CuRVWander

 As we transitioned from the month of July to August, so transitioned our job.  Having run short of volunteers the Forest Service chose to close the buildings on the Swett Ranch and leave it to self-guided tours of the fourteen acres.  We are taking up a new post in the cab of the Ute Mountain Fire Lookout Tower.  Our commute to work is now a 15 mile trip, about half of which is a dirt road climb to the summit of Ute Mountain. Like the Swett Ranch, the Lookout Tower is on the National Registry of Historic Places.  While there was voluminous history and hundreds of family stories to get to know about the Swett Ranch that was not the case of the tower.  It came into existence 28 years after the Swett Ranch was founded, was only operated during fire season, usually May to October, and went out of service in 1968.  Occupancy was a string of entry-level firefighters, rarely the same people from one season to the next. So our stories to tell visitors was pri...

  In 2020 the pandemic lockdown was underway and we were in a place where there wasn't much to do except watch TV.  You would think with hundreds of DirecTV satellite channels, Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video there would be plenty to occupy time.  But such is not the case.  We were endlessly searching for something we would like but had not already seen multiple times.  One evening while surfing channels I came across the History Channel just as they were premiering a new series, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. From previous posts it is already known that I am a watcher of the series Ancient Aliens.  But generally I tend to avoid virtually all the other series that sensationalize paranormal or UFO activity but never gather any measurable and repeatable data.  Skinwalker Ranch showed promise to break that mold.  The "hook" that reeled me in was that the principal scientific advisor was someone I was familiar with from watching and reading about s...

Flaming Gorge as seen from Canyon Rim Trail  Continuing from the last post I am doing a little fast-forwarding. July 2023 While Cyndee was convalescing from her surgery I did some hikes.  The anesthesia had some lasting effects and she was sleeping for long stretches so it was possible for me to get in some short hikes during her "naps".  The Canyon Rim Trail was close enough to the volunteer campground that I could just walk to it and take in the sights. Looking east into the gorge. It is 1,380' (421 m) down to the water from where I am standing. This is pretty typical of how close the trail parallels the canyon rim. Red Canyon Rim Trail. It is loaded with rocks that are perfect for rolling an ankle on. If you don't take a picture, it didn't happen. I started the hike in the middle of the trail and hiked to the terminus at the Red Canyon Visitor Center.  Walking into the public area and campground I was treated with another encounter with our local herd of big ho...