roverrocks
Expedition Leader
My wife and myself spent May 3 & 4 exploring and photographing the wildflowers, wildlife, vistas, and scenery of the springtime dry Grand Mesa foothills and adobes N and NW of Delta, Colorado. The late winter and spring have been dry here so the wildflowers are much less vibrant and plentiful than some years but many are still out in spots. In particular the Sego Lilies and Claret Cup Cacti are poor bloomers this year but the vivid purple Scorpion Weeds are excellent. We took very easy 4x2/4x4 trails that meandered upwards in elevation from the banks of the Gunnison River up to the lowest Juniper clad foothills/adobes with 10,500 ft tall Grand Mesa looming over all. Waved at a passing empty coal train along the Gunnison heading back to Colorado coal mines to load up and he blew his horn in greeting and about knocked our socks off. Saw pronghorns, vultures, ravens, a pair of soaring Golden Eagles, Horned Larks, and a number of scampering lizards including the beautiful Collared Lizard. This is a flower heavy posting as desert wildflowers are the very best thing about spring to me. Here are pictures.
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