Male Greater Earless Lizard in Oro Valley, Arizona
My occasional encounters with snakes and lizards while chasing down birds ignited my interest in reptiles, or "scales and tails" as some might call them. Spending time in nature cultivating one interest naturally leads to interest in other forms of life inhabiting and adding variety to our earth. A recent trip to southeast Arizona with my adventurous friend Eric Peterson allowed both of us to enjoy a splendid mix of birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, landscapes, and healthy doses of Mexican food to keep our engines fueled.
The short flight from Salt Lake City to Tucson passed quickly. We picked up our rental car and drove to a Walmart to pick up a temporary cooler, ice, drinks, fruit, and some snack foods. From there we headed south toward our first destination, the Kubo Bed & Breakfast (B&B) in Madera Canyon. Whitehouse Canyon Road just below Madera Canyon is where we were able to locate one of my favorite bird species of the trip, a Varied Bunting. It was nice to get a colorful male for my first-ever sighting of this species.
Male Varied Bunting Santa Cruz County, Arizona
I captured several images of the male Varied Bunting perching on the hillside below us. The image below shows a little more of the coloring on the chest and offers a little more perspective on the relative size of the bird (about 5.5") since it wasn't cropped as much as the image above.
Male Varied Bunting Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Blue Grosbeaks are much more common in southeast Arizona than they are in Utah. We encountered several brightly colored males along Whitehouse Canyon Road.
Male Blue Grosbeak Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Eric spotted a neonate Western Diamondback Rattlesnake basking in the middle of the road as we drove along Whitehouse Canyon Road. Being new to the world it had just a single button for its rattle. It's difficult to see in this image, but it is just beyond the black and white banding of the tail.
Neonate Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Santa Cruz County, Arizona
I captured video of the small snake as it moved away from us and into the grass on the side of the road, all the while keeping a close eye on us. Some ants and insects crawling near the snake give a relative indication of the young snake's size. The quality of the video will be best when viewed at 720p or 1080p HD
Seeing Jack Rabbits in the deserts of the western states is still fun for this Kentucky boy even after living in Utah now for several decades. I captured this image to share the harsh reality of living in the wild. I've hosted a tick or two, for a day or two, as a result of playing in the woods, but this rabbit is hosting a colony of ticks and some of the blood-thirsty beasts look like they should have popped by now.
Tick-infested Black-tailed Jack Rabbit Santa Cruz County, Arizona
We saw over 30 species of birds without much effort as we spent some time around the Kubo B&B and drove up and down the canyon our first afternoon and evening. Magnificent and Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Bronzed Cowbirds, Sulpher-bellied Flycatchers, Hepatic Tanagers, Mexican Jays, Bridled Titmice, Painted Redstarts, and Yellow-eyed Junco were a few we do not see in northern Utah.
Here are two sides of a male Broad-billed Hummingbird frequenting the nectar feeders at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon.
Male Broad-billed Hummingbird Madera Canyon, Arizona
Male Broad-billed Hummingbird Madera Canyon, Arizona
This Yellow-eyed Junco was going up and down the roadsides near our B&B collecting insects. I figured it was collecting those insects to take them back to a nest to feed young birds. Otherwise it would have consumed the bugs posthaste.
Yellow-eyed Junco Madera Canyon, Arizona
Nocturnal birding did not disappoint us after enjoying a nice dinner in Green Valley. We were able to hear Mexican Whip-poor-will calling at the top of Madera Canyon. We heard, saw, and photographed Whiskered Screech-Owls and then finished our nocturnal birding efforts with the world's smallest owl, the Elf Owl. This tiny owl is between 5 and 6 inches tall. They breed during the spring and summer months in Arizona and then head back to Mexico for the fall and winter.
Elf Owl Madera Canyon, Arizona
After we finished owling we visited with some gentlemen across the road from our B&B who were collecting insects that were drawn from the darkness of the night to bright lights suspended next to draped white sheets. Here's an image from my phone in case my explanation of their setup failed to create an appropriate image in your mind's eye.
As we were talking we caught a glimpse of a Ringtail (aka Ring-tailed Cat) that was climbing over a wood pile next to one of the lodges. It was my first time ever seeing one of those racoon-related mammals because they are elusive nocturnal critters. I was not prepared for the brief encounter so I have only the image in my head to remember that sighting.
After visiting with our temporary neighbors and before going to bed we had one last activity planned for our first day in southeast Arizona. We did some cruising along remote roads to look for snakes that were absorbing heat from the asphalt as the desert air was cooling. We found another Western Diamondback and captured some photos and video of the snake before safely removing it from the road.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Santa Cruz County, Arizona
The snake didn't want to be removed from the road so it warned us with its rattle. Here's a short video of the snake just before we moved it into a nearby field.
Little did we realize that on our way back to our B&B we'd have one more surprise. It was July. It was the rainy season. And it was high time for America's largest toad to be out looking for love. It's always fun to run across Sonoran Desert Toads during the rainy season since they spend much of the rest of the year hidden below the surface of the desert to avoid the arid heat. We spotted our toad in our headlights as it was hopping down the road. These toads can get up to 8" long and can weigh close to two pounds when full grown. They can secrete toxins from their skin to deter predators.
Sonoran Desert Toad Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Day one was a complete success in terms of the variety and number of encounters we had with critters of the southeast Arizona desert.
Day 2
After a good night's sleep I awoke early and went over to where the gentlemen were attracting bugs the night before to see if birds were taking advantage of the man-made insect buffet. The curiosity paid off. Sulpher-bellied Flycatchers were on the scene making their squeaky baby toy noise between eating bugs and perching in surrounding trees. Acorn Woodpeckers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, nuthatches, juncos, and an assortment of other bird species were feeding and calling from nearby perches. I particularly enjoyed seeing a Hepatic Tanager with its multicolored plumage. I captured an image of the tanager eating one of the bugs.
Hepatic Tanager Madera Canyon, Arizona
Just down the road from our B&B was the Santa Rita Lodge where Magnificent, Broad-billed, and other hummingbird species were taking advantage of nectar feeders. Mexican Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, and doves were just a few of the species gorging themselves at the seed feeders. I don't have many images of Bronzed Cowbirds so I captured a couple for future reference and to share here. One image shows the ruff (thick neck feathers) just as the bird was relaxing the ruff from a full display of those feathers.
Bronzed Cowbird Madera Canyon, Arizona
Bronzed Cowbird Madera Canyon, Arizona
One of the Brown-headed Cowbirds caught my attention as I watched is at a feeder. The upper bill was overgrown and twisted, but that did not prevent the bird getting sufficient food. It turned out that this was just the first of two Brown-headed Cowbirds with elongated bills that we'd encounter during out trip.
Brown-headed Cowbird Madera Canyon, Arizona
Madera Canyon, Arizona
I stopped to capture the image to the left with my phone as I was driving down Madera Canyon because my boss in Utah thought I was crazy to spend a vacation in the 100+ degree heat in an Arizona desert. I told him we'd be spending a fair amount of time in the mountains where it was cooler, but we wasn't buying it. This probably isn't an image he had in mind when he thought of my Arizona trip.
Our destination for the end of day two was Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. We planned to stop at The Paton Center for Birds in Patagonia on our way over to Miller Canyon, just outside of Sierra Vista.
As we were driving to Patagonia I was watching for raptors, hoping to pick up a Gray or Zone-tailed Hawk. What a pleasant surprise we had when we spotted an adult Gray Hawk perched on a power line along South River Road, just before we connected with and made our turn onto Highway 82 (Patagonia Highway). We had to drive past the hawk and do a u-turn to get back to it. This put the bird on the driver's side of the vehicle so Eric was able to get a few nice shots. The bird flew before I was able to capture an image, but I did manage a long-distance shot after the bird perched on the stump of a dead tree. The image has been deeply cropped to show a little more detail of the bird's field marks.
Adult Gray Hawk Santa Cruz County, Arizona
Gopher Snake Santa Cruz County, Arizona
We also came across a Gopher Snake that was crossing the road on our way to Patagonia. It put itself in a precarious position after we pulled over to take a look at it. We carefully pulled away without harming the snake and then watched it crawl to a safer place.
Some Black Vultures flew overhead just as we were about to continue our drive to Patagonia. I captured a couple of images for documentation purposes. Someday I'll get a closer shot of one of these vultures.
Black Vulture Santa Cruz County, Arizona
We found our target Violet-crowned Hummingbird rather quickly after arriving at the Paton Center for Birds in Patagonia. The lighting wasn't great, but this image will suffice until a future encounter.
Adult Violet-crowned Hummingbird Santa Cruz County, Arizona
I spent a little time looking for reptiles around the Paton Center. I initially thought the lizard below was a Desert Grassland Whiptail, but upon closer look I'm calling it a Sonoran Spotted Whiptail. I can see light spotting between the stripes on the back of the lizard. Grassland Whiptails shouldn't show those spots between the dorsal stripes. The ranges for both species overlap so attention to detail becomes necessary, especially for a novice "herper" like me. What's unique about Sonoran Spotted Whiptails is that every individual is a female (parthenogenetic). The offspring, from unfertilized eggs, are clones of the mother. Let's hope this doesn't develop among humans or men will become redundant. I prefer to remain a necessary component of the human equation.
Sonoran Spotted Whiptail Santa Cruz County, Arizona
We didn't stay at the Paton Center for long after getting our target hummingbird because we wanted to get over to Miller Canyon, where we would spend the night a Beatty's Guest Ranch. As we made our way to Miller Canyon we spotted a Zone-tailed Hawk. I had been scrutinizing every vulture-like bird I saw flying as Eric was driving us to our destination. I caught a quick glimpse of black and white tail bands on a particular large, dark raptor that was flying over an agricultural field and called out, "Zone-tailed Hawk" so Eric would slow down for a look. We did a u-turn and relocated the hawk and watched it course over fields in search of prey for a few minutes before it disappeared behind a hill.
We arrived at Beatty's Guest Ranch in the early afternoon. We met the owners, paid our fee for the night, and packed our gear up to our quarters. We stayed on the upper floor of the building to the far left of the phone image below.
Beatty's Guest Ranch Miller Canyon, Arizona
Here is a phone image I captured looking down the canyon from inside our lodge.
After dropping off our bags we took a short walk up to a shady hillside where we sat on benches while watching lots of hummingbirds visit a number of well-supplied nectar feeders. This area has controlled access so it can only be enjoyed by those who pay a small fee or stay at the lodge. We saw at least six species of hummingbirds there, but my favorite were Broad-billed and Magnificent.
Male Magnificent Hummingbird Cochise County, Arizona
Yarrow's Spiny Lizards were the lizard species of the hour during our lazy birding session at the nectar feeders.
Female Yarrow's Spiny Lizard Cochise County, Arizona
Male Yarrow's Spiny Lizard Cochise County, Arizona
We enjoyed our only Italian dinner of the trip in Sierra Vista with Eric's friend Jan. They became acquainted years ago as members of the Doberman Pinshcer Club of America.
Always the birders, we did what we could to locate owls, poorwills, and whip-poor-wills as we made a slow drive up the dark canyon to our lodge. It's not much to look at, but below is an image I captured with my phone when a bio luminescent Glowing Click Beetle landed on Eric's shirt. The beetle has two spots from which it controls the intensity of its luminescence. Google that beetle name and you'll be able to see and learn more about the unique beetle. We saw a number of them flying along the road that night.
We heard an Elf Owl and got visuals of several Whiskered Screech-owls along the upper end of the canyon. We'll close out this post as we did that evening with a couple of images of a Whiskered Screech-Owl.
Whiskered Screech-Owl Cochise County, Arizona
Whiskered Screech-Owl Cochise County, Arizona
We finished Day 2 feeling like we'd had another successful day. As is often the case in the canyons of southeast Arizona during the monsoon season a clamorous and productive rain storm blew through during the evening. I rather enjoyed the storm knowing I was safe and dry for the night. I could only imagine what we'd experience during the remaining four days of our trip as I recalled the events of the first two days before drifting off to sleep. More to come in my next few posts.
I feel fortunate that, to date, all close encounters with rattlesnakes were preceded by an alert from the snake. Thank goodness their rattles worked as nature intended. The first time I heard one rattling I initially mistook it for some sort of grasshopper or noisy insect. Fortunately, on that occasion, a visual combined with the audible locked the sound of the rattle into my memory.
I recently captured some video of a Great Basin Rattlesnake my friend Eric happened upon while we were doing some photography in a desert area of northern Utah. I thought it might be educational and helpful to those who've never heard a rattlesnake give its warning. I was using my zoom lens to allow me to remain at a safe distance while providing a close observation.
This individual was about two and a half feet long and blended in well with its environment. The image below provides a decent view of four important parts of the snake's anatomy--the tongue, pits, eyes, and rattle. The eyes, pits, and tongue help the snake detect prey while the tail is used to deter predators so it does not become the prey.
Great Basin Rattlesnake in Utah County, Utah
The rattle of a rattlesnake starts as a button when the snake is born and a new segment is added to the length of the rattle each time the skin is shed. Shedding can occur multiple times a year. Some snakes lose segments of their rattle in the normal course of living so counting the segments is not a reliable method for determining age. The sound of a rattle is the result of segments of the rattle rubbing together when the extremely quick-firing tail muscles cause the tail to shake up to 50 times per second. If all, or all but one, of the segments are lost the snake will shake its tail to no avail in terms of sending an effective alert to a perceived predator.
Tail of Great Basin Rattlesnake in Utah County, UT
I learned several years ago that every hobby has its risks. Birding is no exception and my first encounter with a Mojave Rattlesnake last week in Nevada's Kane Springs Valley drove that reality home again. It turned out to be a safe and fascinating experience, but wearing short pants, not being familiar with the sound of a rattler vs an insect, taking one more step or any combination of the above circumstances could have drastically altered the experience and entire weekend. Mojave Rattlesnakes are reported to be one of the most dangerous pit vipers in North America. Their venom is not just hemotoxic, but is neurotoxic as well, attacking the central nervous system.
My friend, Eric Peterson, and I had planned a trip from northern Utah to Las Vegas last weekend so we could find and photograph some fun desert birds. Massive amounts of rain and subsequent flooding days prior to our scheduled departure wiped out parts of I-15 near Moapa, Nevada. The interstate was shut down so traffic was being diverted between Las Vegas and southern Utah. Eric and I are adventurous so we welcomed a good reason to create our own detour that took us west toward Great Basin National Park in Nevada from Delta, Utah. We saw Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in Nevada as we passed north of Great Basin National Park. We wandered through the eastern part of central Nevada on what is known as The Loneliest Road in America, US 50. We headed south from US 50 on US 93.
After passing through the small town of Caliente we spent some time looking for birds at Kershaw-Ryan State Park. From there we decided to detour from US 93 to State Road 317. A "Road Closed" sign caused me some hesitation at first, but a local whom we happened upon told us the road would take us back to a more southern point of US 93. We were told it would save time over following 93 all the way down to I-15 north of Vegas, but we also knew the road would turn to dirt and gravel and did have "some rough spots". It was a road less traveled so we also realized we'd likely stop and explore for wildlife along the way so "short cut" was not really our purpose for taking the road.
We saw a small wash that was bordered by trees as we were passing through Kane Springs Valley so we stopped to explore. Eric and I often separate slightly as we traverse desert terrain in order to increase our odds of finding something interesting. Eric flushed an accipiter (Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk) at one point. I decided to move quickly toward him to get a glimpse of the hawk as it was flying away. That's when the real fun began for me. I was just about to approach and round a sagebrush when I heard a sound I had locked into my memory when I had a previous rattlesnake encounter while birding. I stopped immediately and looked toward the ground to find a young Mojave Rattlesnake positioned just under and at the edge of the sagebrush. It was facing me and poised for a strike if necessary. Boy was I grateful for the timely warning the snake gave me. Another step in that direction might have ruined my whole weekend and then some. I called Eric over and we began a short photo session. I studied it's pattern since I had never seen one before. The snake was about 18-20" long.
Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada
Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada
Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada
The snake eventually became accustomed to our presence as we captured some images. The thought occurred to me that for a snake in this location we may be the only humans it will ever encounter. We didn't have an actual snake hook or tongs so we located a makeshift hook in a dried-out juniper branch. I asked Eric to capture the image below as the snake was resting on the curve of the branch. It looks crazy, but I was being careful in handling this situation. I still want to say, "Don't try this at home, kids!"
Mojave Rattlesnake on Makeshift Snake Hook, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada
The full pattern of the snake's scales can be seen from head to tip of tail in the image below. We captured this image as we were releasing the snake from our brief encounter.
The Patterns From Head to Tail of a Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada
The sun was setting quickly so we made our way back to the truck to continue our journey. I stopped momentarily to capture this image from where we studied and photographed the rattlesnake. The landscapes, sunrises, and sunsets we encounter during our birding adventures amplify the beauty of the world we love to discover.
A View of the Southern Sky as the Sun Set Over Kane Springs Valley in Nevada
And just before we reached the truck I was impressed by the scene before me. My truck was parked on the side of an open road that I was travelling for my first time. I was in the middle of nowhere, so to speak, and I felt gratitude for the freedom to explore a beautiful world in a nice truck with a good friend. The southern sky was painted beautifully by the setting sun, the road was open ahead of us, and mountains and valleys were yet to be discovered. Scenes like this make me wish every weekend could be an extended weekend dedicated to exploring new places on our amazing planet.
The View Ahead After Stopping and Discovering a Mojave Rattlesnake in Kane Springs Valley in Nevada
A birding trip to the West Desert of Utah County this past Saturday was already a success before we found the bird we were seeking. My friend Eric P and I were attempting to locate some Short-eared Owls when we came upon an American Badger that was returning to its den after a night of wandering the desert. Birds and photography prompt our adventures, but we always have our eyes and ears alert for the discovery of the secretive and fascinating mammals and reptiles that also live in the habitats we explore. Saturday's adventure included the badger, a Great Basin Rattlesnake, a beautiful Blazing Star flower, some owls, and a variety of hawks that were learning to fly, hunting, and launching from the tops of power poles.
The sun was still below the horizon when we caught our first glimpse of the badger. It stopped in its path momentarily and stared at us before continuing its stroll toward one of the entrances to a den. We started our observation from within my Tacoma, but we eventually ended up sitting on the high ground above and across from the badger. We watched as it went in and out of the den several times. It went in with a clean muzzle and came out with a dirty one.
American Badger in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
American Badger in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
American Badger in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
American Badger in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
The Short-eared Owls eluded us for quite some time during the early morning hours, but we persisted in our efforts to locate them. Eric and I decided to spend some time on foot so we could venture from the dirt road and course the desert grass which was dotted with sagebrush and other low-profile vegetation. I mentioned to Eric that it was a bit surprising that we'd never accidentally stepped on a rattlesnake during the many forays we'd made into perfect rattlesnake territory . Eric agreed and we continued our search for the owls. I noticed and became briefly distracted from the owl hunt by the beautiful yellow blossoms of Smoothstem Blazing Stars. The yellow blossoms were a bright touch of color to the otherwise dull landscape. The Blazing Star is appropriately named with its five yellow petals and burst of numerous stamens. These blossoms open at dusk and remain open until the morning hours when they close for the day. They are capable of self pollinating when pollinators are unavailable, but the plant I observed was being pollinated by a honey bee.
Smoothstem Blazing Star in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
The bee landed on and clung to several of the stamens as they slowly gave in to the weight of its body. The pollen grains building up on the sides of the bee's hind legs are visible in the image below. These clumps of pollen are sometimes referred to as pollen baskets. Some of the pollen grains will fall from the basket and be transferred to the stigma of flowers to enable the pollination process. I rejoined Eric in the owl search after wrapping up my brief fascination with the Blazing Star and the Honey Bee.
Honey Bee on Smoothstem Blazing Star in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
A decision to check one unlikely location ended up flushing our first Short-eared Owl. Soon we discovered a second owl. We knew that approaching them in the truck (essentially a mobile blind) was better than on foot, but the owls ended up moving farther from the road. We began another search on foot and put some space between us to better cover the ground. We hadn't gone far when Eric happened upon a Great Basin Rattlesnake that was sunning itself. The snake began to take cover in a sagebrush as I made my way toward Eric's location, but I was able to see the tail end of the snake as it slithered beneath a sagebrush. We didn't have a snake hook with us so we improvised by extending one leg of a tripod I retrieved from the truck. We pulled the snake from beneath the sagebrush to allow brief (and safe) examination and photography. The snake turned out to be about three feet long with a diameter of about two inches.
Great Basin Rattlesnake in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
Great Basin Rattlesnake in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
Great Basin Rattlesnake in the West Desert of Utah County, UT
We made another brief effort to track down some Short-eared Owls after spending time with the rattlesnake before deciding to turn our focus toward the hawks in the desert. We had seen a family of Swainson's Hawks where the dirt road connected to the highway so we made our way in that direction. The family of hawks was still there when we arrived at the location so we captured a few images of the parents and juveniles. One of the parents was a light-morph showing the typical dark bib on the chest and the white under wing coverts contrasting with darker flight feathers.
Adult Light-morph Swainson's Hawk Above the West Desert of Utah County, UT
The juvenile captured in flight below appears to be an intermediate or dark-morph. The markings on the chest would be fewer for a light morph and possibly heavier for a dark morph.
Juvenile Intermediate-morph Swainson's Hawk Above the West Desert of Utah County, UT
After getting back on the highway and beginning our ride home we came across a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a power line. It reminded me of finding a Swainson's Hawk perched on a wire several months earlier. I'm not sure why, but I had never really noticed large hawks perching on wires before. Saturday we saw both a Red-tailed and a Swainson's Hawk perched on wires before getting home Saturday. The Red-tailed Hawk below chose the wire over the top of the pole.
Red-tailed Hawk Near Fairfield, UT
A second Red-tailed Hawk was perched in a more common position on the top of a pole. We pulled over to photograph the hawk and captured several images just as it launched from its perch.
Red-tailed Hawk Near Fairfield, UT
Red-tailed Hawk Near Fairfield, UT
Red-tailed Hawk Near Fairfield, UT
Yet another Red-tailed Hawk launched from it's perch as we pulled over to observe it momentarily.
Red-tailed Hawk Near Fairfield, UT
Red-tailed Hawk Near Fairfield, UT
Just as we arrived at the edge of town we discovered yet another family of Swainson's Hawks. Both parents and at least two juveniles were present. One of the juveniles flew from and returned to a perch on a power line.
Juvenile Intermediate-morph Swainson's Hawk in Lehi, UT
We had just one more stop to make on our way home. I had tentatively planned to drop by and check on a Swainson's Hawk nest site I had been watching for the past couple of months. I knew that the single chick from the nest had recently fledged so I was curious to see how it was doing. The image below is from a previous visit to the nest site. It was windy that day so mom and dad were leaning into the wind to maintain their perches. Dad is an intermediate morph (on the left) and mom is a less common dark morph. Dad is showing the gray cheeks often displayed by adult males.
Adult Intermediate-morph Male (left) and Dark-morph Female Swainson's Hawks in Lehi, UT
The image below was captured when the single chick was covered primarily in white downy feathers. It was a very curious bird when I observed it for the first time.
Swainson's Hawk Chick in Nest in Lehi, UT
The nest appeared to have been used beyond its capacity when we arrived Saturday. I think the chick had tromped around it so much that it had no choice but to branch out and then fledge.
Remains of a Swainson's Hawk Nest in Lehi, UT
The young bird was perched on a power line about thirty feet from the vacated nest. Mom was still present, but dad was absent during our brief visit. I was impressed by the transition that had taken place between the time I saw the fluffy white chick and the juvenile hawk we observed Saturday morning.
Recently Fledged Swainson's Hawk in Lehi, UT
Mom did a few flyovers and gave some calls to alert her youngster to our presence. She was such a beautiful dark-morph. Very few that I've seen are as dark, nearly black, as this mother hawk.
Dark-morph Swainson's Hawk in Lehi, UT
Dark-morph Swainson's Hawk in Lehi, UT
It was approaching 11 AM and Eric and I both had other commitments to keep. We acknowledged we'd had a great morning and made our way home. I can't wait to see what we discover during our next tag team adventure in Utah's amazing outdoors.
