How High Can We Go?

This time of year, choosing a ride is a guessing game involving snow levels at any given altitude.

On Saturday, we tried a ride begining at Currrent Creeek Reservoir and heading up toward Coyote Ridge. This meadow at about 8500 feet is mostly dry, with spring grass coming up nicely. The aspen are leafed out a little lower, but they haven't yet turned green here.
Spring beauty and a sprinkling of yellow buttercups dot the meadow. Bluebells bloom in marshy areas.

Daisy found a pond suitable for swimming.

A little higher, about 9200 feet, the snow is too deep for easy passage.

With a ride to the ridge ruled out, we went back to the reservoir and rode along roads until we saw this old homestead.

We didn't get too close, since the loose tin panels from the roof were blowing in the wind and loose nails were likely.  Anyone would be lucky to live in such a beautiful spot.  The house is a fixer-upper, though -- plenty of loving care needed!

No matter how long the ride, Daisy is always ready for a little quality time with her alpha.

In case you're wondering what Steve is "packing" in the holster on his left hip... it's a GPS!  He wanted to assure our readers that he does not feel the need to pack heat on our Utah trails, especially not with Miss Daisy on the job to protect us.

On Top of the World

From the top of Coyote Ridge, 9800 feet, we look down on a few remaining snow fields and over an expanse of green forests and meadow.  Currant Creek Reservoir can be seen in the distance. 

To the north, the High Uintas are still covered in snow.

There is something for everyone on this ride.

Daisy the Wildflower Fairy

Daisy the Snow Queen

Glacier Lily

Buttercups and Springbeauty

Bee Plant (I think)

Bluebells

On the forest trail, bluebirds flit through the branches.  A wren swoops out of a cavity nest in an aspen.  We see deer, elk, a coyote, and a golden eagle. 
Nature has shared her heart with us this day.  We are grateful.

Autumn Reflections

Aspen's autumn leaves are in their glory right now.  Above, Currant Creek Reservoir reflects the surrounding mountain beauty. 

We rode the valleys above the reservoir and admired nature's fall show. 

Steve, Boss and Daisy surged ahead at times.

Then they all showed off by pretending to take a nap while Mischief and I caught up!

We found a Mormon cricket (actually a katydid), over an inch long. 

A small pond, a gift from our beaver friends, shines with reflected aspen light.

Wildlife Haven

We rode through green valleys starting at 7500 ft. north of Current Creek Reservoir,

ascending to 9500 ft. at Low Pass Road. 

This moose was knee deep in a beaver pond when we startled her.  We were startled, too, as she splashed out of the water to get away from the strange centaur-like invaders. 

She may have had a calf hidden in the aspens, because she ran to the trees and stood firm, staring at us until we were out of sight.  We were several hundred yards away, but a mama moose is no one to mess with.  We watched for any sign of aggression.  If she had charged, we would have made a speedy retreat.

We've seen sandhill cranes in this area several times.  Finally, we had a photo op.

A hairy woodpecker and his mate whistled and squawked at us.  They must have had a nest nearby, and all their noise was an attempt to scare us away.  Eventually, it worked. 
We saw lots of elk and deer.  Steve rode right past a deer fawn curled up in the brush.  It was tiny, probably only a few days old.  He would have taken a photo, but Daisy saw the fawn, too, so his efforts went toward containing Daisy so the fawn could safely escape. 

Can you see the pile of sticks in the bottom center of the photo?  That's a beaver dam, about 8 feet of engineering work at its deepest point.   

We rode up to check it out.  The beaver seemed to be gone and no longer maintaining the dam, but big pool of water remained, providing Daisy with a refreshing swim.

Spring in the High Country

Spring has arrived, even in the mountains.  The aspens are just beginning to leaf out at 9000 feet. 

The north facing slopes still have some snow, but it's fading fast. 

We ride to the top of Coyote Ridge, at nearly 10,000 ft. 

A dirt road travels along the crest. We follow it for a while to take in the Uinta views. 

A pair of kestrels perch in a tree.  When we approach for a closer photo, they fly away.

A white-crowned sparrow stays put for the camera. 

We also see a coyote bound through the sage.  A photo attempt is unsuccessful.
Daisy tries to keep up with a half dozen elk that run ahead of us, but elk are notoriously uncooperative.  A couple of sandhill cranes are hanging out near some old beaver dams.  They lift off as we approach.

Coal Mine Hollow

The trail begins near Currant Creek Reservoir and heads northeast into the hills. 
We followed a two-track for a mile or two.  After that, the only paths were faint game trails. 

Our destination was White Ledge (10,400 ft), which is covered in snow in the photo above. You can see Steve as a tiny speck exploring the ridge at the right hand side of the panorama. 

Below the steep cliffs, we found bits and pieces of what was once an ATV scattered all the way down the slope.  I hope a rider didn't go down with it.

The photo above was taken at about 9000 ft, where the aspen leaves are just coming out. 

This orange butterfly fed on the yellow flowers of what we think is slender cinquefoil, a plant of the rose family. 

Fungi growing on the rocks is the same color as the butterfly, providing good insect camouflage. 

On the way down, we passed a series of small lakes.

Can you see the ghost bird in the photo?  This elusive creature was hanging out with a robin.  From our short glimpses, we think it's an albino robin (1 in 30,000 robins are albino, according to an internet search).  Proving the bird's identity with this pitiful photo isn't possible.  We may go back to the area and hang out for awhile, hoping to get a better look.

We passed within sight of the steep, rocky terrain called Bear Hole Hollow.  It's an intriguing area, but probably not accessible on horseback.

Coyote Ridge

Another great ride through wide open country starts just north of Currant Creek Reservoir, at about 8000 feet, and heads up various 2 tracks and elk trails along Coyote Ridge toward Scotty's Basin. 

The terrain is mostly open, passing through meadows where old beaver dams have created terraces of rich soil.  A few pools still exist, perfect for Daisy swims.  Of course, Daisy isn't particular.  A mud puddle works just fine for her. 

We also rode near lakes surrounded by aspen.  We could hear the boreal frogs' high-pitched croaks as we passed by.

Glacier lilies (also known as Dogtooth Violets) were abundant at 9000 feet where the snow has recently melted.  Spring Beauty, Buttercups, and a few Bluebells were also in bloom. 

A bluebird flew out of this cavity (above my hand) in a dead aspen.  With a light, we were able to see a single pale blue egg in there.  We moved off to try to glimpse the bluebird again, but he/she didn't return while we waited.

A female blue grouse sat on an aspen branch.  We usually see them flying up from brush on the ground, but the bird book says they often feed on newly opened leaf buds in the spring. 

We saw several deer and a lot of elk as we climbed steadily uphill.  About the time we came to the edge of the melting snow, we spotted a herd of about 60 cow and yearling elk going over the ridge (about 10,000 ft) above us.  Most elk in these parts have been hunted, and don't much like humans.  They are intent on avoiding any interaction with our kind.   When we saw the entire herd, they were 1000 yards away, keeping their distance!  In national parks, a person can walk right up to elk, but not here.

Here's Steve's video that shows the elk moving over the snow to the top of the ridge.  He mentions that we "drove" the elk during our ride.  That was inadvertent on our part.  We just rode, and they ran ahead.  We had no idea the whole herd was moving ahead of us until we came out of the aspens and saw them on the ridge.
In keeping with Coyote Ridge's name, we saw 2 coyotes up on the snow, apparently trailing the elk herd as calving season approaches.