Monday, April 25, 2011 - Devil's Canyon Campground, Blanding UT
< previous day | archives | next day >

Microclimate, White Canyon, Fry Canyon UT, April 22, 2011
Cactus in a hole
Clever cactus. Found a nice warm microclimate in a hole. Got a couple weeks head start on spring. Things might get a little tough later in the summer. Tradeoffs - it's all about tradeoffs.
Rain
It rained hard overnight. There is water in the crick. A couple feet of it. There won't be any exploratory hikes for a day or two. Ah well, I'm outa here - gotta go pick up my mail in Blanding.
Night camp
Site 7 - Devil's Canyon Campground, Blanding UT
- Verizon cell phone and EVDO service - good signal
- Go to Devil's Canyon Campground website
- Locate Devil's Canyon Campground on my Night Camps map
- Check the weather here
Crayfish Chimney
Late one afternoon I sat upon my camera case beside the path where it wound through the darkest part of the woods, down near the pond, and watched a crayfish building his "chimney," the land entrance to his underwater tunnel. He had just started to work above the ground when I first arrived. He came up through the moist black earth, carrying a ball of it between his two enormous fighting claws. Using the claws as hands, he spread the soil around the hole to form the base of the chimney. He then backed down the hole and after several minutes came up with another armful.