Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

...to go back on the mountain, some new hunting season has already begun. 

Rifle hunting for deer and elk is over.  (Big sigh of relief for Bambi.) But when I checked the hunting guides, I find that it's now late fall black bear season. 

Fortunately for us, on our ride in Tabby Mountain WMA (Wildlife Management Area) we saw only one parked, empty truck along our 17 mile trail and heard no shots.  Maybe Tabby Mt. (above) isn't great bear habitat. 

The 50 square miles of Tabby comprise some fantastic riding territory, though. The area was overgrazed in the past, but it has been replanted with crested wheatgrass, a non-native bunchgrass that grows well here. 

It also serves as great forage for wildlife (and for our boys, when they take a much-deserved break).

The morning was cold - can you see the ice in this spring? 

Not far from the spring, we saw about half a dozen deer traveling in a line up the mountain. 

By midday, temperatures warmed considerably. 

We were surprised to see no snow on Tabby Mountain (10000 feet/ 3000 m).  The snow that fell last week has already melted off of the open hillsides. 

We rode to an 8000 ft/2450 m pass, from which you can see into the Red Creek drainage.

and over the distant ridges all the way to a snow-covered peak to the southwest that we think is Mt. Nebo (11,929 ft /3600 m), almost 80 miles away.

For late fall riding, the sandy trails and views around Tabby Mountain WMA are hard to beat.

For more views from around the world, click here.