We took another RZR trip on Friday before the weekend crowds were going to descend on the area. This time we went east to Fish Lake. We went over the mountain immediately to the east of our campsite via OHV trails, but then we stayed on paved roads quite a while. While we were still on the dirt retails we saw three nice bucks. Sorry for the bad photo; they were a distance away, and then they ran away. The photo also shows a very clear contrast to the hill vegetation, the rich grasses in the irrigated area, and the very dry valley without irrigation.
One of the interesting things about Fish Lake is that it was part of the old mule trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles, the Old Spanish Trail. One branch went along Fish Lake with its plentiful water and grazing. The markers are accompanied by the silhouettes below of packed mules. Kevin and I are considering finding some resources about this Trail and following it on a summer trip some time. We could go out on the northern route and come back on the southern route, or vice versa.
There were some interesting rock outcroppings as we went on the east side of the lake.
The west side of the lake is where all the development is. There are Forest Service campgrounds and private resorts, boat launches, and marinas that were already busy by 10:00 am. This is a picture from the more northern edge. We will eventually be on the hills across the lake.
We moved along the edge of the Fremont River valley, and it was beautiful as you can see. Much of this was pavement, and we could drive at 35-40 mph. Quite different from the 10-15 mph we normally drive on dirt and rock trails!
There are three separate identified photospots along the west side. The trail is a good dirt road that stays between 9500-10,000’ much of the way. The views are just tremendous. The light colored patch across the shore is actually a really big FS campground, to give a sense of scale.
Amd since I love flowers, here are some that were new to me on this trip.
On the way back, the sun decided to make the link cactus blossoms just glow in the sun. Obviously what I saw earlier in the week was just the beginning of the bloom, because near the campground, coming off the mountain, the brilliant color was very much in evidence.
On Saturday we stayed at the camper mostly. We did a huge re-sort and clean both inside and in the storage bays. Kevin even gave the poor TZR a bath! I think both the motorhome and RZR weigh significantly less without all the dust! I did a bunch of sewing too. I now have 90 blocks, all 4” square (finished size). However I am totally ready to stop the curved piecing work and go back to a Hunter’s Star I cut out. Much easier.
We left the campground on Sunday morning, driving to the Salt Lake City KOA. As we went to our site, we saw a guy washing RVs, and we were able to get him to do ours too! The motorhome is so pretty! The red and gold just glow when it is clean. We also managed to get to REI and get me a couple more SPF 50 shirts that I can wear when riding or when I just want to sit outside without a lot of sunshine. Tomorrow morning we are heading to a friend’s house next to Bear Lake in northern Utah. He is letting us mooch-dock at his house during the craziness that is the 4th. We will hopefully get to do some riding there too.