23 November 1995
Dear Friends and Family,
It's hard to believe that another year has passed! Now
we've been in Rochester
nearly ten years and have been in our house over five years. We've been busy
catching up on yard work etc. since our camping season ended in mid-October,
but there's been snow on the ground for a couple of weeks now, effectively
ending outdoor work. The fall yard work centers mostly on leaves, which need to
be cleaned out of gutters, raked off the lawn, carted around in tarps, chopped
with the lawn mower, and mixed with grass clippings and dirt to start
decomposing over the winter. Eileen uses the resulting compost in the garden to
slowly improve the clayey soil. Our original soil was not too bad; in our back
yard there were enough trees to foil the bulldozers, and we have hundreds of
native may-apple and bloodroot (which bloom shortly after the snows melt), as
well as some water-leaf and wild geranium. However, much of the soil near the
house, where the gardens are, is from the hole dug for
the basement, and so has required a lot of work. Another task this fall was to
trim the roughly 30 trees in our back yard, mostly lindens, but also some
hickories and a few other species. I spent about 12 hours reducing the
branches, some of which were quite massive, to firewood and regulation-length
brush piles for removal. We do not have a fireplace, but carry firewood with us
when we are camping in the spring and fall.
We've been up to Niagara
Falls twice this month, leading two field trips for a
local bird club. It has been a good fall on the river, although we have not
been there on the best days. This is probably the single best gull location in North America, with a species total of 19, and a one-day
record of 13 species. I think the best we have done is 12 species in a weekend.
The full list is: Great Black-backed, Herring, Ring-billed, and Bonaparte's
(all abundant); Little, Lesser Black-backed, Thayer's, Iceland, Glaucous,
Sabine's, Franklin's, Black-headed, and
kittiwake (regular); and Ivory, Ross', Slaty-backed, California,
Mew, and Laughing (rare). We've had a number of Sabine's this year, which are
always a treat. There are said to be about a quarter of a million gulls in 20
miles of river, although I think that there have been fewer in recent years (some
think this is because the river has been cleaned up), nonetheless, there are a
number of spots, only separated by a few minutes each, where one can see high
hundreds or low thousands of gulls.
Last winter, we undertook two substantial indoor plant
projects. The first was working with Dr. Herman Forest, retired from the State
University of New York, to analyze and publish his extensive work on aquatic
plants of ten counties in western New
York State.
This was a very interesting and enjoyable project, and was more than half
completed by the time our intensive field work started up in May. We should be
able to finish off the work this winter. The second project was to computerize
all our plant and mammal records and write a database application to analyze
and organize the data. I have notebooks going back to 1973 that take up about
one bookshelf, so this was a lot of work! Eileen and I roughly split the
typing. When we were done, we had about 5000 records on-line, and over 100
pages of printouts in alphabetical order, so that we
can quickly look up any plant or mammal and see the listing of all our
documented sightings, with dates, locations, etc.
My work has continued to be very challenging, though
sometimes frustrating. The 5-year modelling program
that I am leading has now been going for 1.5 years, and finally is adequately
staffed, at a level equivalent to about five people full-time. Our modelling group is being moved to another laboratory and
possibly to another physical location, both of which are/would be positive
actions. I am disappointed at the amount of time I have had to spend on
"political" issues in the past several years; long-term research
efforts have become fragmented at Kodak, so that each project must be
individually defended on a regular basis. In addition, the work we do often has
consequences that are far-reaching within the company, which is good, but means
that we have to spend a lot of time interacting with other groups, which is
considerably less fun than simply doing science. The past two months I have
been furiously writing and editing technical report drafts in the usual
end-of-the-year crunch, but that is nearly complete now. I do enjoy the writing
(although it often is under some time pressure), because it gives a real sense
of accomplishment and completion, as well as really solidifying one's
understanding of the research involved.
Our list of native wildflowers photographed in bloom or
fruit in the Northeast rose over 70 species to 479
this year. This is an unprecedented increase in the absence of a major trip to
a new area! One of the primary reasons for all the additions is the intensive
work in the Moose River Plains (see below), which turned up many new, less
conspicuous species. Also of note, I think we have broken the record for most
species of ferns in a 1-mile radius circle in New York state,
with 27 at the Moose River Plains; however, one difficult identification
remains to be confirmed, so we may only have tied the record. However, there
are two additional species that occur within 1 mile of our 1 mile circle, and
we hope to find one or both of these with more field work next year. Also,
other species are possible, although we have not found them locally. Our best
fern find this year was a stand of the fascinating hexaploid
Clinton's fern,
which I had seen previously only once.
The state botanist, Richard Mitchell, asked for
assistance in photographing ferns of the Northeast for a fern identification
software package that he is putting together, so we volunteered to do a number
of localized or more northerly species. It was challenging to obtain
photographs that would reproduce clearly on a computer screen; we had to
concentrate especially on finding backgrounds that would contrast with the
fern, rather than allow it to blend in, as is so often the case. I think he is
using about 7-8 of our photos.
Eileen painted and stained the exterior of the house and
deck this summer, which took a few weeks. It sure looks better! They do not
knock themselves out painting new house exteriors in these parts, and it's
really needed some work. In early August we visited my Dad and relatives in Vermont, as we have done
for several years. As always, it was very enjoyable. Eileen's parents visited
at the end of September and got to see the peak weekend for fall color in the Adirondacks, with perfect weather conditions. They also
had their first canoeing experience, which they both survived and enjoyed.
We'll be visiting my Mom and brother Chris in Virginia over Christmas;
my Dad and brother Chuck will be there too, and we look forward to some good
scrabble games!
We took some interesting short trips this year. Early in
the season we explored some local spots for interior plants near the eastern
edge of their ranges. These included twinleaf (a sensational plant with leaves
shaped like a swallowtail butterfly), green violet, and golden seal (like
ginseng, its root is sold commercially for purported medicinal reasons). We had
another mediocre year at Pt. Pelee but did see
Kirtland's warbler (almost impossible to see in migration) and fox snake (about
three feet long, sitting at eye level in a shrub). A trip to Chaumont Barrens
near Watertown
yielded many interesting plants, including the very isolated, easternmost occurrence
of prairie smoke, which was in full bloom (it looks a bit like a pink dandelion
seed head). A 4-day weekend on the fascinating Bruce
Peninsula in Ontario resulted in many good finds:
Hooker's orchis, butterwort (a carnivorous plant),
three species of twayblade orchis
in bloom, Robert's fern, rubber plant (the latter are two very rare plants that
grow on the globally rare limestone barrens habitat), Mingan
moonwort (very rare), and nodding trillium. A weekend near Syracuse in August to visit several famous
fern locations was very productive; we saw leafcup
(another characteristic interior species at the edge of its range here),
hart's-tongue fern (with very limited distribution in this continent), glade
fern (new for Eileen), and Goldie's fern. Finally, although the birding in the
Moose River Plains was not as good as some years, we were thrilled to see two
black-backed woodpeckers at close range from our canoe on our last weekend of
camping.
We took one medium-length (9-day) trip this year, to Algonquin Prov. Park
in Ontario in
September. Although we did not hear wolves this year (the date was a little
late), we did take a number of full-day canoe trips from around the perimeter
of the park, which we had not circumnavigated before (it is a huge park).
Highlights were black bear in a natural setting; moose; 2 merlins
(small, northern falcons) in pursuit flight right over our heads; lavendar bladderwort; the Brent meteor crater; canoeing the
deep, sheer Barron Canyon; fragrant cliff fern; and a fascinating arctic plant,
encrusted saxifrage.
The Algonquin trip reminds me to mention that we finally
got a new canoe this year and we are very happy with it! A few days after we
moved to Rochester, we bought an inexpensive
Sears fiberglass canoe, which we named Fourth of July, because our first trip
in it was down the Genesee River, around which Rochester was built, to see the fireworks
display. We used this canoe very roughly; a lot of our natural history work
involves navigation in shallow water, over rocks and logs, etc. We succeeded in
wearing the keel down completely, leading to structural instability and
numerous leaks. I did a massive rebuilding of the keel once, but when it had
worn down again last summer, we decided to upgrade. We got a great trade-in on
a new Royalex canoe of about the same size; Royalex is a lightweight, strong, flexible and rather
abrasion-resistant material that should prove much more appropriate for the
type of canoeing we often do. The new canoe is 24 pounds lighter than the old
one, which really makes a difference; I can easily pick it up and put it up
onto the van by myself, which is very convenient. In addition, the new canoe,
named Lutra (the river otter genus), compared to
Fourth of July, is much faster, turns more easily, and has more comfortable
seats. We have really been enjoying it!
Our major project of the year has been to start a study
of the vascular plants in the Moose River Plains, our favorite camping spot in
the southwest Adirondacks. We obtained a
permit to collect specimens so that we could document our sightings, and start
to learn about some of the more difficult plant groups, such as sedges and
grasses, that we have largely neglected in the past. You will appreciate that
it is much easier to key out these species in the comfort of your home, during
the long winter, rather than carry the equivalent of a shelf of books into the
field, where time is precious. Our goal is not only to collect (or, for rarer
species, photograph) each species encountered in this area, but to
quantitatively assess abundance by keeping track of which species occur in each
2-kilometer square (referred to as a block) in our study area. This year we
concentrated on just 15 blocks with particularly good access by road, trail, or
canoe. These blocks could be contained in a 6x8-mile area. Elevation ranges
from about 1700 feet to 3700 feet, but elevations above 2700 feet require
bush-whacking, and were not investigated this year. We did about 20 days of
field work in our study area this year between late May and early September (as
well as additional days too late in the season to be productive for plants).
To give you an idea of what this project is like, I'll
describe the history of a specimen; I've picked # 220 (we collected about 340
this year) as an example. That weekend in mid-July we had done a 2-mile canoe
carry with full camping gear to reach Beaver Lake,
roughly egg-shaped and one mile long, with interesting shallow areas. Our
friends Allan, Andrea, and their 4-year old son Collin had joined us for a
weekend of quiet camping; we had the lake to ourselves except for a few hikers
who briefly viewed the lake before turning around. The fire road into the lake
was in pretty good shape, so we were able to wheel our loaded canoe most of the
way (using a folding axle that can be strapped onto the bottom of the canoe);
this is a great way to haul loads if the surface if fairly even. Friday night
we had a torrential rain and high winds; we were not to learn until Sunday, on
the way home, that this storm had done massive damage
and killed several people. Saturday was sunny and windy, which helped us dry
our soaked camping gear.
We paddled all around the lake, noting every plant
species seen, because this was a block we had not visited yet during the study.
New species were collected, usually only if in flower or fruit (to aid in their
identification). Near the center of the lake, we made an exception to this rule
for an aquatic plant growing slightly below the surface of the water, because
aquatic plants can be difficult to find in flower, and the flowers are less
helpful for identification than in many groups. The plant was finely divided,
like a typical "aquarium plant", and was very lacy looking under
water. Eileen reached under water to cut off a portion of the plant, while I
counter-balanced the canoe. With most small plants it is helpful to obtain some
of the root, but this plant was growing in deep water so this was impractical.
Some aquatics are so flimsy that the only way to get them to spread out nicely,
and not bunch up into a matted mass, is to float them in the water and bring a
sheet of paper up underneath them very gently. This specimen was a bit more
robust and with some effort I spread it out on a piece of 12x18-inch blotter
paper, in a configuration suitable for mounting (the shape of the final
specimen is pretty much determined by the shape at initial pressing, so you
have to get it the way you want it in the final mounted specimen).
A second sheet of blotter paper was placed over the
specimen, and the package enclosed in an unprinted newspaper folder. The
specimen number was marked on the folder, in an orientation that indicated how
the specimen should be mounted. We try to show both surfaces of each plant, but
there is usually a preferred mounting direction. The folder was placed between
sheets of corrugated cardboard in a plant press, under considerable pressure,
which dries and flattens the specimen. Eileen noted the date, location,
elevation, habitat, and precise coordinates in our field notebook, which
contained custom-made pages for specimen data entry. The coordinates were
determined very accurately using a global positioning system (GPS), which
receives military satellite signals and determines through triangulation your
location (including elevation) anywhere on the planet, usually in a few tens of
seconds. It also has navigational features that are very impressive. By typing
the coordinates back in next year, we could return directly to a point within
about 100 feet of the collection site. In the middle of a lake, with no real
landmarks, this is a very nice feature. Of course, it is even more valuable to
someone else, who has not seen the location.
Once home, the fresh specimens are transferred to another
plant press and left in front of a fan that sucks air through the cardboard and
help dries the specimens even more quickly (to help better preserve colors).
After a week of drying, Eileen mounts the specimens on acid-free paper that is
the standard size used by herbaria (collections of plants usually found at
universities and museums). She has to do this on a regular basis so we do not
run out of blotter paper, cardboard, etc. I have already stamped the paper with
a custom rubber stamp containing blanks to be filled in with location, date,
coordinates, etc. She enters just the specimen number from the folder so that
the connection with the data is not lost. Then, in a painstaking process, she
affixes the specimen to the sheet using water-soluble glue. She flips the
specimen over onto wax paper mounted on cardboard, which is marked off to show
the size of the sheet and the location of the label. She then paints the back
with glue, using a variety of brushes, foam tools, etc. A sheet is placed
against the specimen, the package is inverted, and the wax paper removed. With
finely dissected plants such as some ferns, there is not time to paint an
entire specimen before the glue dries, so she may have to continue gluing
smaller segments at this point, using a dissecting pin to lift each section. A
really difficult specimen can take an hour; a typical time is probably about 20
minutes, so Eileen must have spent 100 hours this year at this task. She really
got to know this summer's country music hits from listening to the radio while
she worked on specimens! The freshly glued specimens are interleaved with wax
paper and put back into the plant press for another week to keep them flat
while the glue is drying. After that they are put in folders in boxes, arranged
taxonomically at higher levels, and alphabetically at lower levels, until the
collecting season was done and they could be further considered. The final
specimens are like works of art, and are a delight to behold.
In October, I finished updating the computerized records
from the field season. All records are entered into our home computer, where
they can be analyzed and organized using databasing
software I wrote at work. One of the principal reasons that we need this is to
produce updated block lists before every weekend of field work. I printed out
all the specimen label information, and, over the course of a few weeks, Eileen
filled in the blanks on the stamped specimen sheets. It would have been nice to
print the labels out from the computer, but neither self-adhesive labels nor
computer printer inks are archival. Finally, I study the specimens and refer to
our fairly extensive set of books, augmented by volumes checked out of a local
college library. If the identification seems quite certain, I pen in the scientific
name, filling the last blank in the stamped specimen label. To complete this
task will probably take most of the winter, and some specimens will have to be
taken to herbaria for comparison with known specimens, or shown to experts.
In the case of specimen 220, I was not confident of
reaching a conclusive identification because of the difficulty of aquatic
species and the lack of flowers. However, examination of the specimen under a
magnifier reveals the presence of tiny, transluscent
bladders (sacs), used to trap microscopic aquatic animals. This plant is a
bladderwort, and its leaf arrangement is (mercifully) diagnostic. The plant is Utricularia purpurea, which has
been on our (lengthy) list of most-wanted plants for years now! Of course, what
we wanted to see was its interesting purple flowers, but hopefully we will run
into those another year, now that we know where the plants are. I guess that I
should conclude this account by saying that we finished the year having located
just over 300 species, although some remain to be definitively identified. We
were very pleased with this total; a study in the northwest Adirondacks
spanning 30 years, 3000 square miles, and 3000 feet of elevation range (about
30x, 60x, and 3x our numbers) turned up about 450 species. Of course,
diminishing returns are dramatic in this sort of work, but it still seems like
a good start.
Our major trip of the year was a 4-week visit to the Four Corners district in January. This was the last in a
series of four trips to the Mountain West. Attached below is Eileen's account
of that trip. We'd be happy to be taking off on a trip like that right about
now -- but at least we have lots of plant specimens to work on this winter, so
we'll be seeing some color other than white!
Four
Corners Trip
Thursday / 22 Dec 94 / Day 1
Left Rochester this morning bound for El Paso TX,
where we will spend Christmas. Drove 773 miles today and stopped for the night
just north of Nashville.
Saturday / 24 Dec 94 / Day 3
Arrived in El Paso around 6pm. Took us three days to get
here. Spent last night in Weatherford TX.
Besides Mom and Dad, the roll call included: Paul (who arrived yesterday from Indianapolis), Kathleen, Patrick, Corey, Claire, and
Thomas, who are on a stop-over visit en route from Fort Riley KS to Patrick's
new assignment in Hawaii.
Monday / 26 Dec 94 / Day 5
Had a beautiful Christmas Day
yesterday. The ranks were increased by two when Robert and Mahrla (who live about five minutes away) stopped by for a
while. Today, we decided to go out for breakfast and then drive to Carlsbad
Caverns in New Mexico.
Had to interview all available folks to determine who was staying home (Mom,
Patrick, Thomas); who was going to breakfast only (Dad, Claire); who was going
to Carlsbad only (Corey; he spent the night with his other set of grandparents
and had to be picked up after breakfast); and who was doing the whole trip
(Kathleen, Brian, and me). Dad said the Normandy
invasion was easier to plan.
On the way to the caverns, we stopped briefly to observe
a herd of pronghorn antelope. When we arrived, took the elevator down 755 feet
to the Big Room (the only section open), one of the largest underground
chambers in the world. Among the spectacular formations, we saw Carlsbad's biggest
stalagmite (42 feet high). We also
followed the Desert Drive
through Walnut Canyon.
Tuesday / 27 Dec 94 / Day 6
By the time we got home from our excursion yesterday
evening, Brian was not feeling well and went to bed early. He is spending today
in bed, suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Wednesday / 28 Dec 94 / Day 7
Brian still not in top form, spending
most of the day in bed. Kathleen and I went to the airport to pick up
the newest additions to the Christmas reunion, Elizabeth
and her newish (six months) baby, Christina Lynn,
from Placerville CA.
Thursday / 29 Dec 94 / Day 8
Brian feeling much better today so he and I went with
Robert to the music studio where he (Rob) is an engineer. We met the owner,
Tony Rancich, who also owns a pecan ranch; he guided
us on a tour of the pecan orchard and processing plant. Back at home, there
were four new arrivals: Scott, Jessica, Sara, and Tom, just in from Indianapolis. After dark,
took a driving tour of the famous Christmas light display in Eastwood.
Friday / 30 Dec 94 / Day 9
The week at home went fast. Left El Paso this morning,
headed west. Our first stop was at White
Sands National
Monument in New
Mexico, the world's largest gypsum dune field. In
spite of some rain, we were able to get a few photographs and walk the Big Dune
Nature Trail. Then drove to Grants NM, where we spent the night.
Saturday / 31 Dec 94 / Day 10
Visited El Malpais
National Monument, NM, a volcanic badlands southwest of Grants. It is
famous for such features as spatter cones, a lava tube cave system, and ice
caves. Also visited La Ventana
Arch, the largest arch in NM. Drove the very scenic Chain
of Craters byway, first through short grasslands, then forests of ponderosa
pine and Rocky Mt. juniper. Spent
the night at Red Rock State Park Campground just outside Gallup NM.
Sunday / 1 Jan 95 / Day 11
Last night was cold!! A raven perched on top of a red
rock formation was our first bird of the year. Spent the day
on the South Rim Drive
of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, known for its
canyon views and the ruins of prehistoric Pueblo Indians. Took a one and
a half mile hike from the rim to the White House Ruins, the only area of the
canyon where visitors are allowed without a guide. Camped
near Holbrook AZ.
Monday / 2 Jan 95 / Day 12
Visited Petrified
Forest National Park
and Painted Desert. Most of the
(petrified) trees found in the park belonged to a now-extinct genus; Norfolk
Island Pine is the closest living relative. We
picnicked at Chinde Point, followed walking trails at
the Puerco Indian Ruins (before 1400 A.D.), and the
Giant Logs area, and stopped to see Newspaper Rock, a huge sandstone block
covered with petroglyphs. Spent the night in Winslow
AZ; Brian with a mild relapse of his previous indisposition.
Tuesday / 3 Jan 95 / Day 13
First stop: Meteor Crater AZ, the site of the first and
largest definitely identified crater. The floor is 570 feet deep and more than
4,100 feet across; the rim is more than 3 miles in circumference. All Apollo astronauts were given extensive
training here. Next stop: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument AZ. Viewed
prehistoric Anasazi dwellings and the volcanic area,
including the cone named by John Wesley Powell (of Colorado River exploration
fame), who was head of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1885: "The contrast
in the colors is so great," he wrote, "that on viewing the mountain
from a distance the red cinders seem to be on fire. From this circumstance the
cone has been named Sunset
Peak." Hiked the
Lava Flow Loop Trail but the trail up the cone has been closed due to erosion.
Saw huge flocks of robins but no Abert's squirrels. Camped at Manzanita Campground in Oak Creek Canyon
between Flagstaff and Sedona AZ.
Wednesday / 4 Jan 95 / Day 14
Rain this morning, snow at higher
elevations. Drove to Peach Springs AZ, got permit to enter Hualapai
Indian Reservation where we camped at Diamond Creek Campground on Colorado River. Saw a coyote and scrub jays. Still raining. Can smell the creosote.
Thursday / 5 Jan 95 / Day 15
Drove out Quartermaster Point.
View is terrific but visibility somewhat impeded by low clouds. Saw a herd of
50 pronghorns. Also joshua
trees, an indicator plant of the Mojave Desert,
and several other species reminiscent of the Lanfair
Valley CA, an old favorite stomping ground. Camp at Diamond
Creek.
Friday / 6 Jan 95 / Day 16
Spent morning in camp on Colorado River. Sunny and warmer
than most days since we'd left El Paso.
Drove to south rim of Grand Canyon.
At the visitor center, got a weather report: expected low is
18 degrees F and windy, so we did not camp.
Sunday / 8 Jan 95 / Day 18
Poor weather yesterday and very low
visibility at canyon overlooks; no photographs. Tried
to locate forest service road to Havasupai Point, but
too much snow, so turned back. Same today.
Monday / 9 Jan 95 / Day 19
Clear today; we revisited all canyon overlooks and took
photos at Moran, Lipan, and Desert View. Snow on cliff edges highlights them
nicely. Very cold at this elevation;
stopped for hot chocolate beside an enormous fireplace at Hermit's Rest on West Rim Drive.
While doing laundry this evening in the village, ran into some friends from Oak Creek Canyon; had dinner together at Bright
Angel Lodge.
Wednesday / 11 Jan 95 / Day 21
Left Grand Canyon yesterday morning, photographed a
precipitous view of the Little Colorado River from a highway overlook, stopped
in Page AZ to
make arrangements for the next couple of days, and camped at Lone Rock
Campground on shore of Lake Powell, just over the state line in Utah. Today we took a
tour boat on Lake Powell to Rainbow
Bridge. We were the only
passengers, so had the boat and two captains to ourselves. Rainbow Bridge,
the world's largest natural bridge, was nearly flooded by the rising waters of Lake Powell,
formed when the Colorado River was backed up behind the Glen Canyon
dam, completed in 1966. Now much of the canyon, known for its striking scenery
and Anasazi ruins, is under water. We were the only
visitors at the bridge, reached by a short hike from the dock, and we enjoyed
the spectacular views. Took a number of photographs.
On return boat trip, took readings with GPS and helped the pilots measure the
actual distance from Rainbow Bridge Dock to Wahweap
Marina Dock. Also stopped at Glen Canyon
Dam Visitor
Center. Camped at Lone Rock.
Friday / 13 Jan 95 / Day23
Yesterday we visited Antelope
Canyon, or rather that portion of it
(the upper) known as Corkscrew
Canyon. A slot canyon,
carved mostly by wind erosion, this place had what we considered to be some of
the most impressive and beautiful scenery of the trip. Spent four and a half
hours photographing as the light filtering in from the narrow opening overhead
shifted, creating new scenes.
Today, visited Monument
Valley Navajo
Tribal Park.
We reached here last night and camped in the Mitten View Campground, so named
because the famous mitten-shaped (sort of) formations in the valley are visible
from the campground. After photographing at sunrise, we made arrangements for a
tour guide to take us through the valley (in a beat-up old 4-wheel-drive
vehicle -- front seat propped up with a chunk of wood, etc.) Photographed
gorgeous rock formations, windows, and ancient ruins. Had picnic lunch,
then headed north, past the town of Mexican Hat
to Gooseneck State Reserve to see the gooseneck canyons (entrenched meanders
dug by the river) of the San Juan River. Camped at Natural
Bridges National
Monument.
Saturday / 14 Jan 95 / Day 24
Yesterday in Monument
Valley was warm and sunny
but today is cold and cloudy with snow on the ground. We stopped at overlooks to all three of the
bridges, which were formed by flowing water, and took a short hike to the Horsecollar Ruins overlook. Most of the other hiking trails
were closed due to unstable conditions. This area is unusual for the number of
natural bridges formed in such a short distance as well as for the unique
formations themselves. Drove on to Monticello,
where we spent the night.
Sunday / 15 Jan 95 / Day 25
Drove north to the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. We visited the other two
districts of the park -- the Maze, and Island
in the Sky -- last year. Weather cold with fierce winds.
Had good views of the needle formations and a spectacular
anticline. Hiked up Elephant Hill; our 4WD vehicle would not have made
it. Tried another 4WD road leading to the Colorado River overlook but managed
only 6.1 of the seven miles; road just too rugged. Actually, there was a sort
of cliff in the middle of it. Spent the night in Monticello again.
Snowing.
Monday / 16 Jan 95 / Day 26
Still snowing; visibility poor; driving conditions slow.
Drove to Mesa Verde
National Park, located in the high
plateau country of southwestern Colorado.
This park is one of the major archaeological preserves in the country; the area
was inhabited as far back
as A.D. 500. Most of roads and trails in the park closed due to
weather conditions. One guided tour was offered, to Spruce Tree House Ruins,
the best preserved and one of the largest cliff dwellings in the park. Also visited museum. Spent night in Durango.
Tuesday / 17 Jan 95 / Day 27
Drove from Durango
to Ouray to see the beautiful San Juan Mountains.
Traversed three passes over 10,000 feet; needed chains on tires. Photographed both immature and adult bald eagle at carrion; also
crows and magpies. Lunch at a cafe in Ouray.
Began drive for Rochester.
Saturday / 21 Jan 95 / Day 31
Arrived Rochester after four days on the road.
Spent Tuesday night in Salida CO;
Wednesday in York NE;
Thursday in Davenport IA;
and Friday night in Cleveland.
The drive back was uneventful until Thursday evening when temperatures dropped,
snow started falling, roads became slippery, etc. Traffic slowed to a crawl. When we decided to stop for the night, had difficulty finding a
motel with vacancy. Progress was slow the rest of the way; took us an
extra day of driving. The toughest part of the trip, without a doubt; other than
that, what a wonderful time we had!