On The Trails Again

Where has the summer gone? I know, it's not Labor Day yet so we still have summer and officially after Labor Day we still have another three weeks until fall. But I can feel it, cooler nights and evening rains sure seems fall like to me.

On another note what a great job the crew at Guernsey State Park did for the eclipse, we were out and about in the park a couple of days before and the day after the eclipse and it looked like a lot of fun was had by all.

Now that it is cooler, somewhat anyway, we have resumed hiking in the park. Did you know that Newell Bay Trail has more than 100 CCC built steps? What a great trail. We were not up to doing a full loop but did half on two different evenings.

This is one of my favorite times in the park, fall colors starting and still some wildflowers. It is also the time of year we see the park's animals starting to move around a bit more. Give it a try.

Guernsey State Park - Waking Up From a Long Winter

Wonderful weather and much time in the park the past week.

Animals are moving about, and the first of the wildflowers are showing.

Looks like the work continues on the original Stoney Gate on the north side of the dam.

We hiked to the top of Skyline Mountain Saturday discovered this great view and took a few photos.

We have also continued our hikes in different places looking at the dry lake, both disappointing and fascinating. Disappointing because I love the look of the park when the lake is full, fascinating because most lakes are never empty and never reveal themselves.

This time of year is also interesting to see things left behind from last summer.

Unofficially it still looks like the road across the dam (Lakeshore Drive ) will be open in May when the work on the dam is complete. 

Taking a break at the North Bluff Castle - what a weekend.

Mountain Mahogany in the Park

Along with writing and photography, I am proud to be a Certified Wyoming Master Gardner. I take many photos of wildflowers in the park and most of them I have to look up to see what they are. Even if an identification of species is not my strength, I do enjoy trying to figure out which plant is which.

One that is a favorite of mine in the park, especially now, when it is flowering is Cercocarpus, better known in the west as Mountain Mahogany. It is stunning when in flower, and is a member of the rose family. They are a true western plant growing up and down the Rocky Mountain area in semi-arid habitats and usually at altitudes above 4,000 feet. 

A Most Interesting Bloom

In the park, the plant is most easily found below the dam near the powerplant spillway and near the Museum on Evergreen Glade Trail. 

Cercocarpus - Mountain Mahogany

Love the Snow

A nice quick-moving snow storm brought in some much-needed moisture. 

This little guy seems to be enjoying the weather

Snow makes everything look a little better.

My front yard this morning

Sounds like it will be mostly melted by tomorrow, but it was fun for a few hours.

Good spring rains or in this case snow will make for great wildflowers in the park
This photo was taken last year on the Brimmer Point Trail

Guernsey State Park 100 Posts and Still Kicking

The Wonderful Civilian Conservation Corps steps on the Brimmer Point to Newell Bay Trail

I started this blog in January of 2014 - this is blog post number 100. Another 25, or so,  page openings and the blog will hit 3,000. Not bad, an average of 30 views per post. Hope these pages get a few more people excited about spending time in Guernsey State Park.

This evening we took a wonderful hike on Davis Bay Trail, starting at the Brimmer Point Bridge. After the hike, we drove over to the west boat dock to catch the sunset.

Now that was a pretty nice evening, and  a good way to work out my considerable aches and pains from spending too many hours bent over working on the lawn and garden today. I will do anything to come up with an excuse to head out to the park.

That's it post number 100.

As I mentioned earlier this week the wildflowers are spectacular this year

I have always found this rocky knob interesting - looks like a spot for a medieval fortress

View from Davis Bay Trail

The Sunset - Goodnight from Guernsey State Park

Wildflowers in the Park

Looks like the spring rains are paying off. Wildflowers are abundant and the colors are very rich. Today we spent an hour or two in the park and look what we found. Enjoy.

Lakeview Trail

We took a great hike on Lakeview Trail this week. The weather has been nearly perfect for spending time in the park. Seems others agree as we are seeing more people and more vehicles in the park.

The Trail Head at Davis Bay

The Lake View on the Trail

This is also a good time of the year to view park wildlife and the very early start of the first wildflowers of the year.

We do need moister and I don’t mind if its snow or rain. If we get some it will help the flowers and green things up by early April.

Three Mountain View from the trail - Knight, Roundtop and Powell Mts.

 In the meantime, we will use the nice March weather to spend some more time in the park.

A Few Friends as We Leave the Park

Of Flowers, Fall and Sunsets

Summer might be winding down and the kids may be back in school but there is still some nice flowers in the park.

 

But how far away can fall be with some shrubs already deciding to change from summer green to fall reds and oranges?

 

Is there ever a bad sunset in the Park?