On Top of the World

From the top of Coyote Ridge, 9800 feet, we look down on a few remaining snow fields and over an expanse of green forests and meadow.  Currant Creek Reservoir can be seen in the distance. 

To the north, the High Uintas are still covered in snow.

There is something for everyone on this ride.

Daisy the Wildflower Fairy

Daisy the Snow Queen

Glacier Lily

Buttercups and Springbeauty

Bee Plant (I think)

Bluebells

On the forest trail, bluebirds flit through the branches.  A wren swoops out of a cavity nest in an aspen.  We see deer, elk, a coyote, and a golden eagle. 
Nature has shared her heart with us this day.  We are grateful.

Wildlife Haven

We rode through green valleys starting at 7500 ft. north of Current Creek Reservoir,

ascending to 9500 ft. at Low Pass Road. 

This moose was knee deep in a beaver pond when we startled her.  We were startled, too, as she splashed out of the water to get away from the strange centaur-like invaders. 

She may have had a calf hidden in the aspens, because she ran to the trees and stood firm, staring at us until we were out of sight.  We were several hundred yards away, but a mama moose is no one to mess with.  We watched for any sign of aggression.  If she had charged, we would have made a speedy retreat.

We've seen sandhill cranes in this area several times.  Finally, we had a photo op.

A hairy woodpecker and his mate whistled and squawked at us.  They must have had a nest nearby, and all their noise was an attempt to scare us away.  Eventually, it worked. 
We saw lots of elk and deer.  Steve rode right past a deer fawn curled up in the brush.  It was tiny, probably only a few days old.  He would have taken a photo, but Daisy saw the fawn, too, so his efforts went toward containing Daisy so the fawn could safely escape. 

Can you see the pile of sticks in the bottom center of the photo?  That's a beaver dam, about 8 feet of engineering work at its deepest point.   

We rode up to check it out.  The beaver seemed to be gone and no longer maintaining the dam, but big pool of water remained, providing Daisy with a refreshing swim.

Spring in the High Country

Spring has arrived, even in the mountains.  The aspens are just beginning to leaf out at 9000 feet. 

The north facing slopes still have some snow, but it's fading fast. 

We ride to the top of Coyote Ridge, at nearly 10,000 ft. 

A dirt road travels along the crest. We follow it for a while to take in the Uinta views. 

A pair of kestrels perch in a tree.  When we approach for a closer photo, they fly away.

A white-crowned sparrow stays put for the camera. 

We also see a coyote bound through the sage.  A photo attempt is unsuccessful.
Daisy tries to keep up with a half dozen elk that run ahead of us, but elk are notoriously uncooperative.  A couple of sandhill cranes are hanging out near some old beaver dams.  They lift off as we approach.

Coyote Ridge

Another great ride through wide open country starts just north of Currant Creek Reservoir, at about 8000 feet, and heads up various 2 tracks and elk trails along Coyote Ridge toward Scotty's Basin. 

The terrain is mostly open, passing through meadows where old beaver dams have created terraces of rich soil.  A few pools still exist, perfect for Daisy swims.  Of course, Daisy isn't particular.  A mud puddle works just fine for her. 

We also rode near lakes surrounded by aspen.  We could hear the boreal frogs' high-pitched croaks as we passed by.

Glacier lilies (also known as Dogtooth Violets) were abundant at 9000 feet where the snow has recently melted.  Spring Beauty, Buttercups, and a few Bluebells were also in bloom. 

A bluebird flew out of this cavity (above my hand) in a dead aspen.  With a light, we were able to see a single pale blue egg in there.  We moved off to try to glimpse the bluebird again, but he/she didn't return while we waited.

A female blue grouse sat on an aspen branch.  We usually see them flying up from brush on the ground, but the bird book says they often feed on newly opened leaf buds in the spring. 

We saw several deer and a lot of elk as we climbed steadily uphill.  About the time we came to the edge of the melting snow, we spotted a herd of about 60 cow and yearling elk going over the ridge (about 10,000 ft) above us.  Most elk in these parts have been hunted, and don't much like humans.  They are intent on avoiding any interaction with our kind.   When we saw the entire herd, they were 1000 yards away, keeping their distance!  In national parks, a person can walk right up to elk, but not here.

Here's Steve's video that shows the elk moving over the snow to the top of the ridge.  He mentions that we "drove" the elk during our ride.  That was inadvertent on our part.  We just rode, and they ran ahead.  We had no idea the whole herd was moving ahead of us until we came out of the aspens and saw them on the ridge.
In keeping with Coyote Ridge's name, we saw 2 coyotes up on the snow, apparently trailing the elk herd as calving season approaches.

Coyote Ridge

On Coyote Ridge, our horses graze with a view of a vast valley and the Uinta Mountains in the background:

(The large pile of stones on the right is a cairn, marking the trail.  I suspect it was erected by boy scouts - can't imagine anyone else spending that much time on such a project!) 

Meanwhile, humans find a cute ground squirrel:

And enjoy the rest of the 360 degree scenery:

We look down on Currant Creek Reservoir.  Our trailer is parked somewhere in that vicinity:

On the ride to and from the ridge, we see mountain globemallows (mountain hollyhock):

lanceleaved stonecrop:

Indian paintbrush:

and sulphur paintbrush:

(Did you know most paintbrushes are partial parasites on other plants' roots?  This makes them difficult to transplant or grow from seed.)

This is a California Corn Lily, which grows in moist meadows:

Up close, the flowers are unusual and pretty:

but the plant is extremely poisonous and causes birth defects in sheep.  The flowers are also poisonous to insects.

We find the remains of old beaver ponds that have filled in with silt and formed meadows:

This blue dragonfly hovers over a pond:

A shy deer observes us from the forest:

and a hawk surveys his territory from his perch:

A herd of elk start running before we even notice them and vanish before we can whip out a camera.