Mormon Cricket on Turkey Flats Trail

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Mormon crickets aren't actually crickets at all. They are members of the katydid family. This one was spotted on Turkey Flats Trail, near Glade Park, Colorado, on August 18th, 2013.

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Little Bookcliff Wild Horse Area near Palisade.

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We hiked in Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Area this afternoon.

The scale of this landscape is difficult to accurately capture.

Look for the person horseback riding in the pic above.

We had a nice view of The Grand Mesa to the south.

There were a lot of really nice panoramic views along the way.

The wild horses are actually in this picture. 

Black spots between 1 and 2 o'clock.

A bit closer...

We only saw these three on today's hike.

We felt lucky to see them at all.

We saw this very well camouflaged grasshopper nymph on the trail.

The horses were remarkably calm as we approached along the trail.

This horse is exactly what I imagined an old,
wild high desert horse would look like.

The brown horses seemed more alert to our presence.

I thought that the brown horse in front was the best looking horse.

A very handsome (or pretty) face indeed.

One last look at the horses.

We saw lots of tracks on the trail. Most were dog tracks.

The Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Area is a gated community.

Headed back to the car. The entire hike took us 2 hours and 45 mins.

Click the pictures above to view a slideshow.

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Bike Trail to 32 Road Today

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The view between 29 Rd and 32 Rd on Thursday

Short video of a little red spider that crossed my path

Couldn't resist getting another shot.

Today was definitely a spider kind of day on the trail.
Here is another one, much larger than the first.

View from the path

Video of the view of the Bookcliffs and Mt. Garfield.

I saw a lot of grasshoppers like this one
(most still had their hopping legs).

There were ants in the area where I found the grasshopper.
Many were hunting for wounded insects in the area.

A video I took of a white butterfly,
mainly worth watching for the trail sounds.

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Tuesday 29 to 32 Rd

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The stretch of bike trail between 29 and 32 Rd. has some nice views.

Clouds behind the Bookcliffs.

Beetle on the water's edge.

My guess is a red-femured milkweed borer,

Possibly Tetraopes femoratus?
Definitely Tetraopes sp. 

Grasshoppers were everywhere along the trail today.
We saw a very large green one on the Audubon Trail yesterday;
it was about twice the length of the one pictured here.

First wooly bear caterpillar I've seen since moving to Colorado.

Do you think it will be a long or a short winter?

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South Camp Road from Monument Road

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I really enjoy the scenery along South Camp Road in Grand Junction, so much so that I usually ride it twice (out and back), rather than just return to town on Monument Road. 

I usually start at the Blue Heron Section of the Colorado River Trail, follow that onto Redlands Parkway, then take South Broadway to South Camp Road. When I arrive at Monument Avenue, I turn around and head back towards the Connected Lakes portion of the river trail via South Rim Drive. 

I follow the Connected Lakes path which joins the Audubon Section at some point and then winds up at the Albertson's shopping center near the intersection of Broadway and Dike Road. From here, if I still feel like riding I can continue heading southeast on the Riverside Section, and then on towards Corn Lake and Palisade. 

Right now there are some sections closed and impassable because of flooding and washed out bits of the trails. There are other places that are marked as dangerous, but which are still able to be navigated. There are always new sights to be seen, and I spot something new on every trip.

Today I saw a snake, a few lizards, some cottontail rabbits, a bunch of quail, lots of desert grasshoppers, dragonflies, swallowtail butterflies and a black headed grosbeak.

Here are some pics from South Camp Road this afternoon:

Looking east from intersection South Camp and Monument Roads.
Mt. Garfield, the Bookcliffs and Grand Mesa visible in the distance.

The houses in this area have one of the best views in town.

The view from the bike path is not that bad either.

Desert Grasshopper - Perhaps a Least Desert Grasshopper?

 

"But it's a dry heat..."
Really, it didn't feel like 100 degrees.

Wingate Park is located next to the elementary school.
 The Monument is their backdrop.

Some folks were out enjoying a game of softball.

Gambel's Quail showed up just as I was leaving.

Turns out they were off to somewhere else as well.
(notice they're headed down "Quail Drive.")


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