The Nerdy Birders have just returned from another adventure. This time we found ourselves in the mountains of southwestern Utah. Like many of our other trips, it was filled with new birds, beautiful scenery, and a little bit of danger, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Day 1 - Thursday, March 3rd 2016
We awoke on day one in the Travel Lodge next to the airport in Las Vegas. We felt that it was better to fly out the 2nd of March and and stay in Vegas instead of flying out the morning of the 3rd and having four hours of flight time followed by four hours of driving. Although waking up in a cheap motel in Vegas isn't great, it was such a relief to know that the flight was behind us and we could take our time driving to the cabin.
After a call from the front desk explaining that our shuttle to the car rental was running early we rushed down to grab a bight to eat and we were off. At the car rental we ended up opting for a 4X4 vehicle. We had been warned by the cabin owner that the weather can change very quickly in the mountains and that it is better to be prepared. We ended up in a brand new Jeep Cherokee. Little did we know that this decision and this vehicle would go on to save our lives.
On our way to the cabin, we stopped in Cedar City for groceries and essentials, like wine. Cedar City was the last larger city on out route. We stopped at a small grocery store, and got the food that we needed for the week and then went to the liquor store to get the wine. Like I said, "essentials." Just a tidbit for those of you thinking of traveling, you can never have too much wine. We ended up running out of wine half way through the vacation. Anyway, our cabin was just outside the small village of Duck Creek on Route 14 in Southwestern Utah. The village was very small with essential stuff like gas station, a carry out, and a small diner.
Once we left Cedar City it was a steady climb up the mountain until we hit Duck Creek. The elevation at our cabin was well over 9000 feet. The drive to Duck Creek was amazingly beautiful. Especially once we crossed the line into Utah. The landscape was always changing. We saw snow capped mountains, red rock cliffs, and beautiful valleys.
We ended day one trying to adjust to the elevation, setting by the fire, and getting plenty of fluids. If you are interested in seeing the cabin we stayed in please click here.
Day 2 - Friday, March 4th
We decided that our first full day in Utah would be spent at Zion National Park. Specifically we wanted to see the Zion Canyon Overlook. In order to get to the Overlook, we had to hike up the Canyon Overlook Trail. This trail was considered by "mountain folk" to be a moderate hike. For northwest Ohioans however, this trail did not prove to be moderate.
We arrived in the park relatively early in the morning. We had not yet adjusted to the time difference which meant that we were waking up quite early, and the park was just a short forty minute drive from our cabin. We entered the park from the east entrance, just a short mile or two from the Canyon Overlook trail head. We were directed to park the car before entering the tunnel otherwise we would have to go all the way through the tunnel and then turn around and come back. We had no idea what this meant at the time, but we would soon learn.
The parking area that we were told about was pretty straight forward. We parked the car and then walked down the path along the road to the trail head. The trail head was beside the before mentioned tunnel. We noticed that a park ranger was setting by the entrance holding traffic. We found out that the tunnel is so narrow they cannot let a bus drive through at the same time as oncoming traffic..
We appraoched the trail head and found ourselves looking up a set of strairs cut into the rocky mountain infront of us. We began our assent to the Canyon Overlook. The hike started with stairs, but this quickly changed to one foot wide paths along the mountain, to wooden bridges attached to the side of a cliff, and finally tiny foot holds that you had to scoot along while making your way from landing areas. The pictures below show our assent up to Canyon Overlook.
Look closely and you can see the bridge to the tunnel where our hike began
The trail to Canyon Overlook
JoAnna looking over one of the few sections with railing
The wooden bridge attached to the side of the cliff
Look closely and you can see the bridge from the last picture
Although we felt that the hike was a bit harder then we were lead to believe, we throughly enjoyed it. After a couple days of travel it was nice to get out stretch our legs and do some hiking. The reward at the end of this trail was Canyon Overlook. I must say that words cannot describe the beautiful view from this spot. Below are a couple pictures that I hope do it some justice.
While enjoying the view, we spotted some Desert Bighorn Sheep on the side of the mountain. These animals were reintroduced to Zion in 1973 after many years without any wild Bighorns. Their populations have grown to over 500 individuals inside and outside of the park.
Once back at our car we had to travel through the tunnel to get to the Visitor's Center. Below is a video of the drive through the tunnel. It is approximately 1.1 miles long and as far as we are concerned, it is the best way to enter Zion for the first time. I took a screen shot of Google Earth to show where we entered the tunnel and where we emerged. This screen shot is also posted below.
Our next stop was the Visitor's Center. We located some trails, and also got some information about birds that are located in this area. We set out to hike to the Lower Emerald Pools, where we saw a Townsend's Solitaire during the hike. This was our 206th bird on our life list! The Lower Emerald Pool, and the waterfall that feeds it, was very small while we were there, however you could imagine by the shape of the rocks just how wide this waterfall gets when at its peak.
Townsend's Solitaire
Finally, we sat under the bridge next to the Virgin River, while joking about being the "Trolls of Zion" and enjoyed some piece and quite. Below are some pictures from this time in the park. The wild Turkeys were also reintroduced to the park after numbers declined. Their population within the park has greatly improved.
Virgin River
Virgin River
JoAnna Looking at Turkeys on the Lower Emerald Pool trail
Day 3 - Saturday. March 5th
Day three we headed to Bryce Canyon National Park. Our cabin was conveniently located in-between Zion and Bryce Canyon so we only had a 40 minute drive. Bryce was completely different then Zion. It was still absolutely beautiful, however the scenery was completely different. Bryce's main road through the park follows the rim of Bryce's vast canyon. The Canyon is filled with "hoodoos," which are rock structures that protrude up from the ground like chimneys.
A tunnel on the way to Bryce Canyon
As we entered the park we stopped at the Bryce Canyon National Park sign and got our picture taken. While we were stopped we also spotted several birds.
We spent the rest day driving the main road through the park, stopping at overlooks and hiking. Our first stop was Sunset Point. This is where you can see Bryce Canyon's most famous hoodoo, aptly named Thor's Hammer. As we approached Sunset point, we heard some birds fluttering about. Upon investigating we determined that it was another new bird for the Nerdy Birders! It was a Pygmy Nuthatch bouncing along the ground in the picnic area, picking up scrap food and hiding it in the trees.
Once we arrived at unset Point we were struck by Bryce's vast beauty. We quickly spotted Thor's Hammer. It has a sledgehammer shape at the very top of the hoodoo. Thus the name Thor's Hammer. We walked the rim of the canyon down to Sunrise Point and then headed back to the car to continue on our journey through the park. Below are pictures that we took at different pull offs along our route through the park.
Thor's Hammer in center of photo
Thor's Hammer
Inspiration Point
Bryce Point
Bryce Point
Natural Bridge
As we moved through Bryce Canyon Park we were also climbing in elevation. Our last stop was at Rainbow Point which doubled as the trail head of the Bristolcone Loop. We were told by a park ranger that there would be some snow on the trail but it was heavily traveled so it would be compact enough for us to walk on without snow shoes. We both felt compelled to do this trail specifically so that we could see a Bristlecone Pine. The Bristlecone Pine is one of the longest lived lifeforms on earth. One living Bristlecone Pine is more than 5000 years old. Although this extremely old tree was not located on this trail, the chance to see the same species of tree was inspiring.
Rainbow Point
We told each other that we would try out the trail and see how bad the snow was. Less then a quarter of the way down the trail and JoAnna had fallen through the snow several times. The snow was more than a couple feet thick so falling through meant that the snow shot up your pant legs, possibly down into your shoes, and then to top it off you had to pull yourself back to your feet without falling back through with the other foot. To make matter worse Bristlecone Pines live in some of the harshest conditions at altitudes of over 9,000 feet. This particular Bristlecone Pine sat at 9,100 feet which meant that we had to deal with this extremely high altitude, on top of the trail's conditions. Nine thousand feet is a bit different then the seven hundred feet we are normally at in northwest Ohio. Although JoAnna had doubts about my suggested adventure, she wasn't going to let me go on alone. We pushed on.
The trail was only one mile round trip, but we both became frustrated with the snow and the altitude. We ran into another pair of hikers and they said we were about half way to the tree. We found out later that this was a BIG FAT LIE! One of them said... "I can just show you a picture of the tree if you like." As if we came all the way to Utah to see this tree and didn't realize that we could just Google a PICTURE OF IT! Duh.
We reached down and mustered our remaining courage and strength, and we continued on. When we got to the end of the trail, we were both very happy that we had pushed on. The Bristlecone Loop ends at a peninsula, overlooking a valley. The tree was magnificent and the view was spectacular.
1600 year old Bristlecone Pine
View from the "peninsula"
JoAnna taking in the moment
The view from the top
Looking back on the hike I wish I would have gotten some pictures of JoAnna waist deep in the snow. I am sure that you can imagine that she was on edge, to say the least, and I wasn't about to start capturing her misery in a photo. You will have to use your imagination. Let me draw you a picture. I was floating above the snow like a baby bird while JoAnna was falling through like she was wearing lead shoes.
The hike back was much better and we left the park feeling like we had just seen the edge of the world.
Day 4 - Sunday, March 6th
On Sunday morning we awoke to some snow lightly covering the trees outside the cabin. We were warned that it was going to rain all day in both parks as well as at the cabin. We made the decision to take advantage of the free day and make the long four and a half hour drive to Monument Valley. Although this would mean at least nine hours on the road, we were told by a number of people that Monument Valley was a must see.
The majority of the drive was uneventful other than crossing the Colorado River and the breathtaking scenery. Once we made it to Monument Valley we were wore out and ready to see something amazing. This might explain why we both felt under-impressed. We both recognized where we were. Monument Valley is a truly iconic landscape that has been used as a backdrop for many classic movies, but it just didn't hit us the way that we imagined it would. Later however, as we looked back at all the pictures, our feelings towards this place changed and we realized just how amazing it really is. Before that could happen though, we had to drive the four and a half hours back to the cabin.
approaching the bridge that crosses the Colorado River
Monument Valley
Monument Valley
Monument Valley
Monument Valley
There is not much to write about until we hit the last 50 miles of the drive. As we exited the Grand Staircase area of Utah and approached the Zion area, we realized that we would be heading into a storm. The tell tail sign of this impending storm were the dark and monstrous clouds circling above the mountains we were about to enter. At this point however, it was still sunny and warm where we were at, but through the windshield we saw a wall of rain and snow ahead of us. We hit the rain around Kanab and by the time we made it to Mt. Carmel it was a rain snow mix. By the time we made it to the 89/14 junction, the percipitation had turned completely to snow.
At this point we only had a short 15 miles left to the cabin. Unfortunately this last stretch was straight up the side of a mountain. The road quickly disappeared under the snow, but luckily there were a single set of tire tracks in front of us. The wind was causing nearly white out conditions, and we could only see a few feet in front of the Jeep. JoAnna had the pleasure of driving this last stretch of the 550 miles we drove that day. She was relying entirely on her years of experience driving through northwest Ohio winters. She is no stranger to wind and snow, but a mountain road without guard rails coupled with snow and wind was a completely new experience. To add to the danger there was a sign that read "Road Not Plowed at Night." It was obvious to us that the road had not been plowed, and the sign indicated that it probably would not be plowed until the next morning.
As we got further and further up the mountain the windshield began icing over and no amount of defrosting or high speed wipers was going to remove it. Stopping at this point meant we would have to head back down the mountain and find a hotel room. That is IF we made back down through switchbacks and sheer drop offs. Turing back was a fleeting thought that nether of us were willing to entertain.
Through the snow and wind we saw the head lights of two cars coming toward us. We thought that they must have been a few miles ahead of us because it didn't appear as if they had been driving in heavy snow for very long. Then, suddenly the tire marks that were marking our way circled around and disappeared back down the mountain. They had decided to do what we refused to do, and while they conceded to the ASS HOLE that is Old Man Winter, we pressed on. We knew now that were completely on our own. JoAnna gripped the wheel as hard as she could with her carpal-tunnel kung fu grip and said "Maybe if I just ride the rumble strips in the center of the road, I will at least know we're still on it." This was not comforting, but I said nothing.
As if from no where appeared a sign that read "Strawberry Point." The Strawberry Point trail was a lookout point just one mile from our turn onto Duck Creek road. Once we arrived at Duck Creek road we were able to exhale. We only had 1.3 miles to go up a dirt road to our cabin. Unfortunately we were still climbing in elevation and there was four or five inches of snow on top of a rain soaked dirt road. We did not want to stop the car and risk not being able to get it moving again. So we plunged on through the snowy abyss.
Our last turn was onto Conifer drive and this is where the wheels to the Jeep spun. We could not move any further. We were a meager 100 feet from the cabin. By the time we got stuck, JoAnna was at wits end, and we switched places. I reversed the car back down the turn and then threw it back into drive. I punched the gas, and the tires spun, but we moved forward. We slid back and forth on the snow covered dirt path weaving our way through the winter piles of snow that were higher then our Jeep, and nearly collided with the Birch trees that lined our drive way. We didn't stop until the car slid into our parking space. We had survived yet another life threatening and nerve racking adventure. We stumbled inside. Our hands were shaking, our nerves shot, but we were alive. We hugged each other and then chugged a beer. Less then 15 minutes later the snow stopped and the days last light shined through the trees. Just our luck, the storm was over.
Day 5 - Monday, March 7th
After the previous days adventure we decided to have a cabin day. We had a wonderful breakfast that consisted of chorizo, potatoes, and eggs all baked in a cast iron skillet. See recipe here. We then reluctantly got back in the car drove the two miles to Duck Creek. We got a bag of bird seed at the TrueValue store. Then we spent an hour using the diner's Wi-Fi, and ordered some food to go. Upon our return we filled the bird feeders with the feed. We were hoping to attract some birds before the end of our trip. We spent the rest of the day drinking wine and playing Scrabble by the fire. Sometimes you just don't want to go on another adventure.
Day 6 - Tuesday, March 8th
Day six was my 35th birthday. Although it is getting to the point that I don't see why I celebrate, I have to admit that this was one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Yes, there are birds involved. Big birds.
We decided that we should spend my birthday in Zion National Park. It was going to be a sun soaked day and the temperature was going to top off in the mid 60's. We thought, 'Why not spend the day hiking in one of our country's most gorgeous parks looking for new birds?!'
On our way into the park we stopped at a rock shop (which was a building in the shape of a rock!) and JoAnna bought a turtle for her mother. We realized as we were entering the park that we had lost our pass. Luckily the park ranger felt pity on us and let us enter the park without it. Birthday gift number one.
Seeing as we missed the sign the first time we visited, we made sure to stop at the Zion National Park sign and get our picture taken.
We decided that we would first stop at the Visitor's Center. In most parks you can stop in and ask a Park Ranger about the best places to go, based on your specific needs. We wanted to see some birds, so the park ranger said that we would have some luck on the Pa'rus Trail just outside the center, then the park ranger noted that a California Condor was spotted near the Big Bend pull off, and lastly that American Dippers were spotted in the Virgin River, near the Narrows. We decided that we would try and hit all three.
The Pa'rus trail began near the Visitor's Center so we took the short walk to the trail head and began our hike. The trail went through the campground, and along the river for a couple of miles round trip. We spotted several birds including Mallards, a Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Common Raven, Brown Creepers, House Wren, Western Bluebird, and several Dark-eyed Juncos. These were all birds we have seen before, but for a few of them it had been almost a year. It was fantastic to hear all the birds singing again after a long Ohio winter.
Say's Phoebe
Western Bluebird
Western Bluebird
Black Phoebe
House Wren
Brown Creeper
During our walk we met another birder. He helped us to identify a couple birds that we were unsure of, and also pointed out a natural arch formation that was on the mountain side next to us. Below are some pictures of the formation. We said our goodbyes to our fellow birder and made our way back to the car.
Natural arch formation
The mountain that the arch is located on
It was nearing lunch time so we decided to drive to the Big Bend section of the park and set by the car and eat. We thought that while we ate our lunch we could see if we would have any luck spotting that Condor the ranger mentioned. We located the pull off and we parked the car, opened the tailgate and started munching on our sack lunch.
We spent our lunch scanning the ridges of the mountain looking for any movement. Rather quickly I noticed some movement on the ridge. I grabbed my binoculars to see what it was. To my surprise it was not a bird, or a bighorn sheep, but rather it was a human. Evidently we were looking up at Angles Landing which is one of the hikes that take people to the top of the mountain. I told JoAnna that it was a false alarm and we went back to eating.
View from where we ate
A few minutes later I noticed even more movement. I grabbed my binoculars and took a look. This time however it was not a human. The spot was black and its movements resembled a large bird. It was definitely a bird. I told JoAnna that we might have a Condor. She said "SHUT UP!" We do not typically joke about bird sightings, so I knew she realized that I was very serious. I grabbed my scope from my bag and JoAnna grabbed her camera. It took us several minutes to confirm, but once we were able to confirm it by the pictures, it was in fact a California Condor. The California Condor is the largest North American landbird with a nine and a half foot wing-span, not to mention it is also one of the rarest birds in the world with only 237 in the wild. We high-fived like a couple nerds.
In the late 80's the California Condor population had dwindled to 27 individuals. The major reason for the population decline was and continues to be the use of lead ammunition in hunting. Condors feed on carcasses sometimes left by hunters and pick up lead from the bodies. In the 80's all of the remaining wild Condors were captured and removed from the wild. Efforts were then made to improve the population in captivity and they have since been reintroduced to the wild. In 2013 the wild Condor population had risen above 200. The California Condor's population has steadily increased over the years sense it's return, but without human intervention this would not have been possible. The reason for the slow population growth is due to the Condors breeding habits. The Condor will only have a clutch of one egg and they do not always have a clutch every breeding season.
The Condor benefits a great deal from the Endangered Species Act, bans on lead ammunition, and captive breeding program. Additionally every wild bird is captured twice a year to test for lead. If lead levels are too high they are treated for lead poisoning and then re-released. Without these actions this species would have been gone long before the Nerdy Birders came along. We were so grateful to see this majestic and magnificent bird. If you would like to know more about the California Condor click here.
JoAnna claims that she orchestrated this whole event for my birthday and there was some guy up on the ridge with a puppet of a Condor. I have my doubts that she could pull that off, but it was the best birthday gift I have ever received.
We spent a great deal of time watching the Condor, as it sat perched on the cliff side, but eventually we realized that he was not going to take off, so we moved on. Our next stop was the River Walk near the Narrows. This is the section of the park where the walls of the mountains start moving in and narrowing around the Virgin River. Visitors can walk the Narrows and I have heard that this is quite beautiful. However, the water was still very cold and there are sections of the Narrows that you have to wade through and even swim through.
We arrived at the River Walk and ran back into the birder that we had met earlier at Pa'rus Trail. We told him that we had spotted the Condor and he seemed very excited. The three of us were then distracted by a bird singing nearby, but none of us knew what it was. We looked around and he suggested that it might just be a very happy Robin. Then we spotted the source. Right in the middle of the river was an American Dipper singing away. JoAnna managed to get a short video before it flew down stream. If you listen closely you can hear it singing over the noise of the water and wind. Also pay attention to its eyelid. This is not it's nictitating membrane but it's actual eyelid. American Dippers have white eyelids and it has nothing to do with its underwater fishing or sight. These white eyelids do not serve a purpose, but are a weird anomoly nonetheless.
After our Dipper sighting, we moved further down river and sat next to the water and had a moment of nature.
River Walk near the Narrows Zion National Park
Riverside near the Narrows Zion National Park
On our way back out of the park we had to drive back past where we had spotted the Condor and what do you know our fellow birder was there with his scope looking at the Condor. We pulled over and hopped out of the car. He graciously let us look through his long scope at the Condor. JoAnna was up first. She got a good look at it and then, as she was looking at this magnificent bird on the cliff side, the Condor took flight. We ran to the car and got our binoculars and I got a wonderful glimpse of it before it disappeared behind the mountain. What a way to end our day in Zion. We said our goodbyes to our fellow birder, and left the park.
Day 7 - Wednesday, March 9th
On day seven we were reluctantly leaving the solitude of our Utah cabin for the bright lights Las Vegas. I woke up at my normal 7am and started coffee. I noticed that we had a lot of activity at our bird feeder, so I ran into the bedroom and woke up JoAnna. I said "It's 7am!" and JoAnna said "Uggghhh" and I said "We have Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches!" I have never watched her get out of bed so quickly. I believe that our first thought was... "Do we really need to leave?!" Unfortunately the answer to that question was yes, but not before seeing a Hairy Woodpecker, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, and a Dark-eyed Junco. We sipped on our coffee and watched the birds flutter on and off the feeder. It was a wonderful way to spend out last moments at the cabin.
Mountain Chickadee
Steller's Jay
Steller's Jay
Steller's Jay
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Our drive back to Vegas took us back down to Cedar City. All the way to Cedar City, we were on switchbacks and cliff sides. Once we reached the top of the mountains beyond Duck Creek, we found ourselves careening back down the mountain. This is when we hit the black ice and our Jeep began to fishtail and slide all over the road. I fought my instincts to slam on the brakes and instead let off of the brakes, when the tires suddenly grabbed the road and the Jeep jerked back into our lane. We survived yet another scare. There was a sheer drop into a deep, cavern on our right side.
Fortunately for us the black ice was the only notable event on the drive to Las Vegas. We arrived at the Luxor a little after 11am. After re-grouping in our room we went down to the food court and got some grub and then we hit the slots. We drank some complimentary drinks and had loads of fun. We never really won that much money, but it was a lot of fun talking about the trip and reminiscing about our adventure.
While ee don't have another big trip planned, we do have a trip to Oak Harbor for the Biggest Week of Birding Festival. I will be sure to keep all my readers up to date on our upcoming adventure! There is nothing like northwest Ohio during spring migration!
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