Gary's Galavant Through the Universe

 On December 21, 2020, I went to Antelope Island at the Great Salt Lake to see what could see. This was the day of the "Great Conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn. After getting all set up, the wind picked up and it shook my camera and tripod so much that I couldn't get the shot I wanted.

My New Sport Shooter!

So I've started to build a new AR-15.  I've owned my Bushmaster AR for several years now and just haven't gotten enough enjoyment from it.  My plan is to tear it down.....and rebuild it.  This pick is a composite of what I'd like it to look like when I'm finished.

Update 6/2/2015: I'm still waiting for my barrel from Satern Machining.  I placed my order in January.  Ahrrgg! 

Update 12/29/2020: I finished my AR in July 2016, here's a pic.

 

Coyote Gulch Pit Toilet Destroyed?

I was saddened to hear that the great pit toilet below Jacob Hamblin Arch was burned down.  I had the "honor" of using that bivvy on two separate occasions.  My family, who accompanied me to the Gulch in 2009, especially appreciated the convenience it provided.  Below is an excerpt from the forum backcountrypost.com, made by a recent visitor to the Escalante Visitor Center (I'm keeping the post anonymous):

"I found out just yesterday the pit toilet at the Jacob Hamblin Arch had been burned. I stopped by the visitor center in Escalante and was stunned to read and then hear the details that apparently have not been revealed publicly. Here is precisely what I was told by one of the staff members at the visitor center.

On the night in June the incident happened, two Boy Scout troops were camping in the area. A group of boys 17-18 years old in one troop from the Phoenix, Arizona area, to use the staff members term, purposely "exploded" the toilet. The other troop from American Fork, Utah, witnessed the incident, took pictures of it, and tried to put out the fire while the troop and leaders from Phoenix, refused to assist.

The American Fork troop prevented the fire from spreading to the dry hillside. The AZ troop meanwhile packed up quickly and their leaders hiked them out of Coyote at night and left the area. The American Fork troop reported the incident to the visitor center in Escalante. The entire incident has been reported to the national park service and it is in their hands to pursue recovery of damage costs. I was told the toilet, with labor, materials and flying it in originally by helicopter to the site, cost $100K and won't be replaced due to lack of budget.

I was so angry when I heard the details I fumed all the way home. I wrote the Boy Scouts of America last night requesting their response and what they intended to do in terms assisting recovery of damages for the park service."

Here are a couple of pics that memorialize my trip to the Gulch...one is of the toilet in question.

Bird activity - Spring 2010

This late spring activity was really cool. There was a small flock of Lizuli Bunting at my feeder just about every day through the month of May.

What has to be one of the more spectacular birds in western North America is the Western Tanager. I've seen these birds only on rare occasion, but Spring 2010 brought many of these birds into my neighborhood. I probably counted 2 dozen individual birds through the month of May and early June.

Fauna From the Kansas Trip

Made the trip to Salina, Kansas for the holiday and had a wonderful visit. I was able to scan many of the folk's old photos for future use. I spent Christmas day at my brother's house in the country and was pleased that there was a bird feeder just outside the front window; so, I got some great pictures that will be shown below. But first, I want to post the pics taken on the first morning of my stay. My son and I got up early and drove north and east of Salina and this is what we saw...

Coyote














Turkey
















Another Coyote














Whitetail Deer
















In addition to the above, we also saw a couple Ringnecked Pheasant.

These pictures are taken at my brother's house west of Salina...

Downy Woodpecker















Northern Cardinal















Northern Cardinal (f)















Pine Siskin















Junco (slate race)















Junco (slate, immature)















Harris Sparrow















I was particularly pleased to get these photos of the Harris. At home in Utah the most common Sparrow is the House Sparrow. This individual is still in the immature phase as told by the sandy cap and blotchy black spots on the neck. When mature, this Harris will have a full black face, chin, and neck.















These photos are from my Mom's backyard (from the back window)...

Brown Creeper. Its small and directly in the center of the photo.















Another Northern Cardinal













A close up of Mike, the Red Squirrel.















It was a great trip and I can't wait for my next trip to Kansas!

Out.

Bird activity at Gary's feeders

UPDATE

This hawk just swooped in after being attracted by all the bird activity. I wasn't watching
at the time, but I heard the sound of rushing wings and went to the window. There were
no birds at the feeders, but I did see this guy sitting in my tree empty handed. Although it is
sometimes easier to identify a hawk in flight, I believe it is the Sharp-shinned Hawk; they
are common in this area.

I know...my kids have already said it, "Dad, our backyard looks like a bird zoo".
I prefer to use the word "aviary" to describe the little sanctuary I've created for my little
friends. You will see the following species in this short video: House Sparrow, Dark-eyed
Junko, House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, Black-billed Magpie. Enjoy!:



Here are some stills taken shortly after the video. I'm highlighting the Dark-eyed Junko
so you can see the difference between that and the Sparrow.














Notice the dark hood around the Junko's head as compared to the Sparrow. This guy is the Oregon Race (pink side)




























Here is a pic of the Roufus-sided Towhee along side the House Finches. This one is the western race, commonly called the Spotted Towhee.

The Common Flicker. This one is the red-shafted race (immature).

The Downy Woodpecker (female).














The Black-capped Chickadee.













The Mourning Dove.

Lost at Kings Peak 2008

My journey to Kings Peak was in July 2008. I was joined by my son, Sean, my neighbor Scott, his son Rob, and the boy's friend Steve. We departed from the Henry's Fork TH around 1000 on Thursday, July 10. The elevation at the TH is 9,400'. The climb is gradual most of the way to upper Henry's Fork Basin. When we arrived at the bridge that crosses the stream it was around 1200; the elevation at the bridge is 10,350'. This is where we stopped for lunch.

This is a picture of us
preparing to leave the Henry's Fork TH

This the crew taking their lunch
break where the trail crosses the stream

The trail is well marked and frequently traveled, so there was no difficulty in following it. Occasionally you may run across livestock at the higher elevations of the Henry's Fork Basin, but they seem to be well managed by the shepherds who are there on horseback. We arrived at the base camp around 1600 and set up, then pumped some water. Our camp was about 400 yards below Gunsight Pass, in the Henry's Fork Basin. As we sat around the "supper table", another fellow by the name of John came up the trail and stopped for a little orientation. He was from Ohio and had driven to Utah just to climb Kings Peak. We invited him to share our camp site and to join us for the ascent of Kings Peak in the morning.

This is the view of Kings Peak as you
reach the upper regions of Henry's Fork Basin

I retired early due to fatigue I was experiencing from the elevation. I seriously thought I would have to cancel my climb to the summit because of the way I was feeling. In the morning I felt much better and I joined the rest of the group as planned. We headed up the switchbacks that lead to the pass and then followed a system of cairns that leads to a shortcut above Painter Basin. The photo shows the our route in green. Rather than follow the trail from the pass into Painter Basin, we scrambled up a rugged trail marked with cairns that probably saved us about an hour or two, and about 4 miles.

One of the drawbacks of this route is the continuous boulder fields that you have to navigate to reach Anderson Pass. As I was traversing one of the fields, the rock rolled under my feet and I literally did a back roll and almost landed on my feet. I wasn't seriously hurt...I wish I had the move on video however!

I was the last one of the group to make the summit, but hey, who's keeping track right? I made the summit around noon and there we had some snacks and rested up for the trip back to camp.

The young men headed off first, as they wanted to follow the route that goes down the "chute" located at Anderson Pass. Next to depart the summit was John; then a few minutes later my neighbor and I headed down. By the time I arrived at Anderson Pass, John was already headed down the trail into Painter Basin. We decided to follow that trail as far as the base of the peak, then follow another shortcut that skirts the flank of West Gunsight Peak to Gunsight Pass, then base camp.

I was so worn out that it was 1800 before we got back to camp. The boys were there, but no John. We waited until about 1900 then sent a search party, consisting of Scott and some of the boys, back to the pass to see if they could spot John. Our understanding was John was coming back to base camp that evening. The crew got back to camp around 1945 without siting John and then we discussed whether we should summon help from the local search and rescue. By 2000, the boys were headed back to the TH, then they would take the car into Mountain View, WY to contact the sheriff's office. Scott and I stayed at base camp in hopes that John would show up.

On the summit July 11, 2008 - 13,538 ft.

Saturday morning came and still no John. Scott and I packed up the camp and headed down the trail to the TH. By the time we reached Dollar Lake, we could hear the search helicopter flying around. We waved at them and the pilot landed the helicopter in a clearing so the rescue guy could get as much info about John as possible. They took off and headed toward Painter Basin while we headed down to the car. When we arrived at the TH, the boys were there to get us, and there was a serious search and rescue command post in operation.

All turned out fine as the rescue party spotted John on Sunday morning in the area of Gunsight Pass. Evidently John had spent the last 2 days lost in Painter Basin.

It was one of the best adventures I've had.

Out.

John, this is the pic they put on the the search flyers
that were handed out to everyone coming
through the TH

Kamas Lake - September 25, 2009

I feel blessed to be able to work with the Boy Scouts.  Yes, they can be a little rambunctious at age 12 and 13, but my hope is that I've been able to instill a little self-worth or self-esteem in their wee minds.  I was never a scout myself, although I'll never understand why.  My mother has said that she was a den leader—even held den meetings in our basement, when I was a kid.  My brother was a scout until age 15 or 16.  Its hard to say why the adventure didn't appeal to me, but I have no recollection of mom having those den meetings.

Our trip to Kamas Lake last weekend was my 3rd in the last 2 years.  The lake is tucked behind Mt. Marsell (11,350'), and is backed by a 600 ft. rock dome, upon which sits Lofty Lake, a beautiful alpine lake in its own right.  We departed from Pass Lake TH a little later than I wanted, about 1745, and proceded down the Lofty Lake trail to Reid's Meadow.  The trail declines from an elevation of 10,150' at the TH, to exactly 10,000' on the northern edge of the meadow.  Once you reach the far end of the meadow, the trail makes a dramatic incline to Kamas Lake—approximately 525' in .7 miles.

I would characterize the climb as difficult for someone of my age and condition, but I heard nary a peep from the boys as we made the ascent.  Last year I made the trip with my son, Sean.  Half way up the climb I could easily sense his eagerness to get there so he could start fishing, so I told him to go ahead, I would maintain my slow, steady pace.  It's different when I take the scouts...I feel the need to lead them when I'm on the trail.  It's not a power move, I just like to keep them reigned in when we go outdoors in order to minimize any disturbance in the area we're traveling in.

We arrived at the campsite around 1845 and immediately set up the tents and collected firewood.  I was fortunate to have 2 other leaders on this trip, it made the set up go quicker and more efficiently.  By the time I returned to the fire ring with my load of wood, the boys already had a nice fire going.  By the time we started cooking, it was dark, and the glow of the fire was very inviting.  The temperature got to a low of 39° that night, and the skies were clear.  All-in-all, it was a very pleasant night.

In the morning we rose around 0630 and walked down to the spring to pump some water for the day.  We finished breakfast, cleaned up, and hit the trail for our day hike around 0845.  The day hike was a continuation of the previous day...up the Lofty Lake trail to Lofty Lake, then further still to the top of the rock dome that overlooks Kamas Lake.  It's another 600' in approximately 1.5 miles to the top; its not a big climb, but at 11,113' you can tell that the oxygen molecules are few and far between.

After arriving back at camp around 1100, we broke out the fishing poles and had a little R&R.  I personally didn't catch anything, but I was able to have some pretty candid conversations with some of the boys.  That's one of the rewards of being a scout leader, they look to you for guidance; those opportunities occur infrequently but when they do, it's a great day.

We packed up and headed down the trail around 1500.  The weather had been perfect the entire time.  There had been exhilarating alpine hikes, beautiful vistas, the company of friends.  It all happened in the space of 24 hours—I'm going to miss it...it was my last outing as a Scoutmaster.

Out.

Coyote Gulch — Labor Day 2009

--
September 3


Our trip to Coyote Gulch began with an overnight stay at Escalante Petrified Wood State Park, just outside of Escalante, Utah. Our accomodations were very nice and included showers; very clean!


September 4


We left the campground and made our way down Hole-in-the-rock Road mid-morning Friday and arrived at the Hurricane Wash trailhead at about 11:00. The thermometer in the car said 80°.


I've always accessed Coyote Gulch via Hurricane Wash and I had taken some boy scouts into the gulch via this route on June 7 and the traveling was easy, with very mild temperatures all week.




We headed down the trail to the registration station and got signed in, then continued down into the wash. Travel wasn't too bad, everyone was getting settled in under their backpacks and we made a couple of quick stops to make minor adjustments to straps, etc. As we hiked further into the wash, the temperature began to climb dramatically. My estimate is that by the time we reached the narrows of Hurricane Wash around noon, the temp had soared to around 100°.

Due to the extreme heat (and some incidental chaffing) we didn't get to Hamblin Arch until 16:00. This is where we set up our base camp. We used a nice sandy area just above the stream on the downstream side of the arch, across from the spring. This is a nice area to camp because of the easy access to fresh water flowing from the springs. There is ample room for multiple tents here and we created a pretty nice setup, including a spot with a primitive shower.

These gals are my inspiration

                                            Sean climbing to Cliff Arch                                

September 5

On day 3 we hiked downstream to enjoy the many sites available to visitors. We played in the various pools along the way, than when we arrived at Coyote Natural Bridge we stopped for lunch. Some of our party (who will remain nameless) decided that they had had enough hiking for the day. A couple of us continued down the canyon to the confluence with the Escalante River. It was about 18:00 when we got back to camp and we began to cook dinner. After dinner it began to sprinkle and made haste in getting things put away—the smell of heavy rain was in the air! It soon became apparent that we should take cover in whatever shelter we could find. The women grabbed their essentials and ducked into the tent. The rest of us, who had been sleeping under the stars, realized that the huge alcove just upstream was going to be our best bet. We just barely got to the alcove when all heck broke loose and there was a cloudburst that would make Zeus proud. At around 20:00 the rain stopped and we went down to check on the women, all of whom were fine; we stayed down at the alcove in the event of more rain. By 21:00 it was becoming obvious that the stream was going to become flooded, this kept us awake for a few more hours to ensure that our sleeping bags were high enough above flood stage to stay dry. The flood was definately one of the highlights of our trip.

The stream was 50 ft wide at flood stage

This shows the aftermath of the flood

pretty much normal, except the stream

was on the other side of the bed