Snake Valley work, camp, animals

I made a quick overnight run to Snake Valley to replace some equipment and check on all the spring monitoring stations. With all the crazy biking and house addition stuff that has been going on, I was happy to be off the grid, even for only 1+ day.


I checked on Kell Spring.  It is a small spring - only 0.1 cfs, but supports a nice stand of cottonwoods and Columbia spotted frog.

Some of our equipment:

It is a good place for a homestead.

It is a 40 minute drive to the Border Inn from the northern sites, so to save time, I just camped out at an old abandoned homestead.   A sleeping bag in the bed of a truck is surprisingly comfy after a long day driving around on dirt roads when there is a nice warm breeze to keep the bugs off.

The sunset was superb. This picture could make it into the Division of Water Resources calendar, eh?

I woke before dawn to the endless and lovely call of a mockingbird.  I recognized the song from Watcher's post, and made a visual ID on the bird with my little binoculars.



The next day, I visited Clay Spring

where I saw these antelope.

 I had to admire our custom built v-notch weir and double-barrel discharge pipe.

I had to go back up to the northern sites, so I took a different way home than usual.  I drove through Tule Valley. I love how desolate it is in this valley.

And then up over Marjum Pass.  Don't the rocks just beg you to come explore through them?

I've said it before, but Utah is a great place to be a geologist.