So many choices!
When we visited Vernal in the past, we knew there were many more experiences to be had there; however, we did not realize the full scope of what the region has to offer. Now we have a bit better understanding, but a week's stay is wholly insufficient. We did our best, though, to make a dent.
One jaunt was over to Red Fleet Lake to put the boats in. It being Independence Day week and all, most likely increased the number of revelers on the water and lolling around on the beaches. Even with that factored in, I couldn't help but surmise that if that were in Arizona, it would have been mobs.
Babies played in shallow water, families set up canopies for shade, kayakers and paddleboarders joined us at the upstream end, and bigger boats headed downlake. The sloping rock overhang was the activity of choice as young and old(er) lined up for their chance to banzai off in a great cannonball geyser of water to the sound of cheering from spectators.
The slope was also awesome for the watery shaded alcove beneath it . . .
. . . and for the many dinosaur tracks fossilized uptop on the slickrock surface, and these were actually recognizable as three-toed tracks, said to be made by dilophosaurus some two hundred million years ago. They were plenty large enough to get a person to thinking about the creatures that trod across that once-swampy landscape.
Dinosaurs and outlaws . . .
. . . are the names of the game around here - businesses utilize the two subjects in their titles and advertisements, and for good reason. The extinct animals are a byword in this part of Utah because their millennia-ago presence is obvious in many ways. We are near Dinosaur National Monument, which we visited when we were here last, where there are numerous fossilized skeletons and tracks attesting to their tenure here. The Monument includes a large quarry where visitors can view the beasts' remains as they are dug from the earth.
Many references to outlaws hearkens back to the days when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gang were fixtures here. Vernal hosts museums for both dinosaurs and the area's heritage, including the outlaw bunch who holed up hereabouts and Josie Bassett. We previously visited Josie Bassett's cabin and blogged about her; she was a pioneer woman of great grit who not only provided for herself and her family, but helped out Vernal townfolks during the Great Depression, and who was a friend to the outlaws.
After going to her homestead and walking up into the box canyon where she corralled her livestock, we read a biography of her life. This trip, I was astounded to meet a woman who knew Josie in her childhood. I was privileged to have a conversation with Carla, and urged her to record her memories of her early days growing up wild and free in Dinosaur, as locals refer to the vast Monument. It also put me in mind of my inclination to write about my own youthful escapades. Carla & I both grew up in a way that allowed us great freedom to roam and explore the world without fear. Methinks those days are never to return, and may be of interest to some down the road.
Another tangent and possibly the more important one: Carla told me that her daughter passed away in June. As she began to cry at relaying that awful news, I was able to offer her comfort from a place of true understanding because of our Darren's death last year. Who would think that something of such import would be coincidental; perhaps I was led to be speaking with her at that moment
So now I have digressed to a large degree, and will write a bit more about our time at Red Fleet. We fished, me hoping to snag a big brown trout, but such was not to be. Every fisherman we encountered had exactly the same result, commonly attributed to the holiday busyness.
No matter: the day was sublime (well, not necessarily the part about off-loading and reloading the boats), as we paddled our way upstream beneath incredible sandstone formations into Brush Creek as far as it was navigable, taking our time to dawdle and breathe in the peace of our surroundings.
I snapped a few pics of our surroundings after we were off the water. I can't bring myself to take the camera on the boat, though, in case it should come to harm. In fact, I can almost not bear to take my phone along, and keep it mostly stashed in the dry bag. There were so many scenes I would have liked to record; I have determined that from here on out, I shall bring along my old lighter camera for use on the water. In that way, I can cease fretting about missing the shots I want while not worrying about losing the more valuable equipment. Finally - decision made!
In addition to lying smack in the midst of a plethora of awesome natural features, lakes, rivers, geologic wonders, historic sites and museums, Vernal hosts a great many events, more than we could begin to attend. We missed the Independence Day parade, missed the rodeo by a few days, missed the farmers and crafts market, missed the block party and concert, and that was in only a week.
One thing we did attend and were thrilled we did was the production of the Disney Broadway musical play - "Newsies". A standard every summer for decades - Vernal produces a play of several weeks running at a unique outdoor theater, and we were fortunate to be possibly the only non-locals there. During intermission, we engaged in interesting conversations with those around us, including one gentleman who is fifth-generation Moab. Now there's someone who knows his ancestry!
But back to "Newsies": A cast of 74 local folks performed like pros - sets, choreography, singing, dancing and acting! The play is taken from a true story about young New York newspaper sellers who successfully went on strike in 1899 against the powerful Joseph Pulitzer.
As we were admonished not to take photographs because of copyright issues, I reluctantly refrained, but got at least one of the set before the show started. It was a unique and wonderful evening. We were told that the high school's productions are even better - hard to imagine!
The lure of Pelican Lake . . .
. . . was dimmed somewhat when we encountered gusty winds while out there in our boats. It is rimmed by reeds pretty much the entire shoreline, so fishing has to be from boats. Not as picturesque as most other lakes in the area, it is used only as a fishery, unfortunately not a very good one after the Game & Fish Department's "management".
Everyone we talked to at Pelican was unhappy about what had been done since our last very fruitful fishing trip there. Evidently, the flourishing bluegill population had decreased the individuals' size, so instead of increasing the limit, the lake was poisoned and drained on some odd theory that killing and eliminating the carp would somehow allow the bluegill to grow larger. So now the bluegill population is drastically reduced and the carp are still in the lake, coming in via canals feeding into the lake. No one was catching, including us, although the wind whipping up did not allow us to remain overlong.
As we were paddling for the boat ramp from fairly far across the large lake, a motor boater carefully approached each of us to ask if we were okay to get back. I was so touched at his kind thoughtfulness. Although if was hard work in the wind, we made our way just fine, but it reminded me of a couple of times when we were caught out on other waters in scary lightning storms with much farther to go, and no one offered help.
We talked to several others who were so friendly and nice; I came away with a good feeling about humanity (and with tired arms).
Ouray wildlife refuge, flesh eaters . . .
Let me begin right now by saying that deer flies are the most evil horrid creatures on the Earth, and it will be most satisfactory if I never meet another one in this or any lifetime. Our time exploring the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge was confined primarily to remaining in the vehicle or on occasion when I could no longer resist, I would gird my loins, ensure that all was in order for the minimum bit of time outside as possible, and do a little dance while trying to take photographs. My gyrations did not deter those awful flesh-munching monsters, but it did give me some semblance of control, while knowing that they could best me in any contest. Without a way to shelter from them, I would have run screaming flailing wildly until there was no flesh remaining on my bones.
All of which leads me to request appreciation for the sacrifices I made for these meager photos. I sought to convey the various environments within the refuge, from extended sun-filtering thickets . . .
. . . to watery grasslands . . .
. . . following the meanders of the wide Green River . . .
. . . to the convolutions of colorfully-striped hills.
A dearth of waterfowl, except for a flock of white pelicans, was disappointing, but made up for by a wonderful herd of wild horses. What a treat to watch them swimming a narrow deep channel and commence to grazing on aquatic vegetation!
I neglected to update the avian trip list last post, so this is catch-up. We saw our first black-billed magpie as we drove toward Vernal. We also added kestrel, cliff swallow, barn swallow, great blue heron, red-tailed hawk and piñon jay.
At Pelican Lake, we observed western grebe, double-crested cormorant, kildeer and yellow warbler. In addition to pelicans at the refuge, we saw northern mockingbird, ruddy duck and northern pintail.
There were not the great numbers of waterfowl that we had last time we were here: vast areas that previously were covered with standing water are greatly reduced.
As we wander one way and another, I enjoy seeing the many log structures throughout the area that have been abandoned and are in various stages of succumbing to age and weather. Building material is the only difference between here and other places; everywhere we see evidence that people have moved on from their beginnings to bigger and better. I wish I could stop to photograph them all before they crumble to dust.
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