From Roosevelt, we went through Bluebell, turned northwest at Mountain Home toward Granddaddy Lake, then turned north off of that road toward Pigeon Water Spring. We crossed tribal lands and parked right after passing over a cattle gap at the Forest Service boundary. The total drive was about 45 minutes.
A few clouds were building over the mountains, but nothing impressive. We rode a few hundred yards to Pigeon Water Spring, marked by a tractor tire filled with water and a hose coming out of the ground running water.
The spring is pictured above. Note the storm-free sky in the background.
The area was marshy, with lush grass, ripe serviceberries, which Steve could not resist tasting. They're pretty bland in flavor, he reports.
Birch-leaf mountain mahogany
was awash in silvery plumes.
Wildflowers included lupine, yarrow, red rocket flowers, and wooly mullein, n tall-stalked invasive with yellow blossoms:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7SbbD4oszEUKUe0exPi3IDCJ0aseMjZ3ptHlCZNbk6r3Y5a2FWCCCjRTu0fSW1TxDsHf7iR5bpfbKPmr3omnZwBgyOrHgnOko9c-zueNdraJ0gnrTEVp55EFutMf17tZa08q4uwCLbY/s320/wooly+mullein.JPG)
Romans and Greeks dipped these stalks in tallow and used them for funeral torches. Medieval Europe called the plant the Hag Taper because witches were believed to use them for light.
We also saw lavender thistle blooms. Mischief ate a few. Steve took a photo of a colorful bumblebee on one of the blooms:![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGSAAc_0G9E4I31CNYqdTbKhrpOgr7tAXaJ7y4Y9vThCntYYt5ZjHAgRp0JaDVtc_wrTVUl5uElNc8fmr4XfnJkbBpFQJZMdQVsAqeBIOZ2ZDFl5duDyqRI7zygZNUUaAIdpr1LUYBEU/s320/bumblebee+on+thistle.JPG)
Traveling east, sans trail, over a rocky hill for a mile or so, we reached a two track we hoped to follow up to Dry Ridge.
Wildflowers included lupine, yarrow, red rocket flowers, and wooly mullein, n tall-stalked invasive with yellow blossoms:
Romans and Greeks dipped these stalks in tallow and used them for funeral torches. Medieval Europe called the plant the Hag Taper because witches were believed to use them for light.
We also saw lavender thistle blooms. Mischief ate a few. Steve took a photo of a colorful bumblebee on one of the blooms:
Traveling east, sans trail, over a rocky hill for a mile or so, we reached a two track we hoped to follow up to Dry Ridge.
At first, the time lapse between lightning and associated thunder indicated about a 5 mile distance. A few minutes later, the distance was only about a mile up the mountain. We considered staying in the trees and riding on, but we thought we might end up in a bad storm and unable to come down through the open areas. Not worth the risk of coming in close personal contact with a lightning strike, we decided. On down we went.
Here’s a picture of how the sky looked by the time we reached the trailer. Turning back was a good decision, eh?![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-5KAStxiBmi_aG9AEYocgMsdoFdnlcXRYr0XlC1etmVRWE-T39WhYmTOc33PCwP3I_S-9a-iszYw6QtO8mBj9QtJkqb1_f8x90YjWyxtEEfzNdcKMezw6mw4VeqCZ2xbkuBBbJfWl8U/s320/angry+sky.JPG)
Our ride ended up being 3.5 miles and 850 feet elevation gain. Not a bad workout for a stormy day.
Ewww!! You let her take the deer leg into the truck? Or, was that an accident and she jumped in before you could stop her? I like the picture of the bumble bee.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing about that deer leg. Ewww is right!
ReplyDeleteThe sky picture is impressive. I'm actually enjoying the stormy weather.