This path seems to be going further than I had anticipated when I started out. My book group is still sitting at the picnic table, probably, talking about the channeled scabland formations and the significance of Deep Lake. This sagebrush … Continue reading
Plants: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Orange, green, white crustose lichens (Mycophycophyta) Cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) Animals: Gnats (Culex pipiens) Wasps (Vespula Spp.) Bees (Apis mellifera) Darkling beetle (Gonopus tibialis) Deer (Cervidae) Trash: Fishing line Cigarettes Water bottle Beer cans Plastic bits
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We ventured towards Deep Lake and found a cave that opened into a pothole. Climbing inside, we found that the pothole was inhabited by a few trees and shrubs, along with wheat and cheat grasses. The walls were about 20 … Continue reading
Land. It has seen 10,000 years of our past and has lived through more than we can know completely. Each rock tells its own story, carved with patterns of geologic lineage. In the valley below, boulders open to a barren, … Continue reading
Plants: Orange, green, white crustose lichens Basalt loose rocks and cliffs Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) Cattails Nettles Wild Roses Saddle fungus Rotting Elf fungus Algae Animals: Gnats Bees Wasps Gardner snake Bull snake Rattlesnake skin Hobo spider … Continue reading
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At Red Alkali Lake, there was evidence of the drought. Arid ground cracked beneath our feet and a hawk circled above, looking for any prey we might stir up. We sat on a boulder and watched the day go by, … Continue reading
We sit at the edge of the world, and smell distant fire making its way through the air. Sun and water diffuse each other to form a rainbow over the distant bluffs. Calm. The little pebbles that were so noisy … Continue reading
Plants: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) Other knee high grasses Desert Asters (Xylorhiza tortifolia) Desert Buckwheat (Eriogonum codium) Orange, green, and white crustose lichens (Mycophycophyta) Moss (Bryophyta) Animals: Darkling beetle (Gonopus tibialis) Sparrows Cows (in the form of … Continue reading
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The southern escarpment is an area located just south of camp. Here, there was a small rock outcropping that we found shelter underneath when a few drops began to fall. Thick, golden grasses tickled our ankles and played with the … Continue reading