Cheesman Canyon

My hike to Elk Falls made me optimistic that there was more water still to be seen.  I decided to give Cheesman Canyon a shot and see how the South Platte River was doing.

Good news.  The river was doing quite well. :)

There weren't too many wildflowers blooming just yet.  Lambert's Locoweed was the first I saw.

As the morning warmed up, the Prairie Lizards came out to soak up some sun.  Most were really tiny.  This guy was the biggest I saw, and roughly a whopping six inches or so from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

I spotted a mother Common Merganser with a small crew of babies on the river.  Unfortunately, she spotted me as well and hastily took her brood downstream to safety.  The only shots I got were from quite a distance away and not well exposed, so I decided to get creative with my favorite of the bunch.  I'm not disappointed with the result!

Most of the canyon trail is up above the river, providing some great overlooks down to the water.

The ruggedness of this stretch of the river is special, with sizable boulders sprinkled liberally in the water.

I was delighted to see a pair of American Dippers working on a nest in one of those boulders.  The light unfortunately frustrated me in getting great shots of the birds themselves.  But it was really cool to see them taking turns gathering moss and adding it to their home.

I had never heard of Blue-Water Speedwell before uploading this image to iNaturalist, but I loved seeing this flower blooming right in the river.

The clouds started to gather as I made my way back to the trailhead, but just enough to enhance the views of the river.

I didn't notice all the Blue Columbine along the trail on the outward portion of my trek, but was delighted to see them on my way back.

I did notice this sad-looking Fragrant Evening Primrose, and made sure to capture it in all its wiltedness.

Exactly six miles (AllTrails, as usual, underestimates the trail at only 5.6 miles) in a leisurely 2:31, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.  I look forward to coming back, possibly in winter to see its beauty in another season!

Kountze Lake, May 2026

After a wonderful morning at St. Vrain State Park, I had the time and inclination to see more!  Another photographer mentioned there being American Avocets at Kountze Lake, which was arguably on my way home.  So Kountze Lake it was. :)

Pond Sliders were taking full advantage of the warm, sunny day.

So was this monstrosity.  I'm fascinated at how this Common Snapping Turtle has so much algae growing on it.

I only found a pair of Avocets, who stayed frustratingly far from shore.  I do love how elegant they look with those long, curved beaks.

While there may have been disappointingly few Avocets, there were an abundance of babies!  Mallards...

... and Canada Geese.  Almost teenagers, really, though still patiently escorted by Mom and Dad.

The Mallard babies -- like most kids -- were having big fun playing in the mud.

I could followed these little ones around for hours, but eventually bid them farewell.  Delighted, though, to have made two photos stops before lunch!

Related Links:

• Kountze Lake and South Platte Park, December 2019
• Kountze Lake, June 2015: Part I
• Kountze Lake, June 2015: Part II
• Kountze and Harriman Lakes

Lower Calf Creek Falls

The next national park I had planned on my road trip was a return to Arches.  Getting there from Bryce Canyon not only took me through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, but also right past the trailhead to one of its signature features -- Lower Calf Creek Falls.  Of course, a stop was in order. 

After spending the night in Escalante City, I headed out before sunrise to avoid heat and crowds.  I was fortunate to be passing an overlook right as the sunrise commenced.

The trail to the falls is sandy for most of its length, but has only a moderate incline.

As the sun began to hit the tops of the canyon walls, I enjoyed and appreciated being down where it was nice and cool.

The falls themselves are quite delicate, but also an impressive 130 feet in height.

There were only a couple of other people at the falls when I arrived, and it was easy to get shots that make the area seem deserted.

I took the time to explore all angles of the falls, since the lack of other visitors made that a rare possibility.  Often the waterfalls I shoot are quite crowded, and it's all I can due to find a single spot to take an unobstructed photo.

I really enjoyed shooting the falls from slightly downstream, through the trees that grew on either side of the creek.

The golden color from the rocks and diffuse light gave everything a feel like something from a fantasy book.

On my return hike I took more notice of wildflowers like this Dusty Beardtongue.

The sub had now risen high enough to bring out reptiles like this Plateau Side-blotched Lizard.

I love seeing flowering cacti like this Brown-spined Prickly Pear, with the contrast between the inviting petals and menacing spikes.

It wasn't easy getting a shot without other hikers in it on the return trip.  The trail had rapidly filled with others out to take in the scene I had managed to have virtually to myself.

This would prove to be my longest hike of the trip at 6.12 miles, with a somewhat surprising 1,155 feet of elevation gain.  There were no lengthy steep stretches, so it hardly seemed like a "climb" at all.  I finished in 2:42:31, and by 9:30 was back on the road headed to my next stop!

Eagle Mountain Lake

The weather forecast and my schedule both called for a hike on Saturday morning.  The internet pointed me to Eagle Mountain Lake, which had the added bonus of being someplace I'd never visited.  So off I went!

This Question Mark was well camouflaged in some leaf litter along the loop trail.

There were plenty of wildflowers, but only one (Arkansas) Yucca in bloom that I noticed.

Some Cobaea Beardtongue was nicely lit against a shady background.

I appreciated seeing new leaves budding on this cactus.

I was too lazy to switch the lenses on my camera, so I shot this landscape shot of the wildflowers blooming along the trail with my zoom lens rather than my wide-angle lens with its wonderful circular polarizer.  So this shot isn't as saturated as I'd like as a result, especially the sky.

When I hit the South Overlook Trail, it became apparent that the stars of the day were going to be the butterflies.  There were a ton of them in a wide variety of species, including...

(deep breath)

... Black Swallowtail ...

... Common Buckeye ...

... did I mention Black Swallowtail?

Back to the unique sightings!  Sleepy Orange ...

... Dainty Sulphur ...

... Short-Tailed Swallowtail ...

EDIT: The iNaturalist community disagrees, and says this is another Black Swallowtail.

... Variegated Fritillary ...

... and Funereal Duskywing.  Eight different species!

EDIT: Seven, since I did not actually see a Short-Tailed Swallowtail.

A blooming Western Prickly Pear briefly interrupted the butterfly parade!

The parade resumed along the more wooded Shoreline Trail with this Red Admiral.

A hiker carrying his infant daughter spotted this Common Spotted Whiptail soaking up some sun along the trail.  Good thing, because I would have missed him.

Butterfly species #10 -- an Orange Sulphur!  I don't think I've ever seen that many on one outing, which helped make this a most memorable hike!

EDIT: Nine species.  See earlier references to the elusive Short-Tailed Swallowtail.

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, June 2022

The last photo stop on my quick tour of the Galveston area was Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.  Every time I've visited in the past, I'd had some great wildlife sightings and gotten some excellent pictures.  It still surprises me that I've been to other NWRs and literally seen no noteworthy wildlife at all, but I guess I need to keep in mind that these areas aren't intended to provide things for humans to gawk at.  They're intended to provide habitat for wildlife to live, and that wildlife might not care to be seen.

But I'm really glad when the wildlife doesn't mind so much. :)

Great stuff right away at the pond by the visitor center with a pair of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks just taking lazy laps around the water.

A Red-eared Slider enjoyed the summer heat.

Not the best lighting, but I still like the silhouette of this Four-spotted Pennant.

I was already operating in stealth mode knowing that ducks, turtles, and dragonflies are prone to skittishness and taking off if they feel threatened.

Shoveler Pond had been drained for maintenance, so birds like this Great Egret were congregating around whatever water they could find.

I saw a lot more Black-necked Stilts than I have in the past, including babies with watchful parents that were definitely not going to allow me to get too close.

I had to be patient even with solitary adults like this one.

I think I've seen Common Nighthawks on the same stretch of road every time I've visited the refuge.  I especially like this shot because I didn't take it -- Taryn did, since she had a closer view from her side of the car!

I may have gotten pictures early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun wasn't so high in the sky and temperatures not as hot.  But as usual when visiting Anahuac, I was still satisfied with what I saw!

Related Links:

• Anahuac NWR, April 2016
• Anahuac NWR, June 2017: Part I
• Anahuac NWR, June 2017: Part II
• Anahuac NWR, June 2018