360° panoramas – Page 2 – Richard Rathe's Reflections

Panhandle Pitcher Plant Expedition 2020

The last time I went hunting for Pitcher Plants was 2017. This year I went about two weeks earlier and learned more about their distribution and lifecycles. I visited six sites in all, moving from Florida into Alabama. [Gallery] I saw mostly pitcher plant flowers as I moved west, apparently the flowers emerge days to weeks before the funnel-shaped leaves.

My first stop was Clear Creek Nature Trail (which is actually part of Whiting Field Naval Air Station). They maintain a nice boardwalk so you can walk over and among numerous White-Top Pitcher Plants.

I had not been to this site since 2013, and the plants were just beginning to emerge. I took a few photos of what was there, and caught a cryptic denizen I did not see until I reviewed the photos at home.

Green Tree Frog on White-Top Pitcher Plant

My next stop was nearby, the Yellow River Marsh Preserve. Unfortunately for me (not the preserve) there had been a recent prescribed burn in that area. I could find only one clump of pitcher plants on the perimeter of the small pond where they had been plentiful in the past.

Fortunately I did not have to go far, just a few steps over to the ditches on either side of the local road!

There were also many Sundews present, including the “Threadleaf” species I’d wondered about in the past (saying it looked like a cross between a “sundew and a fern”). Turns out I was half right!

I ended the first day at Tarkiln Bayou Preserve with about an hour of daylight remaining. They had a nice boardwalk and there were many White-Top Pitcher Plants present in one wet area, along with several Grass Pink Orchids!

The next day was a bust as far as Pitcher Plants go, but I got a chance to explore two new areas that in a few weeks will probably be full of new growth. The first was Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog with extensive boardwalk over and around a large wetland. There were a few flowers emerging from the straw and lots of Fern Fiddleheads unfurling.

I also caught this Green Anole displaying his throat patch.

The second site was much larger, the Splinter Hill Bog Preserve (owned by the Nature Conservancy). There appeared to be several acres of last year’s Pitcher Plants with a few leaves and flowers beginning to emerge. It should be spectacular in a few weeks if there is enough rain.

I went on a long walk into a large tract of Longleaf Pine uplands and was rewarded by several unexpected sightings. After a short boardwalk I saw my first Butterwort (another carnivorous genus)!

Then something even more surprising, peeking out of the straw along the trail were several miniature Blue Irises?! It turns out these are Dwarf Woodland Irises. The ground was not obviously wet and I was climbing a gentle hillside. Wow! I did not see that coming…

I had planned to camp at Wright Lake in the Apalachicola National Forest but it remains closed after last year’s hurricanes. So I stayed in a motel and headed down there on my third morning not knowing what to expect. I was amply rewarded with the best showing of the entire trip!

About four miles north of the little town of Sumatra I noticed a large, recently burned area with many large yellow blooms of Trumpet-Leaf Pitcher Plants. I parked and started walking over the slightly wet uneven ground. I was not disappointed. In addition to the large pitchers there were Purple Flower Pitcher Plants, and what I think were last year’s Parrot Pitcher Plants (not yet emerging this year). There were also Orchids in abundance, at least two species of Butterwort and Sundews everywhere! A True Motherlode!!

Godfrey’s Butterwort (*Pinguicula ionantha*)

[More photos, signs, maps in the Gallery]

Picket Wire Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite

On my trip west this year I made sure I had time to visit this unique area. The Dinosaur Tracks are located within and along side the Purgatoire River with the Comanche National Grassland. [Gallery]

The area is located 35 miles south of La Junta, CO off the lightly maintained County Road 25 (upper left in the map above). The last few miles are on a primitive forest service road that ends at the Withers Canyon Trailhead and Campground (four sites with fire grates and a pit toilet).

The first portion of the 5.2 mile trail goes down a steep “stairway” to the canyon floor. I had to walk my bike most of the way but it’s not far. After that it flattens out into an easy path through grassland and cottonwood trees along the Purgatoire River.

There are a few ups and downs where the river crowds the canyon side.

About half-way to the tracks I came upon the Dolores Mission from the 1870s to 1890s.

The small cemetery includes several well preserved headstones (mostly of children).

After another easy 1.5 mile cycle I was at the tracksite proper. There is a parking area for off-road vehicles and a pit toilet. There are several interpretive signs.

Someone obviously had a sense of humor…

The tracks are on both banks and in the river bed itself. The water was low so I was able to access most of the site however dirt, sand, mud, and debris covered a portion.

Two Parallel Sauropod (Herbivore) Trackways

To give a sense of how complex the site is I’ve borrowed part of this illustration from an excellent write-up I found online. [A Dash with the Dinosaurs Field Trip Guidebook (October 2000) compiled by Matthew Morgan for the Colorado Geologcial Survey]

There are more of my track photos in the gallery.

I was alone for the entire day but I did encounter a few critters along the way.

My cycle back was idyllic! Speeding along with the warm sun at my back and a cool breeze on my face.

Did I mention the “stairway” back up to the trailhead?

I hadn’t expected there to be designated campsites at the trailhead, but I decided to stay instead of driving back to civilization in the dark. It was a nice, quiet and beautiful night!

Mountain Bike Trip to The Maze 2019

It would be hard to top our 4WD/bike trip to the White Rim in Canyonlands National Park last year, but entering the isolated subunit called The Maze was a strong contender! [Gallery]

This was not a loop trail, but a very challenging, out-and-back trek to the edge of the Colorado River Canyon. We spent most of the first day just getting to the trailhead on the extreme western edge of the park and establishing our first camp at Happy Canyon. I pitched my hammock between a juniper and a pinyon pine and was rocked to sleep by the wind all night.

The riding got serious the next day going down the face of the Orange Cliffs on the Flint Trail.

It was very steep and difficult even for the vehicles. I did a lot of walking. Things only got worse the rest of the day with loose rocks, sand and drop-offs. We met a county employee with a huge 6WD Grader who was actually maintaining the road (“every seven years whether it needs it our not”). When we told him where we were headed he laughed and said “We haven’t been back there in thirty years!”

The area around Teapot Rock was especially challenging, requiring spotters and backing up around impossible corners. Late in the day we finally made it to the Land of Standing Rocks, a windswept plain punctuated by fantastic rock formations receding into the distance. It was magical!

We camped about an hour before dusk at Chimney Rock. It was cold and windy but we made the best of it with G&Ts and hot food prepared in a Dutch Oven by Glen.

The next day we went for a long, meandering hike following the canyon rim.

We saw many strange and beautiful things including odd box-work erosion patterns in the stone. They looked like apartment complexes for tiny people!

On our return to camp we relaxed with a caprese salad, beer, & G&Ts before a multi-course dinner. Hard to beat! That night it got down in the 20s but fortunately the wind died down.

The next day we headed down the relatively easy road to The Doll House. Along the way we met at pair of hikers who had crossed the Colorado River from Spanish Bottom in Inflatable Kayaks (!) that they had in their packs! They planned to hike upriver and paddle back to their car on the other side. Amazing!

The Doll House is an area of huge striped rock towers with little doll-like figurines on top. The formation is an extension of The Needles region immediately across the river.

We camped at site #3 on the opposite side with spectacular views!

I found a perfect place to hang my hammock between a boulder and an old juniper tree. Room with a View indeed!

Moon Rising Over Colorado River Canyon & The Needles

Richard & Bill in the Valley of the Dolls

On the fifth day, alas, we had to turn homeward. I had a great time cycling several miles with Jeff as we retraced our route. We did not climb back up the Flint Trail however, exiting near the tiny town of Hite on the extreme upper end of Lake Powell. It was a spectacular trip!