Utah Vacation

We spent a lovely weekend in Moab, Utah.  On our way out of Colorado we made a brief but entertaining stop at the border.  With the legalization of marijuana there were obvious signs such as this banker bag with over a gram or two of weed inclosed.  I guess as people near the border they are just ditching their supply.

We rolled into Moab with just enough time to grab a bite of lunch and head to Arches National Park.  It was just as stunning as I imagined it to be.  Plus, the light was perfect on the sandstone.  

This park surely knows how to deliver with beauty right off the bat.  We went to the very first Windows section of the park and hiked until dark.  I couldn't wait until morning so we could go back and do some further exploration.

As Edward Abbey says "the sky and the desert dissolve slowly into mystery under the chemistry of twilight." It's certainly a wonderful thing to observe.

Condors!

Two more shots of the California Condors in Zion National Park last month. These are taken by Geraldine from her trek to the top of Angel's Landing. She had a little different perspective than I did, one from above.

Condors in Zion

I have a slight obsession with condors. I saw them in Bolivia back in 2006 and I have been taken by them ever since. So it was with great pleasure that I had a chance to see them on my recent Southwest Adventure. Geraldine and I hiked up the Angel's Landing trail in Zion National Park and found three condors near the summit. It was so much fun having a chance to see these birds and also having the opporunity to study them at length. I even tried my hand at digi-binning.

My lifer California Condor in Zion National Park found on 18 APR 2010. You can make out the wing marker as A3.

This one lone condor stayed perched for quite awhile before two more joined it. Once the three condors came together they took flight and rode the air currents. They gave me some great looks and I was even able to make out two of their wing markers. I sent the information into the USGS Banding Laboratory and they gave me some very interesting background information on the birds.


The perched California Condor had a wing marker #A3. She was hatched on 5-13-04 at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, ID. She was released on 10-12-05 at their Vermilion Cliffs site near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. One of the other condors that joined her also had a wing marker that I could read #99. He was hatched on 4-17-03 at the World Center for Birds of Prey and was released at the same site in AZ on 3-20-04. Both of these captive born birds are part of a larger recovery effort of the California Condor in its native range.

In the photo above the condors are just little specks. They circled directly overhead at one point and you can see their white feathers on the wings. Click the photo for a better view of the condors below to see some obvious ID marks.

It was a privilege to see these birds and something I will never forget. It was also really fun to learn a little history about their individual lives. If you want to support Condor Conservation please think about making a donation to the Peregrine Fund.

Hiking in Zion

On our first full day in Zion National Park we decided that we would tackle the Angel's Landing Hike. It was a beautiful morning and luckily for us we found that it was National Parks week so the fee was waived to enter the park. We hit the trail head just over the Virgin River.

When we first got to Zion we were interested in two hikes, Angel's and the Narrows. The Narrows was closed due to the water levels so it made our decision very easy. The hike has over 21 switchbacks but if you take it easy it's actually not that hard of climb.

Along the way we encountered some wildlife like this lizard and the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel seen below. This is also where I saw my first lifer bird of the trip, a group of White-throated Swifts. These swifts would be along the trail all the way to the summit. They gave some spectacular aerial displays near Scout's Overlook.

At Scout's Overlook I decided to hang out while Geraldine made the summit. I didn't really like the idea of one little slip and falling to my death. So I found a nice shady spot and settled in to soak up the views and look for some birds.

I'm really glad I stayed behind because less than 15 minutes later a California Condor perched on the ledge directly in front of me. I was so excited that I spent the next 30 minutes taking photos and soaking in my much-loved lifer bird. Condors hold a very special place in my heart and seeing this one was like a dream come true.

To make the trip even better, two more condors joined the perched one and they sailed high into the air. I probably spent a total of almost an hour with the Zion Condor show. It was really a day to remember. Shortly after Geraldine joined me and we chatted about the condors. She also saw them flying by her but she didn't get the perched views.

After the Condors there wasn't much that could make my day better but we decided after luch to take another small hike to Weeping Rocks. There were so many beautiful small flowers there and a small waterfall.

The water literally seeps out of the rock and trickles down the next layer. The top layer of this are is permeable and once the next layer of rock comes the water has to seep out horizontally. This provides a very unique ecosystem.

While waiting for the shuttle bus at the Weeping Rock trail we explored the river bed for more birds. I picked up a few new ones for my life list including Virginia's Warbler and Gray Vireo.

When I was preparing for the trip I made a list of birds I could potentially see and the California Condor was at the top of the list but I didn't realize how easy it would be to find it. Even without the condors this day was full of many fun memories and one I will never forget. I figured this would be the high point of the trip but I was pleasantly surprised to find that each day brought new gifts. Come back to share in the trip.

On the road in Utah

Roadside flowers in Utah (anyone know the ID?)

Driving into Zion National Park

My first look at the canyon


There still was some snow capped mountains despite the warm weather.


The rocks were a beautiful red color that even tinted the road.



Our little rental car did just fine navigating the ups and downs in Zion.


The famous arch, a natural rock formation.

This was a little "window" in the tunnel at Zion.

The tunnel was dark and longer than I expected. They only allow one way traffic due to the small size of the road.

Zion is famous for it's variety in rock formations. They have so many different layers and types of stratification.

After driving from Las Vegas we took a nice spin through the park and then made a loop back to our hotel. We needed plenty of rest for our first full day of hiking in Zion.

These are called the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. They are located near Mt. Carmal Junction. We drove by them on our loop by to our hotel.

I'm Back!

Last week I made a huge circular trip from Vegas to Zion National Park to Antelope Canyon to Grand Cayon National Park to Sedona to Vegas. Now I'm back and ready to share my new adventures. The best bird of the excursion is seen in the photo above taken at Zion from the Angel's Landing Hike. If you can't tell, those are California Condors! And if you know me, you will understand how much I loved this trip. Condors are my favorite birds, hands down. Come back to see what else I found on my trip.