LITTLE WILD HORSE CANYON (Day 25 - part 4)
The colors and patterns of the rocks were amazing!
Dots...
... and lines
Circles...
... and stripes
Purples to pinks to blues...
... yellows to reds to browns
Once I made it out of Bell Canyon to the wider, final half-mile stretch, I slowed down again. There were still plenty of thick grey clouds, but they seemed to stay behind me. There were plenty of people now... the first I'd seen since the couple at the very beginning of my trek.
The junction
There are 21 different species of chipmunks in the western US, and in any one location, two or more species may occupy the same habitat. Sometimes, internal skeletal features are the only way to tell them apart. Most common for this region, however, are the Unita, Least, and Cliff Chipmunks.
A final glance back with the sky full of clouds. It's 1 pm now...
... and here is the idential view from when I set out this morning at 8 am.
The Long-nosed Leopard Lizard eats insects, rodents and other small lizards... including its own kind. They will even eat their own baby lizards as they hatch from their eggs. Fortunately the adults are usually not active during the hatching period, which allows the young time to grow in order to contend with the larger adults. These lizards can jump up to two feet in any direction (including up) to catch their prey.
The parking lot full now... as was the overflow lot. More were people were still coming in and vultured my spot. I was tired, dusty, and my feet were quite sore. It had been an amazing trip and I was finally ready to head home. Rain drops began to fall as I drove away.
The San Rafael Swell
Wild Horse Butte (left)
I couldn't resist turning down a side road that led directly into the swell. I didn't get too very far before the road became a bit questionable.
End of the paved road
This didn't sound too good, expecially with dark clouds closing in.
Heading back out
It was a relatively short drive up to Green River. The swell stayed with me almost the entire way.
Frankenstein road!
I had pre-booked a cheap motel but was having a hard time finding it. I stopped in at a tourist information office for help. They called the number I had but got no answer. One woman suggested it might be the old Bookcliff Inn but went on to say it was VERY run down and the pool was closed. She highly recommended I instead go to one of the small local B&B's instead. But I had already paid and her suggestions were a lot more money.
I had seen the Bookcliff sign on my way in, so I returned to it. Sure enough, posted by the office, was a very tiny sign for the new Passport Inn. The office was closed. On the door was a sign to call the very number we had just unsuccessfully tried. I wandered around a bit. The place was indeed rather intimidating, with partial dirt roads to abandoned looking buildings in the back. Eventually I found a guy carrying an armful of sheets. I asked where to check in so he fetched the manager for me. She was friendly and gave me the key to a room. She wanted me to officially check in but had gotten locked out of office so asked me to come back in a bit.
As advertised, the closed swimming pool
Everything was gutted and very sparse.
The giant room seemed nice enough but was clearly in the process of being remodeled. Some of the walls were freshly painted but the carpet was old and stained. Some things were fixed up while other items remained broken.
Um... what??
After I unpacked a bit, I went back to the office to check in. I then showered and made an attempt to move as little as possible for the rest of the evening. I was quite sore!
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