Antelope Flats

 This is an area about ten miles from us called Antelope Flats. Appropriately named, it is a flat area at the edge of the reservoir and antelope can be seen frequently.

Then Bonnie and I hiked the trail up towards the dam which is a distance of 7.2 miles.  However, we could only go about 2.25 miles because the Department of Fish and Wildlife authorized the release of 4600 cubic feet per second of water to try to flush out the spawning areas of small mouth bass so the water was too high for us to go any farther.  Small mouth bass are very predatory towards trout and their eggs.  The normal release rate from the dam is 860 cubic feet per second.  Here are a few pics from that hike.

OBSERVATION: 

One nice benefit of selling passes at the booth is nearly everyone that comes through is anticipating a wonderful recreation experience.  It's sort of like the Disney World for people who enjoy the outdoors. 

But one thing I have noticed is the difference between men and women when it comes to buying a day pass.  A man will pull up to the window and say "I want to fish" or "I want to picnic with my kids", to which I reply "ok, a day pass is $5".  Men will simply pay the $5.  By contrast, a woman will pull up to the window and say "I just want to picnic" to which I reply "ok, a day pass is $5."  Then the woman will say "well I don't want to fish", to which I reply "ok, a day pass is still $5."  Then she will say, "I don't want to hike" or "I don't want to put my feet in the water."  or "where else can I get a pass?" Now most women do NOT do this but the point I am making is that if there is any push back or any resistance, from my experience here, it is going to come from a woman.

Sheep Creek Geological Area

 June 25, 2021

There is an area west of us called the Sheep Creek Geological trail.  Generally speaking, geology bores me but this area is really nice.  And to think there were a lot of you that thought Utah was just a rocky wasteland.

If you look closely in about the middle of the picture, you can see a portion of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Flaming Gorge Recreation Area

 June 17, 2021

We are volunteering with the US Forestry Service on the Green River which is below the Flaming Gorge Dam.  Below are some pictures in and around Flaming Gorge (which could easily be called Flaming Gorgeous).

This first picture looks washed out, but that is just how that wall looks.

And now for the pictures you may have seen in marketing brochures or National Geographic.

The distance from where I am standing down to the water is a little over 1,300 feet.

The picture below was taken about 9pm

OBSERVATION:

After posting my observation regarding the popularity of brands of trucks, I had two people ask me about which cars and sport utility vehicles are the most popular.  Based on the traffic in and out of our volunteer area, and the local geographic location, Subaru is hands down the most popular car and sport utility vehicle.

More around the area

June 16, 2021

The Green River where we are located is divided into three sections, A, B, and C.  Section A runs seven mile from the spillway of the dam and ends at Little Hole Recreation Area where we are located.  Then section B starts at Little Hole and continues on down for nine miles and ends at Indian Crossing.  The other day, Bonnie and I drove down to Indian Crossing and while it is only nine river miles, it takes about an hour to get there.  Section C starts at Indian Crossing and continues on into Colorado.  Here are some pics of that drive.

Prickly pears are available just about anywhere.  And in different colors.

Although this has a barren and desolate appearance, it also has a unique beauty.

This is looking over the hood of our Jeep on one of the rougher roads going to Indian Crossing.

OBSERVATION:

Like I mentioned in a previous posting, we sell passes into the recreation area from a booth on the way to the parking lot.  We open up when we want and close up when we want.  When we are closed, we have instructions for visitors to pay their day use fee at an unattended, honor system place.  While most people do pay on the honor system, there are some that think if the booth is closed they get in free.  Since that is not the case, I walk the parking areas and write tickets to those who have not paid.  But over time, here is the observation I've made; the higher the value of the vehicle, the less likely that person has paid.  Maybe that is just a coincidence but so far it is holding true.

 

A hike from our volunteer site

 June 11, 2021

We took a short hike from our site and followed the river downstream a little over a mile to the first boat/float in campsites. The round trip was under 2.5 miles but the trail was very rough and rocky, with rocks about the size of tennis balls.  We were somewhat surprised at how tiring this hike was because we routinely walk 3.5-4 miles nearly every day at home.  But when you take into consideration the elevation of ~6300 feet, and the rocks, and the temps, and the lack of humidity, it was tiring.

Here are some pics of our hike beside the river:

If you are able to zoom in, one of the boat launch ramps is just about in the middle of the pic.

We were the only two people on this trail both going and returning.  

Now for those of you who like a bit of a scavenger hunt, in the picture below, there are two magpies in the trees.

OBSERVATION: 

As you know, we have traveled a lot all over the place.  Why is it, no matter the geographic location, women will commandeer the men's rest room rather than waiting their turn in the women's rest room?  I have never been party to commandeering the women's rest room! I have to say it somewhat annoys me when I walk up to the men's rest room and a woman jumps out of nowhere and says "you can't go in here there are women still in there." REALLY?

Around the area

May 31, 2021

Memorial weekend was fairly busy with people mostly fishing but some rafting. We recorded about 280 people coming to our area so it was pretty active.  After the weekend, we took a few days to do a little exploring near us. We went to the Swett Ranch, a historic homestead ranch, to have a look around because that is an area where we could have volunteered, but after talking to the volunteers there, we are so pleased we did not apply.  They only had 25 volunteers the whole weekend so it would be a bit slow for us.

On the way to the Swett Ranch, you have to pass over the dam of the Flaming Gorge.  We have some more to explore, but here are some pics of the dam area so far.

June 2, 2021

Unfortunately, there was an unexpected death in the family in Texas, so we took our Jeep and drove 4 hours to Salt Lake City to catch a flight to Dallas on Saturday, June 5^th, then returned on Wednesday, June 8^th.

June 3, 2021

Here is another picture from the booth where we collect day use fees looking toward our rv. It really is quite lovely here.

Now speaking of collecting day use fees, I have another OBSERVATION. 

OBSERVATION: the fee for a single day use pass is $5 and anyone can purchase it or a weekly pass for $15, or an annual pass for $35. The US Forestry is not set up to take credit cards so they only accept cash or a check. I am AMAZED at how many people do not carry any cash.  But, I started paying close attention to the people who do not carry cash and it is overwhelmingly people in the age category of 40 and younger.  I had one young couple that I would guess were in their late 20’s that did not have the cash.  Then he remembered he had a bag of change in what looked like it was in a quart freezer bag.  He said he didn’t want the bag of change and started to hand me the whole bag when both his significant other and I told him he didn’t really want to do that because he probably had $25-$30 worth of change.  Am I the only one that is surprised by the number of people who do not carry cash?