
 

 The beetle is in the lower middle of the photo--look for its shadow. It's really far from anything!

 It was moving quickly, perhaps realizing that it was more-than-a-little exposed to birds and other predators.

 These tracks that start and stop abruptly made me think of alien life. Perhaps that's due to so many alien movies being filmed out in the desert!

I was surprised by all the life I saw out on the playa. There was sign of lots more--plenty of scat from pronghorn and wild horses, burrows, bird scat, and more. At first it might appear as such a bleak place, but once you look a little closer, you can see that the playa is an important place for many animals.

Now I'm ready to go explore a few more playas!