Thunder Gila

Friday, June 22, 2018. Suzanne and I spent last night in a cabin at Thunder Mountain Lodge on Grand Mesa, Colorado. Last Oct. while hiking around Deep Ward Lake we found a beautiful meadow within minutes of 3 lakes. We’ve named it Thunder Gila after the lodge and our all time favorite backpacking area, the Gila Wilderness.

The trail we were on at times was actually rocks and the footing was precarious at best.

I much preferred this part of the trail.

The meadow that would become our base camp. There are 3 different lakes each about a 20 minute walk from camp.

I found a spot without rocks and set up my tent.

Some really nice wildflowers.

When we needed water we would hike to this spot and filter it.

Suzanne chopping wood for tonight's camp fire.

All packed and ready to hike out.

I couldn't resist one more picture of Deep Ward Lake as we hiked out.

Grand Mesa National Forest

Friday, October 21, 2016.  Suzanne, the doggies and I rent a cabin on Ward Lake in the Grand Mesa National Forest in Colorado. Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the entire world. It has an area of about 500 square miles.

While driving to the cabin we take a short hike and found this view of Island Lake.

 Suzanne decides to rest in this hammock before we start our hike.

Suzanne and Dooley enjoy the view of Ward Lake.

We decide to hike all the way around the lake, a little over 2 miles on this trail.

On the hike we got good views of trout swimming around.

This trout was snatching a bug off of the surface of the lake.

The clear, calm water produced some very reflective pictures.

Not red but still a nice sunset.

Grand Mesa National Forest was very scenic. We will go back when we can spend more time.

Retirement Extravaganza

From June 24th through July 5th Suzanne planned an extravaganza to celebrate my retirement two weeks earlier. We would go camping and hiking in the Fishlake National Forest in south central Utah. We spent a day in the High Uintas. We went hiking in the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and it was all capped off with some time at IFly Utah.
After a long drive on a dirt road through the Fishlake National Forest we found a secluded place to set up camp. Suzanne and Hazel decide to rest a bit.


The next morning we decide to go hiking before it got too hot.

Sometimes the trail was hard to see but we never got lost.

The scenery during the hike was spectacular.

This Mule Deer was enjoying the area too.

Back at camp Suzanne's stove had a leak so she decided to cook on hot coals.

The next day we did another hike scouting for places to backpack.

I wish I knew the names of these wildflowers that we kept seeing.

After three days we decide to relocate camp to LeBaron Lake which we would have all to ourselves.

After setting everything up we decide to go on a hike around the lake.

Suzanne and Dooley enjoy the coolness of the water.

The next morning the lake is so calm I couldn't resist a couple of pictures.

This next one is my favorite.

The next week we went on a picnic in the High Uinta Mountains on the Utah/Wyoming border.

The next day we went hiking at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge where I got some pictures of Pelicans. There were hundreds of them swimming around.

Finally, on July 5th Suzanne arranged for lessons at IFly Utah. You get in a plexiglass silo and a column of high powered air lifts you up and you float on it. It gives you the experience of skydiving without jumping out of an airplane. It was the perfect climax to my retirement extravaganza.

The Great Basin

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. Suzanne, the doggies and I head out to western Utah near the Nevada border where we will spend the next three days camping and hiking in the Great Basin. The Great Basin is 209,162 square miles of land that covers western Utah, almost all of Nevada and small portions of California and Oregon. It is distinct in that all water and precipitation either evaporates or sinks down into the ground. None of it flows west into the Pacific ocean or south into the Gulf of Mexico. Most people would describe it as barren but Suzanne and I find it to be beautiful and full of life if you look closely.

After setting up camp I take a picture looking back east from where we came.

About 30 feet south of our camp I find this solitary tree to be picture worthy. The ground is white because of a high salt content. We are very close to the Bonneville Salt Flats.

It is Friday and Suzanne's birthday. She reminds me that it is also National Boss's Day. She wants to hike to a high rocky area we see to the north. Along the way we see lots of these succulents.

We come to a saddle were Suzanne and Dooley enjoy the view.

To me, even the black rocks and desert can be striking.

As we continue on our hike we come across this leg bone. It's probably from a mountain goat or a Big Horn Sheep that was dinner for a Mountain Lion.

Later in the afternoon we go exploring in my SUV. We want to drive west on the dirt road to see if there was a better area to set up a base camp. It doesn't take long before we see lots of runners. We ask this man what is going on. It turns out that we have stumbled into the annual Pony Express Trail 100. An ultra marathon through the Great Basin. I can't imagine running a hundred miles let alone through this shadeless unforgiving area.

Later that night the sunset was even more spectacular than this picture conveys.

The next morning back at camp Suzanne prepares fried potatoes and bacon for breakfast.

Later we head out for another hike with great views.

We spot this wild horse all alone. A herd is about a mile away. You can see scars on his back which probably means he was kicked out of the herd for picking a fight with the leader.

Clouds are moving in and the barometer on my GPS is falling which means a storm is approaching. Since we have about a hundred mile drive on a dirt road we pack up camp and head back. About 2 minutes after we reach a paved road the rain starts. All in all it was a very fun camping trip.