Blue Goose ~ Day 158

November 3, 2014 ~ Ogden, UT to Wells, NV

My first stop was the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, an hour north of Ogden with the entrance a mile of I15. I had been here earlier in the fall a few years ago when migrating birds were abundant, and most of those species now have left, but it was still a great day driving in the sunshine through the marshes. The bird of the day was the American Coot, numbering in the thousands. But I also saw many American Pipits on the road, Eared, Western and Pied-billed Grebes, Northern Harriers (the low-flying hawk), a few duck species, including Ruddies....swallows, an occasional gull.

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge - UT

The auto route is 12 miles through the Bear River delta area. The river, which comes out of the mountains to the east, eventually flows into the northern end of the Great Salt Lake.

The gentleman at the VC was welcoming, friendly and talkative and showed me dozens of photographs he had taken, both at his home and on the refuge. There is always a short movie ready for viewing, which I never watch. The volunteers always want me too, but I manage to sidle out. Bless these people who meet travelers from all over but also spend much of their time just sitting at the desk. No wonder they jump at the chance to engage with visitors.

The refuge educational / visitor centers are mini museums with interactive exhibits, often focusing on the regional specialties or the reasons for a particular refuge - to protect habitat for threatened or endangered species and to provide a haven and rest stop for migrating birds. Their nests, eggs, songs, feathers and habitats are featured, along with the other resident fauna. If there is a gift shop, it always has a generous selection of natural and regional history books and field guides, along with shirts, cards, prints, photos, puzzles, jewelry and nature-related kid stuff.  Never too much cheap tacky junk....

American Pipit at Bear River - UT

I had intended to go to Antelope Island nearer Salt Lake City but decided not to and headed instead for Elko, Nevada, by going north, west and then southwest on a lonely straight two-lane for 100 miles. Elko was four hours away but I had time before it got too dark. However, due to misreading the sunset time on my weather app by two hours (with the sun actually setting at 1630! rather than 6:30), the fact that I was going from Central to Mountain to Pacific time and that my van clock was off by an hour, I miscalculated, which I realized in the middle of nowhere so was committed to continuing. It's disconcerting to have the sun set at this time and realize there are six more weeks of decreasing daylight.

I turned off I84 onto route 30 and immediately counted eight buteos (large hawks) on telephone poles. The only one I slowed down for was a Ferruginous. Then the poles disappeared. For 100 miles, fewer than 25 vehicles passed me going north before I picked up I80 in Nevada. 

There were gravel roads leading to far-off ranches, and I went through a couple of tiny towns, listening to the raucous Rolling Stones and driving through the subtle beauty of sagebrush and distant mountains and changing light as the sun moved lower in the sky. I saw one rabbit scurry / hop across the road.

Route 30 in Utah, heading southwest

Once on I80, I figured I could still get to Elko until two miles from the town of Wells all the westbound traffic came to a complete stop for at least 30 minutes. We finally got moving again and passed a smashed semi in the median, but I never did find out what had happened. I decided to spend the night in Wells in a Love's (chain gas station / truck stop) lot. I ate at Bella's, busy and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner all day. Fortunately, there was also a McDonalds 200 feet away from my van as it was 19 degrees when the cold woke me up at 3:30. I fidgeted about trying to get warm for an hour before giving up and going inside, along with the other folks who, for various reasons, were up early on this cold Nevada morning.

Bear River Refuge - UT