2024 Utah Adventure

 Sunny with temps near 90 degrees today. Not a usual day for a valley hike but I noticed yesterday that temps (despite ending up near 90) were only 70 at noon. So instead of heading for the mountains, I'm heading to Antelope Island where it'll be about 5 degrees cooler. I left the house around 7am. When I arrive at the Island, it's in the mid-50s and 1/2 the causeway is still in the shade. Crossing the causeway I spot a coyote. He's racing south from near the causeway. Not sure why the sprint there's no one around. He finally stops - yea! Tons of birds along both side of the causeway - as I said last week, awesome to see! I arrive on the Island and head south.  I pass thru a small herd of bison at the V. Then the car in front of me scares a flock of Chukkars just before the 1st pull-out. It's quiet until Frary Peak when I spot a herd (maybe 5-6) of deer on the west side of the road. This is exciting as deer the last few years have been scarce in sightings. There...

 Sunny  day with temps into the mid-80s. I've taken the day off to take a hike. The plan is to head up to Catherine's Pass (and above). I have not been there yet this year so today is the day! Beautiful morning; I get going just after 7am. On the way, I have a driver decide to make a right turn in front of me (bad enough) but then wasn't doing the speed limit (grrrr). Of course she's heading up LCC but I'm able to use a 2nd lane to pass early on. But that won't help because a little ways down the road, I run into the dreaded canyon road construction. There was none a month ago but now the road is down to one lane with a big line of cars ahead. Not what I was expecting on a Thursday morning (before 8am) in late Sept. Having no patience, I turn around and head up BCC for a hike somewhere around Silver Lake. And yes, there's road construction there too! Heading up BCC, of course, I get behind a dump truck barely going 20mph. But just before the S-turn, I get to...

 Sunny day in the low 70s; perfect day for a change of pace and head up to Antelope Island for the 1st time since Spring. So ready for a change of pace :) I arrive just before 8am. Landscape is still in the shade of the mountains but as I cross the causeway, I quickly spot a lone coyote heading east along the Farmington Bay lakebed. Very cool! As I'm about to continue, just to the west of the coyote, two more coyotes pop up and start running to catch up. I'm assuming these are pups because they are playing as they are moving along. Great start to my day. Moving on, it's so nice to see water along both sides of the causeway even after a very hot and dry summer. And with the water means tons of shorebirds - perfect for the Fall migration that's probably already started. Love it! I reach the Island and I'm greeted by the burn scar (from earlier this summer) behind the VC. Lucky place for it to have started; only downside would have been if a north wind had been blowing...

 Sunny day with highs in the low 70s. Heading up BCC to hike somewhere around Brighton area. Didn't know where until I pulled into an empty Silver Lake parking lot. The plan is to do the loop but we'll see, I'm interested in getting my porch finished. Empty boardwalk this morning. It's in the low 40s and sun still rising. The leaves are starting to turn here in spots. By next week-end... Quiet walk around the lake. There's one duck and I do find the beaver in the middle of the lake. The pier on the opposite side gets me pretty close. I head up the trail towards Lake Solitude. I run into a doe downhill very early. She's basking in the sunlight and having breakfast. Followed by a lone spike buck also on the downhill side. Just got a glimpse of him as he ran off. I also see a moose print on the trail - could one be around? Just before the lift, I meet a doe and baby standing on the trail.  They head downhill and are followed by a bigger buck. (Wow! Two buck in a si...

Sunny day with temps near 70s. (We've had our 1st mountain snow dusting the other day!!) Perfect to take off after work for a quick hike up to Willow Lake. It's also a leaf color check. Heading up BCC, yes, the colors are changing on the trees but there's a long way to go. I reach the Willow Lake TH and there's only a few cars here. As I start up the trail, the aspens have not yet started to turn but they're ready. The ground veg is bloomed out and drying up. There are a few asters, yellow composites around here and there but it's getting pretty bare. Very quiet walk up the mountain - no birds singing this afternoon. There are plenty of grasshoppers hopping around though. Hoping for a few butterflies but without slim flowers probably unlikely. I reach the meadow and yes, the trees behind the lake have a tinge of yellow! I start making my way around the lake. I see a few dragonflies and one duck. I head back into the aspens; just a quiet walk. I complete the circ...

Very cold night and only warming into the low 70s today but sunny. Heading up to do the loop up to Twin Lakes and then detour down the gravel road to the Millie Lift hoping to find some late season butterflies -- probably mostly Coppers. Left my house around 7:30am. Quiet drive. The trees are not changing yet but after a frosty night, I'm sure it'll be coming fast. Arrive at Silver Lake after 8am. It's still in the 30s so a light winter coat is necessary at least for a bit. Heading around in the clockwise direction as the Boreal Toads are still closing the trail (Oct 1). The boardwalk is frosty/slick. I'm looking but do not see any Moose this morning. Silver Lake is wonderful as always. On the far side, the beaver is hanging out in front of his dam. I reach the TH and see 2 ladies looking into the woods; I'm pretty sure they are looking at a moose but I continue up the trail. I then see 2 ladies coming thru the woods towards the trail; probably looking for moose. Th...

 Sunny day with highs in the low 90s. Heading up BCC to maybe hike up above Twin Lakes. We'll see how things go; my body is still bruised in sore from the fall 2 weeks ago; I'm thinking I should still avoid steep climbs. Super easy drive up the canyon. Just a truck in front of me going 50+ mph; very quick until reaching the one lane stop light before  Brighton - can't wait until they are done. When I arrive at Silver Lake, I'm the 2nd car - holy cow it's finally to "shoulder" season; Peace! And, and the parking lot is open; the construction is FINALLY completed! Hope the loop is open. But it's not. :( For some reason the far right corner is still blocked. I start around the lake in the clockwise direction. Light frost on the boardwalk making it a bit slippy. It's so quiet and calm. I'm finding no moose or deer. And despite hopes for seeing a beaver, no such luck this morning. I stop on the pier on the opposite side and see the Osprey take off a...

Sunny day with temps around 90 degrees AND it's Labor Day! I checked Alltrails and people are hiking up to Twin Lakes so either misread the sign yesterday OR they reopened the trail. Either way, I heading up and checking this out. Oh, not planning on heading up to Twin Lakes just Lake Solitude yet again (if possible). Leave the house around 6:45am.  See a Bull Moose along the river about 1/2 up. Kinda hard to miss with the number of cars pulled off the side of the road.  I arrive at Silver Lake and the parking it pretty empty. I gear up and head to the boardwalk to check the sign about closures. Yes, they are working on a section of the trail (near the TH) that they worked on last year but if I head clockwise around the lake, the TH is open. So I off I go. Hoping to see the beaver today. Looks like they've built a new dam on the far side of the lake (their old one got destroyed because of the boardwalk re-build). Lots of folks fishing already. There's a guy in a raft on the...