Memorial Day Weekend Trip Day #1: Anasazi Museum and Lower Calf Creek Falls

 So the weather forecast for Memorial Day weekend basically stunk. Rain for three days, it said. I said we're going anyway. We had gotten an invite to a canyoneering get-together in Boulder, Utah, a place I had never been and wanted to see. We took off Friday night after work and after driving a few hours it got dark and rainy and we decided that instead of pushing through and setting up our tent in the rain, we would stay in a motel for the night.

The next morning we got up early and headed towards Torrey, Utah. I had driven through once years before but really didn't remember any of it. Then we headed south over Boulder Mountain, a road that was paved only in 1985. As we ascended towards the pass (at about 9,000 feet!) the rain turned into snow, and at times we crept along at only 15 miles per hour. At one point we stopped and Desert Girl and I had a little snowball fight.

When we rolled into Boulder, we decided we would check out the Anasazi State Park Museum, where we found interesting displays. Outside we found a pit house.

Desert Girl liked going into one of the buildings.

Then we headed to our meeting point, set up our tent, met old and new friends, had lunch, and decided to head out for a rainy hike with friends to Lower Calf Creek Falls, part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. To get there we took the spectacular Highway 12, which follows the hogsback (top of the ridge for a number of miles), with dramatic dropoffs on both sides (and very few guard rails).

We turned into the popular campground eponymous with the falls, grabbed rain jackets and umbrellas, and started off on the 6-mile round trip hike.

We stopped for a family photo in this neat (and dry) alcove.

Along the hike were numbered stakes, and we followed along with the brochure. One visitor told us the pictographs were hard to find because they were so small. When we got to the viewing point, I was amazed at how large they were--nearly life size, just far away.

The rain let up a bit, but the skies stayed cloudy. I had fun looking at flowers and birds on the way.

Primrose with raindrops

We could hear the waterfall before we could see it. Then suddenly, through the trees, there it was.

As we got close, a cold wind pushed us back. But Desert Girl braved the wind and walked to the edge of the pool. The falls were huge, swollen from all the recent rains. It was a beautiful sight and kind of made up for the fact that we couldn't go into canyons that day.

 I spotted this blooming cactus on the hike back.

Desert Girl was really tired, but she perked up when we reached this little cave.

Desert Boy tried to get in too, with a little help from Dad.

It ended in lots of laughs.

It was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. We made it back to camp just in time for a delicious dinner and then it was off to bed to get ready for the next day's activities.

2015 Stream Insects BioBlitz

 This year's BioBlitz at Great Basin National Park featured Stream Insects. Dr. Boris Kondratieff from Colorado State University came as the lead taxonomist and gave the opening workshop.

Then it was time to head out to Upper Lehman picnic area to practice catching stream insects.

Those who had never seen them before were quite surprised.

We also had experts who were trying to find unusual specimens.

One of the most entertaining aspects was watching Dr. Kondratieff and Dr. Nelson speak Latin as they batted species identifications back and forth. 

With some specimens collected, it was time to sort.

Then we split up into a couple groups to tackle different streams.

Despite the rain, everyone persevered and found a variety of critters.

The next day the sun came out. Some groups hiked up high into the snow, others drove to remote locations in the park, and our group traveled along Snake Creek. We started at the end of the road.

We were missing the picnic tables from the day before!

As we moved down the stream we encountered different organisms, particularly in the springs, where the number of juicy cranefly larvae were quite numerous.

The afternoon brought some interpretive programs, which the kids just loved. I was so grateful to my mother-in-law for sharing the experience with them.

They enjoyed making their own insect in an activity called Frankenbug.

Sunday was also a beautiful day, with short morning field trips.


Then it was time for lunch and wrapping it all up with the preliminary results. Many stream insects were identified to species level, and some larvae were taken back to the lab to see what they would hatch into.

It was a fascinating BioBlitz, and I'm sure some people will never think of streams in quite the same way again!

Baby Pronghorns

 The other day as we were driving I noticed these two little pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). They were so cute. Pronghorn mate in the fall, and every spring we see little ones around (if we're lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time).

Within a few days of being born, pronghorn can outrun humans. They eventually get up to 53 mph, the second fastest land mammal in the world, after the cheetah. Fortunately for them, no cheetahs live around here. Pronghorns do have to slow down when they get to a fence, as they don't jump over them but rather crawl under them. It's a strange sight, but they seem to do it pretty well.

When the young pronghorn caught up to their mom, it was easier to see their size. Even though we had stopped alongside the road and were watching them, they didn't seem very alarmed.

Eventually they ran off. I bet the next time we see them the young will look appreciably larger.

Field Day 2015

 The day before school gets out is Field Day, a day of outdoor fun for the elementary schools. Enough preschoolers were there they got to have a race too. Looks like they were talking as they raced!

One of the classic favorites is the three-legged race.

And then the wheelbarrow race.

These two couldn't get enough of it.

Sometimes coordination required a mother's help!

Look who's back at it!

Balancing an egg on a spoon was also a fun race.

The preschoolers quickly figured out some strategies to keep the egg better balanced, like holding the spoon up higher.

Or using two hands!

The obstacle course was lots of fun.

And the long jump provides some great action photos.

We had a delicious lunch and then the kids went on to relays in the afternoon. It's such a fun tradition and the weather was perfect for it this year. Next year Desert Girl and Isaac will be participating officially. Wow!