Coyote Ridge

On Coyote Ridge, our horses graze with a view of a vast valley and the Uinta Mountains in the background:

(The large pile of stones on the right is a cairn, marking the trail.  I suspect it was erected by boy scouts - can't imagine anyone else spending that much time on such a project!) 

Meanwhile, humans find a cute ground squirrel:

And enjoy the rest of the 360 degree scenery:

We look down on Currant Creek Reservoir.  Our trailer is parked somewhere in that vicinity:

On the ride to and from the ridge, we see mountain globemallows (mountain hollyhock):

lanceleaved stonecrop:

Indian paintbrush:

and sulphur paintbrush:

(Did you know most paintbrushes are partial parasites on other plants' roots?  This makes them difficult to transplant or grow from seed.)

This is a California Corn Lily, which grows in moist meadows:

Up close, the flowers are unusual and pretty:

but the plant is extremely poisonous and causes birth defects in sheep.  The flowers are also poisonous to insects.

We find the remains of old beaver ponds that have filled in with silt and formed meadows:

This blue dragonfly hovers over a pond:

A shy deer observes us from the forest:

and a hawk surveys his territory from his perch:

A herd of elk start running before we even notice them and vanish before we can whip out a camera.