Red Cloud Loop

The upper part of the Red Cloud Loop north of Vernal still has locked gates, preventing vehicular traffic.  It's open to hiking or horseback riding, though, so we went to check it out, starting at about 9200 feet.

We saw elk in nearly every meadow.  They were surprised to see us.  A moose appeared briefly but we didn't get a decent photo.

Daisy had plenty of wet meadows for cool frolicks.  The tiny white flowers that cover the meadows are marsh marigolds.

Above is a marsh marigold up close.

Steve hunted around and finally found a (boreal or western, not sure which) chorus frog, which is so well camouflaged and so wary, that it's hard to find the source of the loud croaks in the small ponds. 

They're tiny little guys.  No wonder they're hard to locate.  They don't have webs between their toes, which is unusual.  I guess they don't have to swim much in the shallow pools where they live and breed.

We rode toward Leidy Peak.

About 1.5 miles before we reached the end of the road at Leidy Peak trailhead, we came to deep snow and took that as a sign that we should turn around and head for the trailer.  The total ride was 25 miles of incredible high country scenery.