Zoo Day at the Hogle

I had a nice, relaxing day today. No hiking, just walking. I drove from Orem, UT about an hour north to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. I got caught in a little rush hour traffic, but it only delayed my trip a few minutes. Hogle Zoo is not very big, but they do have a good collection of animals from around the world. The first exhibit I visited was the lions. It was a bit chilly, but they were sleeping and soaking up the morning sun.

 

There were just a couple of elephants, a female and her half-grown calf. It was interesting to see the calf still nursing from its mother. Next door, there were two white rhinoceros, and I was amazed to see two black-billed magpies sitting on the back of one. It reminded me of the African tickbirds who perch on animals looking for insects and such to eat. 

They had animals and birds housed indoors for the year, as it was getting too chilly for them to be outside. Even though I was quiet, they were all looking at me. Or, maybe it was the light on my camera? Here are a burrowing owl and a roseate spoonbill, and the Arabian sand cat was really enjoying its nice, soft bed.

Back outside, the snow leopard and Siberian lynx didn't seem to mind the cool temperatures. The same could be said of the grizzly bear, which looked like it was ready to hibernate for the winter. 

I was just as interested in the non-zoo animals...the native wildlife taking advantage of what food the zoo had to offer. There was the previously mentioned magpies, American goldfinches eating the blossoms of landscaped plants and even a rat scavenging what the birds dropped on the ground!         

After a very tasty lunch at Freddie's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, I drove to Blackfoot, ID to visit the Idaho Potato Museum. This small museum explains how the lowly potato became important food for people throughout history, and how the potato is used in the present day. I was amazed by the wall of potato mashers, and the Guinness World Record potato crisp.

My pit stop for the night is a hotel I had stayed at in the past. I was so impressed by their free dinner, that I decided to stay there again on this trip. And, I wasn't disappointed. Cream of potato soup with bacon, salad, roll and cookies! They also had chili and onion soup, too! 

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to another relaxing day. I will be driving even less than I did today, which is always welcome!

Caves and peaks: Great Basin National Park

It rained a little overnight, which resulted in turning the layer of dust on my car to mud. Normally, that would bother me...well, it bothers me a little...but, I'm road tripping! There are more important things to think about, like my plan for the day...visiting Great Basin National Park. I purchased a ticket for the morning Grand Palace Tour at Lehman Caves, located at the park. The one and a half hour tour was nice, but nothing that I haven't already seen at other caves. One thing that was different was the "graffiti" left by early cave explorers who used their candle soot to write on the cave ceiling.

Afterward, I decided to drive the 12 mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive that takes you all the way up to 10,000 foot elevation. I noted the traffic sign said No Passing for the length of the road, but there was no slow vehicles ahead of me. What I DID encounter was a slow ANIMAL. At first, I wasn't sure what it was...I was thinking a marmot. I slowed almost to a crawl and just followed the animal as it waddled ahead of me. Then, it turned to look at me and I realized it was a badger! I've never seen a wild badger before! I tried snapping a photo, but this was the best I could manage before it finally left the road.

The episode reminded me of something that happened yesterday after I left Cathedral Gorge State Park. I was driving on a straight part of the highway when I saw an animal slowly crossing the road ahead of me. I slowed down and it was off the road by the time I got to it. As I passed it, I found myself looking...and it looking back...at a gray fox! Too bad I didn't get a pic of that!

Anyway, I stopped at the Mather and Wheeler Peak Overlooks and got some really nice photos of the scenery. Like the other parks I've visited on the trip, the fall colors were in full swing.

When I left the park enroute for my pit stop for the night, I traveled along US Hwy 50. On one stretch of the road, I was amazed by how long and straight it went across the Great Basin of Nevada. I just happened to look at my car's digital map, and at the bottom of the screen it said, "Loneliest Road in America."

Hmm...I had never heard that before. So, I Googled the highway, and sure enough, it's true! That one stretch of road did kind of make me feel lonely! Well, that pretty much ends my park visits on this road trip. I'll be relaxing in the city tomorrow looking at animals...the less wild type.

Playing the slots at Cathedral Gorge

It was another chilly day as I left Cedar City, UT this morning. I drove about a half hour north to Parowan Gap Petroglyphs and Dinosaur Tracks sites. There was absolutely no one around. Okay, maybe 8:30 am is a bit early for people to sightsee, but not for me! There were some nice petroglyphs, but the dinosaur tracks were somewhat disappointing. But, they were the first dinosaur tracks I've seen outside of a museum, supposedly made by hadrosaurs. The petroglyphs were drawn by the ancestors of the modern day Southern Paiute tribe.

The rest of my day was spent at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. There was almost no one there, not surprising since it's off season and in the middle of nowhere. I had initially planned to hike the four mile Juniper Draw loop trail. But, when the nice lady in the visitor center mentioned the slot canyons, I changed my mind. The official literature calls them caves, but they are really a series of short slot canyons. After a quick lunch, I spent almost two hours exploring. I felt like a kid again...it was fun discovering how far a trail would take me.

Before leaving the park, I drove north a couple of miles and stopped at the park's Miller Point Overlook. I didn't get a chance to do my long hike, but I still got some of the views that I would have seen from this overlook. Beautiful!

Tomorrow, it will be yet another park visit...it just never gets old...then onward to the big city again. After the quiet and solitude of the parks, it will probably seem very annoyingly noisy! 

Cedar Breaks: The Rampart Point Trail

I had a very nice stay in Hatch, UT last night. It was my second cabin accommodations of my road trip, and this one was almost as good as the last. I mean, check out the size of that television AND with Direct TV!

I had only one destination today... Cedar Breaks National Monument. I planned to tackle the four mile round trip Ramparts Point trail. It was rated as strenuous, and it wouldn't take long for me to find out why. My morning started out chilly...mid-30s...and foggy, with a brisk wind. Cedar Breaks has one large amphitheater of rock formations. Due to the low fog, it was partially obscured when I arrived.

I bundled up and headed out on the trail. The trail actually had a second viewpoint at the one mile mark...Spectra Point, I could see it in the distance as I walked.

There were many dead trees visible in the park...the result of spruce bark beetle infestation. There are also many bristlecone pines, which manage to survive in harsh terrain.

I noticed most of the visitors I encountered today only hiked to Spectra Point, which provides excellent views of the amphitheater.

As I continued on to Ramparts Point, I began to realize why the trail was supposed to be strenuous. The trail went downhill via switchbacks at first, then kept going down. I found myself thinking that I would have to hike back up later. As I walked, I noticed the trees had interesting features.

When I finally reached Ramparts Point, I thought is was just okay. I didn't think it was worth the tough hike ahead of me. After taking a breather and enjoying the absolute silence, I headed back.

Since I was in no rush, I took my time walking, and I found that I had to. It was pretty tiring! I did take photos along the way, which allowed me to rest. I kept my eye out for animals, and was rewarded when I sighted a least chipmunk and a female pine grosbeak.

Before I left the park, I checked out the Point Supreme Overlook right off the parking lot. As I walked to the viewpoint, I noted the sign which said 10,350 feet elevation! No wonder I was getting so tired hiking back up from Ramparts Point! I live basically at sea level, so higher elevation has an effect on me if I'm hiking. I didn't take many photos because I got much better views on my hike such as this one, which I snapped on my return trip.

Tomorrow, I have another hike lined up...a less strenuous one. My road trip is more than half over, and I'll be starting the slow trip back home.