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Published: September 19th 2009
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We started out today from Green River on Route 530 and were immediately in wide open desert with nothing but sagebrush and mountains on the distant horizon. There was not one single tree for miles. The temp was 55 when we left the hotel and rose to 62 about 1/2 hr out into the desert. It would later rise as high as 82 which is evidently about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. Although there was nothing out in the desert and one thinks of it as colourless, it is actually very beautiful and has a variety of earth tones such as sage, mustard, sandy beige, light grey, yellows, pale burgundy and various shades of brown. The only signs of life that we saw were a few pronghorn on a ridge. From the desert we came down into the lush green Lucern valley and made a rest stop at Washam on the Wyoming Utah state line.
Flaming Gorge was our destination for today. This recreation area in southwestern Wyoming and eastern Utah comprises some 201,000 acres of scenic land, which surrounds Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
The reservoir, fed by the waters of the Green River, is 91 miles long
with approximately 375 miles of shoreline ranging from low flats to cliffs more than 1,500 feet high. In Flaming Gorge we came across a small road directing us to Sheep Creek Canyon. The U.S. Forest Service designated nearly 3,600 acres of land as the Sheep Creek Canyon Geological Area on May 13, 1962, to preserve the spectacular geology of the canyon for future generations. Evidence of a changing landscape, along with the animals that flourished and died there, is preserved in the rocks that form the spectacular scenery of the Canyon. Examples of shallow tropical marine environments, vast sand dune fields, and coastal environments are all exposed within the geological area. The canyon was breathtakingly beautiful.
Our next stop was the Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir. Groundbreaking for the structure began in 1958 and was completed in 1964. The completed structure is 502 feet high and 1,180 feet long, with three hydroelectric generators. With no fish ladders, elevators or any means of passage for aquatic species, the dam has severely hurt native species. By creating a standing-water pool on a sediment-laden river, the dam has caused the lower Green to lose its sediment load and decrease in temperature, further hurting
the native ecosystem. In 2006, the dam began a release pattern more similar to historical discharges along the Green River, intended to assist the dropping native fish populations. We stopped at the dam and then at an overlook above the dam and reservoir. The views were incredible. Photo opportunities of course.
By now it was lunch time but unfortunately we had forgotten to bring our cooler with a picnic lunch. There were so many gorgeous places that we could have sat and had lunch.
Between Flaming Gorge and the area near our hotel, there was absolutely nothing but wide open desert, snow fencing to our left and a very deep gorge on the other side of the fencing. There is a lot of "middle of nowhere" out there, absolutely nothing for mile upon mile but amazingly beautiful vistas.
We drove back to town and had a late lunch/early dinner. Frank dropped me at the hotel and went to give the car another wash. We were still trying to get off the thick mud from Togwotee pass.
Tomorrow we will head north again to Riverton Wyoming where we will meet up with friends of Frank.
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xan
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great picture
That is an awesome picture. Bravo.