Campout at Echo Park

Cindy took me on a long drive to see the wild horses on BLM lands, then to Echo Park where we spent the night.  Cindy wanted to get a picture of Steamboat Rock illuminated by moonlight and with stars in the background.

We did find a few of the wild horses, three close to the road but most of them were far away.  I hiked about a quarter mile to the to the herd, to get a few decent pictures. We also saw a flock of shovelers and several prairie dogs.








We spent a long day chasing the horses, and barely got to Echo Park in time to get my tent up before it got dark.  Then I heated soup for our supper and  went down to the Green River with Cindy to watch her set up her camera and get the first pictures of the night sky behind Steamboat Rock.  But I was tired and getting colder and colder so left her to it and went to bed. After dropping me off at our camp, she drove back to the boat launch spot and slept in her car, getting up several times to check the moonlight on the giant rock formation.

Green River going by Steamboat Rock - taken the next morning

The view behind our camp

We met again for breakfast after I packed up my camp.  Then we started on a long (time-wise) and very beautiful hike.  We walked down the Green River  to the confluence of the Yampa with the Green River, then turned and walked a short ways along the Yampa River. But soon the path started going up the cliff face and Cindy thought we should turn around. It took a long time for the gorge to get sunlight so we found new pictures every few minutes, as more and more of it came into good light.  The hike back let us take more pictures of the formerly shaded side of the canyon.

Cindy first said she needed to be home around noon so she would have some time to pack for her upcoming move to California.  Then she said that was just a suggested time.  We finally stopped for lunch after 1:00 P. M. and started home soon after that, pausing only to find the petroglyphs  behind campsite 10.

Cindy ready to capture anything - frost was on the shaded grass

The closest we came to the mountain lion we wanted to see - this is probably bobcat prints

The confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers

Someone had collected beautiful stones and built this

Cindy took this beautiful picture of a cottonwood with me in it- down to only one jacket

The cliffs along Yampa River

I loved this assembly done by nature - the bluegreen of the lichen was a
great counterpoint to the leaves. 

A beatutiful little moss growing along the Yampa River

My side of the Yampa and the reflection from the other side - the beautiful orange plant is the dreaded tamarisk or salt cedar - the Monument is managing them with a tamarisk beetle

Two of the three petroglyphs at Site 10

We made a couple of stops on the twelve mile road back to Harper's Corner road for more pictures, including another petroglyth site. 

This was in another area of petroglyphs on the way out of Echo Park 

This  formation is called Picasso

We also had to stop at Chew Ranch for more pictures.  The Chews sold part of their ranch to Dinosaur NM, but lived on in their ranch house until 1970.  They raised both cattle and sheep.  The most interesting of the artifacts there was a sheepherder's house wagon. (Wonder if mules would be cheaper to keep than a truck?)

The Sheepherder's house wagon - think cooking went on on the outside

The bed was on the high part in back with storage in the drawers.
There seemed to be a seating bench to the left. 

Almost the last of the wildflowers with a fly pollinating them at the Chew Ranch house

When this comes out,  I'll be in Arches National Park.   I'll probably go to Moab a few times to get on line.