Hubbard Mesa

TIME has gotten away from me! All day I thought it was Wednesday but it's not! YIKES so I had to spend a day of preparation for travel...I needed one rear tire so got that purchased and put on...had to get an oil change, and they did a 202 point check...omg yeah I'm teasing but really?? I frowned when I got the bill!! Even if they do put a pink carnation on your dashboard for that price I expected a bag of fresh Colorado grown produce!!  And it comes with a free car wash...but my van won't fit...in hindsight I should've gone to Walmart to get the oil changed! Not many choices of places to go close by.  Regular mechanics don't have time to deal with oil changes (come back on Saturday) so I guess you pay for the immediate service.  Back home I get the same service for $34.  Today it was $94.  I'm pretty sure my oil change guy would laugh if I asked him for a carnation!  He started his small business back before I closed mine, and he has been very successful just changing oil! An industrious guy or gal could make a good living here doing the same thing. 

this mornings full moon 

 sooooo I had to wash it myself...and dust the inside, and change the air filter (they don't open clam shells) and prepare the inside for the next leg of this sojourn...if I stay much longer I may NOT want to go home..it's just so splendid here... I gotta go home AT SOME POINT!

another smoky haze sunrise

Lately the sun and moon have looked like this is a changing planet, hey you know what... it IS! This Earth is constantly evolving and when our sun goes Super Nova we will be no more!

morning's sunrise with the smokey haze 

Yesterday was such a busy day for me.  I got up early and headed over to Hubbard Mesa.  There's tons of roads to explore there...

                                             the road soon turns to gravel and dirt

I took the right fork in the road....the burning question is what's up on the left fork??

I believe you could get lost here really easy....the views are sweet and the trees are too, twisted Junipers, Cedars, and some Pinyon Pine too...

If you look for the Juniper Titmouse look low, all the ones I've seen so far are always down low or on the ground...

Hard to spot these little drab (but gorgeous) birds in this sun-burnt landscape...

It's not all drab tho...the fall wildflowers are blooming...

checkered skipper

I found at least one Oasis! Amazing it seems to have no source but water plants are established...

Stupid people drive their 4 wheelers thru this water...*sigh* don't they realize animals depend on this spot?

Birds were all around it too...saw many more Vesper Sparrows, a few Say's Phoebe, Rock Wrens, and one Yellow Rumped Warbler  I snapped a shot of him but he was too well hidden so I scraped it. 

vesper sparrow

rock wren

say's phoebe

I checked Fravet Reservoir on my way out the waterfowl are soooo far on the other side and there is only one viewing area...I saw again Mallards, Ring Necked Ducks, Pied Billed Grebes, Gadwall, and American Coot. 

mallards n coots in this shot

None lifers but I was able to add all of these except Mallard that was already on it to my Garfield County List, as the Hubbard Mesa is only 10 mins away from the house! Cool Beans.  

 You can camp out on Hubbard Mesa... if you don't mind lots of broken glass all around your feet, why do people have to be that way??  I'm kinda down on ATV'rs at this point. 

Next Post we finally made it up to Maroon Bells Wilderness Area. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Blood Orange Universe...

I am a short timer here...if hurricane Irma cuts across my path I will adjust my leaving to be sure I'm not in floods or bad weather!  This morning I got up and the haze that has been building a while was giving me like nearly zero visibility during the sunrise...I called it a Blood Orange Sun...the sun was really this color...I couldn't get the color to come out in a wide shot but in this close up...Check it out!!

check out those dark spots...wonder what that is?  More fantastic than the eclipse....

The smoke is coming from the North West where many wildfires are ablaze.  

It's still lingers...a good rain is what we need but it's been 3 weeks since we had any here....thinking of the poor souls in Houston, and wishing I could send some of this dry weather to them...

I took a hike up on the ridge west of the house...there is a deer trail up there so that made it easier to bushwhack using their trail...

looking back to the house and the haze in the valley.   

Some of the most famous trails in use today started out as deer paths...along the way I saw some interesting things like this tree skeleton...

  

I'm sure many critters use this tree as a lookout...the rocks around here have some neat looking lichen growing on top...this one is 50 shades of natural grey!

They remind me of nebulae out in space...and they come in a an assortment of  Earth Tone colors!

Came across a shed antler on the deer trail...

It was a nice hike before breakfast...my toe is feeling lots better as long as I don't over do it too much...

the DIY'r in me jumped out and turned this apple juice jug into a bird feeder...

I said BIRD feeder jeeze....

A Woodhouse Scrub Jay and a Red Shafted Flicker did come eat some seed from it...

RS Flicker

the Woodhouse Scrub Jay

This is one of my favorite rocks and not just mine but my squirrel buddy's too.  He comes out each morning, while I'm on the deck with my coffee.  He either sits, lays, or stands up to view the Universe.  He can sit  not moving for hours...just staring down into the valley...he is a very contemplative being as only a deep thinking being could sit and stare off like that day after day...I wonder what he is thinking?  

I will miss this squirrel!  Later after breakfast got in the van and stopped at Fravet Reservoir...saw lots of ducks mostly mallards, and quite a few  and at least one Pied Billed Grebe, and some Ring Necked Ducks..

...oh and some American Coots

they were pretty far away..

AND then tonight the full moon...was Blood Orange too!  

Sadly a blogging acquaintance  took his own life on Aug 31, please friends if you need help, reach out to someone...there is always a solution...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.