Utah

Though not completely intentional, May turned out to be the Month of Utah. Kristen took advantage of the last few weeks of her 7-on, 7-off schedule to explore southern Utah, an area Richard had already canvassed 20 years earlier.

I started off in Moab, and went immediately to Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park. Though this is my favorite photo of the arch (because it doesn't have any people in it) it also has the disadvantage of not having any people in it (which best demonstrates its enormous scale).

The next day was devoted to the Devil's Garden hike, which (along with some bonus birding) showcased the Double O Arch...

...and the Landscape Arch.

There are other fabulous places in the Moab area besides Arches, of course, such as Dead Horse Point State Park...

...and Canyonlands National Park.

The drive across the southern portion of the state, from Moab to Bryce Canyon, was amazing.

For example, pictures cannot express the grandeur of the Escalante / Grand Staircase area. So, I didn't include any.

Even a "ditch" -- this is Tropic Ditch, and really just a turn out on the road with a couple of parking spots -- can be quite spectacular.

This is Red Canyon, again, with little more than a sign and a few parking spots.

Finally, I arrived at Bryce Canyon where I spent a chilly hour staring in awe at the beautiful amphitheater.

Though I had not intended to go back, I couldn't pass up the chance to hike down into the canyon itself later in the week.

It also gave me a chance to say "hoodoos" a few more times.

And, what trip to southern Utah would be complete without a trip to Zion National Park? Even though the Narrows weren't open yet due to the spring run-off, it was clear why this park is a national favorite.

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Two weeks later, both Kristen and Richard arrived in Utah, but this time focused on the Salt Lake City area, a birder's paradise.

We stayed at the handsome and service-oriented Grand America (directly across the street from the Little America hotel) which offered this lovely view of the courthouse from our window.

We had a great birding outing with Bill Fenimore, adding over 50 new species to our life-list. One of our favorite spots was Antelope Island, which offers this view of Salt Lake City.

But, as with most of our travels, it was the natural scenery of Utah which enchanted us most.

Play Ball!

Thanks to the graciousness of a new friend and the convenience of a 7-on / 7-off work schedule I was able to take in the second home game of the inaugural season in the Twin's new outdoor baseball stadium. The park is literally steps from our house and Richard and I have watched in awe over the last few years as the ballpark has been constructed so precisely in the middle of a city with minimal disruption (well, they did have to move a train track five feet over to accommodate). Though the Twins lost 6-3 to the Boston Red Sox and it rained a good bit of the time, it was a magnificent day. The location of the seat didn't hurt.

Next time I'll make sure Richard plays hooky.

Blue Lake Waterfowl

A quick Sunday jaunt to the Minnesota River Valley Reserve did not produce any new species, but the video does have some decent audio of the Trumpeter Swans (one of whom also flaps quite beautifully near the end) and slowing it down you can see a gadwall and a wood duck among the mallards. It was a perfect winter day, and a challenging snow-shoe hike to boot.

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Great North Woods

At first thought, it seems a bit mad to head north in the heart of winter.
Okay, seems crazy on second thought as well. Still, if one can brave the cold, few sights can match the beauty of the North Shore in January.
This was our third trip to Gunflint--our second this year and also our second in winter. Although it is a popular Summer destination, we prefer it cooler--and less crowded.

Anyone who has been to Gunflint is familiar with the welcoming committee.

In spite of the cold clear nights, we missed the Aurora Borealis (again), but did have a fantastic full moon. Note the similarity between this photo and the one we took for the "Winter Wonderland" entry exactly one lunar month ago.

In addition to skiing, we went snowshoeing for the first time.

We also did some birding in Zax-Sim Bog, which has lots of great avian life and these unusual (if somewhat gruesome) deer carcass feeders.

In the Fall, we came across a wolf while on a hike. This trip we saw several moose. They are usually quite reclusive, but the males especially seem a little less shy in winter.

It can be difficult to find someone to take your picture when you are in the wilderness, so we just had to do it ourselves.

And here's what we are looking at, Lonely Lake (that's our showshoe tracks along the left).

Puerto Vallarta

Having endured a month of winter since our visit to the Yucatan last month, we were glad to be back in sunny Mexico. Our good friend Patrick has been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past couple of months-- a gracious host who, along with his upstairs neighbor, Luis, provided this trip with a lot of local flavor.
Of course, one great benefit of the Pacific coast is spectacular sunsets, and we were certain not to miss this daily opportunity to sit with friends, revel in beauty and transition from daytime activities to nocturnal fun.
As much as we enjoyed the town, we also managed to see much of the surrounding countryside. We first ventured north to San Blas, where we toured hillside coffee plantations, bays and mangrove swamps-- all filled with birds. Later we headed south into the jungle clad mountains, where we soared above the valley gorges on zip lines hundreds of meters in the air and over a quarter of a mile long (some we even did hanging upside down).

Winter Wonderland 2010

A truly rare occurrence, a blue moon on the last day of the year, still hung in the early morning sky on January first as we headed North- ward into the teeth of an arctic blast (a much less rare occurrence). Although our hopes at seeing lots of bird activity were not realized, our spirits remained high, as we were headed on an 800-mile round trip journey through western Minnesota, where prairie, deciduous and evergreen landscapes converge. How different in every way this trip from our recent foray in the Yucatan!

The picture below was taken in the truly remote reservation lands to the west of Lower Red Lake. At -33 degrees, the soil begins to deep freeze, creating a low hanging a fog. We have witnessed this phenomenon over water, but never over land, as this is the coldest temperature either of us have ever seen.

From Thief River Falls, we navigated across back roads to Itasca State Park, which we had visited over the summer. Along the way, we saw a few white winged crossbills and grouse, and marveled at their ability to be "out and about" in such extreme con- ditions. The Mississippi headwaters, while far from mighty, remained unfrozen.

We took some cool "car cam" video as we drove through the park.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In spite of the cold, we did manage to get some skiing in at Maplewood State Park north of Fergus Falls (it was a balmy -8). That's Kristen below, all bundled up in our thwarted attempt to do some hiking. Without show shoes, the drifts proved too deep.

This fox, seen as we were headed to ski at Bunker Hills, seemed quite well equipped to handle the cold and snow.

Yucatan and Riviera Maya

As we dig ourselves out from the snows of Christmas and the chigger bites fade (more on this later), it is alas time to record our last travels of 2009, a year which began in New Zealand and ends with more--albeit less exotic-- changes yet in store. As such, this will likely be the last installment of SBTA, and I do not know what will follow.

We began our travels in Chichen Itza, the center of the Toltec/Mayan world, and a part of Mexico where the Mayan language is still commonly spoken. We were lucky to be the first on site with an excellent guide on the day we visited. The centerpiece of Chichen Itza is Kukulcan, a remarkable architectural achievement that echoes with the call of the quetzal and reveals the descent of snake/bird god quetzalcoatl at the Spring equinox.

Although the jungle has returned, it is surmised that environmental degradation and drought are what drove the Mayans from the Yucatan southward a full 200 years before the arrival of the Spanish.
Alone with these ruins in the silence of early daylight, their grandeur is quite impressive-- and haunting. As the hawkers, crowds and heat arrive, the atmosphere is more carnival than sacred.
After Chichen Itza and some initial birding excursions, we headed coastward to Tulum, which boasts its own ruins,
stopping along the way to swim in a cenote and visit yet more ruins at Coba (not as impressive as either Tulum or Chichen, but you can climb to the top),
A rather large chunk of our time was devoted to birding, and we saw 57 new species (55 of which we photographed). Our beach bungalow in Tulum was just North of the magnificent and massive Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve, where we saw our first Yucatan Jays--and severely tested the suspension of our little rental car on the muddy, potholed roads. By far, our day of birding in the small village of Muyil was a highlight. This is where was stalked the elusive Trogon among the eerie Muyil ruins, and picked up a nasty case of chiggers in the surrounding jungle. See our birding blog for pics.

On the way back up to Cancun to catch our flight home we stopped at a little private reserve, Achun Chen, where we visited a cave/cenote and ended up seeing both species of Mot-Mots and other birds.