April 24, 2026

We took off today up Cebolla way. On a whim we decided to take the Huntsman’s Mesa road. The lower part is not too rough. But the upper area is not technical but it is very rocky. We often were only going under five mph. We saw lots of deer…probably 40-50. It was completely dry and dusty even at 10,000’. It is way too dry for this time of year. Anyway OnX showed a road from the top down to the Lake City highway. We followed it out to a cliff and there was no more road, even though the map said there was. So, much to our sadness we had to backtrack all the way back the way we came. What a bouncy workout. We won’t go on that road again. We actually ran into a guy with an Audi wagon up there with a mountain bike on the back. How he made it without tearing that car apart we'll never know. It was a newer nice car…what a way to treat it. We stopped at Subway in Gunnison for supper and came home. 

Uncompahgre Peak - highest peak in the San Juans

 April 23, 2026

Today I went with Allen turkey hunting up Transfer. We didn’t see or hear any. Of course the wind was blowing so it was hard to hear anything. We saw an unusual coyote about 75 yards off the road. It stood and watched us for a bit then sat down on its haunches and kept watching us. It then laid down and just watched. Allen finally decided to open the truck door and that sent it running away. We ended up coming back down Hwy 90. That transfer is sure not getting any smoother.

 

 April 21, 2026

Today I did a quick hike on the Buck Trail.  It was pretty soggy up there, but nice and cool.  I even got sprinkled on a bit which was a treat.  The bears are awake.  One had walked up the trail in the mud.  I couldn't get a rear paw photo as I couldn't find a rear print.  But, I also didn't see any claw marks on the prints, so wondered if it couldn't be a mountain lion track???  If so, it was a pretty big cat.  I'm pretty sure it was a bear as it wasn't rounded enough for a cat.  Anyway, it was a fun brief outing.

 April 20, 2026

We did another P77 run tonight.  Saw some deer and elk and of course the incredible mountains.  The snowpack right now for the Gunnison River basin is 18% of normal.  Very sad indeed.

We couldn't get elk photos as they were hanging out right under a power line - not very photogenic.  The others were pretty skittish.  We saw one group of what appeared to be three bulls.  They were big and light colored.  They ran across the road in front of us and over the hill.  About a mile up the road we saw them again still on the run with tongues hanging out.  They had covered a mile in rugged terrain as fast as we did in the Jeep.  It was a beautiful blessed evening.  I love how the aspens glow this time of year.  Thank you Lord!

 April 18, 2026

This evening we headed up to P77.  I figured it would be too muddy from the snow and it was.  So we went on down to the Big Cimarron.  We went up just past Silverjack.  We saw quite a few deer, some elk and a few turkeys.  The tom turkey was showing off for the ladies.  That road was only damp in a few spots.  I switched cameras and am going back to a Nikon Z50 II.  Inexpensive and good quality.  What a blessing to be so close to such beautiful scenery.  We take it for granted too much.  God is good!

 April 17, 2026

It actually snowed today - about 2".  Unfortunately, the San Juans got about the same.  But it is a significant cool down.

 April 13, 2026

It was a cooler, very windy day.  Even so, I needed to get out and walk so I headed up Hwy 90.  I went down the Elk Road off the Rim Road.  I didn't see any critters but a cottontail rabbit that thought he was hidden out of sight.  It was crazy windy so not a real enjoyable walk.  But it was better than sitting in the house.  OMD EM1 III

Serviceberry 

 April 12, 2026

Church this morning and then just sat around and read this afternoon.  This evening we decided to drive up on Kinikin and Bostwick.  Nothing on Kinikin, but we were treated to a large herd of elk crossing the road in Bostwick.  I only shot video of them through the windshield, so these are frames from the videos.  That was a lot of elk!  OMD EM1 III

Split off group that didn't go across until we left.

 April 11, 2026

The predicted rain never came. Just the usual wind we have in the spring. The clouds on the San Juans looked nice out the window as I spent time editing photos. So when I finished we took off up Dave Wood. But before getting too far we decided to go up on Simms Mesa instead. We hadn’t been up there for a long time. The road has really deteriorated and has deep ruts. We went as far as the turnoff to Wildcat Canyon and turned around. It looks like that road isn’t open any more. That’s a shame as it was a fun road. I grabbed a couple mountain photos on the way back down. Our awesome God made those with the mighty power of His words. That’s something to ponder on for sure. Panasonic G97

 April 10, 2026

The next few days might be stormy and windy. So we decided to take a drive up on Grand Mesa. We hadn’t been up there in quite awhile. The low snowpack was obvious. There is no snow on the south side. On the way back we visited an elderly friend in Delta. After some Little Cesar’s pizza we took off up P77. We saw lots of deer this time and quite a few elk. Apparently they sense a storm coming and we’re out earlier than usual. It was a grand day in God’s creation. Such a blessing. OMD EM1 III