West of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, U.S. 40 parallels the meandering Yampa River, flanked by wetlands and, this time of year, by flooded fields due to the mountain snowmelt. I was pleased and somewhat surprised to see several ospreys along the highway, already preparing to nest in that scenic alpine valley.
Beyond Hayden, the Yampa dips to the south and the highway begins its long journey across a semiarid plateau, covered by sage grasslands and dissected by small streams; pronghorn, mule deer and livestock foraged on the grasslands while western meadowlarks, common ravens, black-billed magpies and a host of raptors (golden eagles, red-tails, kestrels, northern harriers and prairie falcons) represented the avian population. West of Craig, highway signs advise that there is "no snow plowing between 7PM and 5AM," clear evidence that I was off the beaten path (though on a major U.S. route).
The Yampa returned to recross the highway just east of Maybell, where I cut northwestward on Route 318 and crossed the Yampa once again. After fording the Little Snake River a bit farther down the road, I began a long excursion through a dry, desolate landscape of sage valleys and sandstone ridges, the latter adorned with Utah juniper; I might add that a sign warned of "no services" for the next 120 miles! Finally, some 50 miles from Maybell, I descended into Browns Park, watered by the Green River and home to a scenic National Wildlife Refuge; details on the refuge tomorrow.
Beyond Hayden, the Yampa dips to the south and the highway begins its long journey across a semiarid plateau, covered by sage grasslands and dissected by small streams; pronghorn, mule deer and livestock foraged on the grasslands while western meadowlarks, common ravens, black-billed magpies and a host of raptors (golden eagles, red-tails, kestrels, northern harriers and prairie falcons) represented the avian population. West of Craig, highway signs advise that there is "no snow plowing between 7PM and 5AM," clear evidence that I was off the beaten path (though on a major U.S. route).
The Yampa returned to recross the highway just east of Maybell, where I cut northwestward on Route 318 and crossed the Yampa once again. After fording the Little Snake River a bit farther down the road, I began a long excursion through a dry, desolate landscape of sage valleys and sandstone ridges, the latter adorned with Utah juniper; I might add that a sign warned of "no services" for the next 120 miles! Finally, some 50 miles from Maybell, I descended into Browns Park, watered by the Green River and home to a scenic National Wildlife Refuge; details on the refuge tomorrow.
