April 23. 2011 by Merilee.

April 20, 2011

St George, Utah

Driving into Zion National Park is a treat for all the senses in spring.  The trees are full of leaves and blossoms, the pastures are green and the mountains stunning.  This is a pic of the a branch of the Virgin River as it flows through Zion National Park.  It had rained the night before so the water was running strong in this little creek.  It is always wonderful to find shade and running water in Utah.

We took a detour to Grafton, Utah.  This is two of the abandoned homes in the ghost town of Grafton, Utah. Mormon families founded Grafton in 1859 near the Virgin River at a spot one mile downstream from the present site, but a big flood two years later convinced them to move here. Hostilities with the Paiutes during the Back Hawk War forced residents to depart again for safer areas from 1866 to 1868. Floods and irrigation difficulties made life hard even in the best of times, and the population declined in the early 1900’s until only ghosts remained.

Movie makers discovered Grafton and used it for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, among others.

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April 17. 2011 by Merilee.

Saint George, Utah

April 17, 2011

Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree Road is a designated scenic back country byway in the southwestern corner of Utah.  The road winds through semiarid mountains in the region where the Mojave Desert, Great Basin and Colorado Plateau meet.  Here is the northernmost place where Joshua trees grow in large numbers.  In fact 1,000 acres in this area have been designated a national landmark.

The yellow flowers, orange mallow and paintbrushes were just beginning to blossom.  In this desolate desert country the color is just amazing to see.  The pic shows Joshua trees among the  yellow blossoms.

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April 13. 2011 by Merilee.

April 13,2011

Moab, Utah

Spring in Moab, Utah is a joy.  We have enjoyed the weather and the gorgeous red rock country.  Our annual visit to Arches National Park was as jaw dropping as always.  The first image is of Turret Arch in the Windows section of the park.  It is a wonderful hike to the base of the arch.

This is a capture of the North and South Window Arches.  They are massive.  The hike to the base allows one to stand under the arch and absorb how tall they really are.  This pic does not do the size justice.

Some facts about Arches National Park:

Average annual precipitation

10 inches

Number of documented arches

2,000 and counting

Largest arch

Landscape Arch (over 300 feet)

Plants 483 species of plants

Rare species: Canyonlands Biscuitroot

Birds

186 species of birds

Threatened species: Bald Eagle, Mexican Spotted Owl

Endangered species: Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (De-listed in 2001)

Mammals

52 species of mammals

Fish

6 species of fish

Endangered species: Bonytail Chub, Colorado Pikeminnow, Humpback Chub, Razorback Sucker

Amphibians

6 species of amphibians

Reptiles

21 species of reptiles

Historic structure

Wolfe Cabin

This shot was taken on our ride over Hurrah Pass and towards Chicken Corners.  We stopped here for a picnic lunch.   This area is called Lockhart Basin.  It is rare to find an open area along the Colorado River in this area.  I must say that we thoroughly enjoyed the stop.   We watched kayaks and floats go by towards Canyonlands National Park.

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April 2. 2011 by Merilee.

Moab, Utah

March 26, 2011

Fins & Things is a 3.5 rated trail in the Sands Flat area of Moab, Utah.  The trail is 9.4 miles of pure fun.  Riding up and down the steep slick rock is a blast.  I was just amazed at how well the jeep did in such steep terrain.    We followed the red jeep on the trail but he did a lot of “extra credit” sections that we passed on.

Happiness is looking out the windshield and seeing only sky.  Yup it is that steep.

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