Day in the Life

The long-awaited regional return of the tourist has finally arrived!

As the snow melts away, revealing the subalpine forest floor, it’s not hard to imagine the raw power exhibited by avalanches this past winter.

Well, folks, we made it through another solstice, and it's all downhill from here. Downhill as in an easy, gentle coast through summertime

On a recent trip to Cedar Mesa’s Muley Point, both sunrise and sunset gave way to an incredible display of some of Southeastern Utah’s finest vistas.

For most of the year, the idyllic waters of the Animas Animas turns into a heaving, surging, icy torrent of fresh River flow lazily downstream, meandering through snowmelt.

As the Animas River once again roars to life, the features that define its rushing waters follow suit. Common along its boulder- strewn banks are piles of debris and detritus that create what is effectively known as a strainer.

This past month has seen more than its share of brooding skies and torrential downpours. 

It’s everyone’s favorite bike-frenzied weekend, the 48th annual Iron Horse Bicycle Classic!

At an abandoned gas station on the Navajo Nation in Black Mesa, Ariz., the building may be empty but the walls are full of life.

The lower Animas Valley all the way to New Mexico is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna. 

As mid-elevation snow melts its way into the Animas River, how refreshing it is to see a few thousand CFS of turbid water making its journey south to New Mexico.

Hand-written notes, flowers, colorful inscriptions and various mementos stretch along a desert highway, hinting at sad stories and too-soon endings. 

“It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” Hall of Fame baseball catcher Yogi Berra once said. That’s a sentiment no one can argue with in these parts. According to Snotel, as of April 12, we are sitting at 153 percent of average snowpack in the San Juans.

What could be a better way to squander a beautiful, warm spring weekend than to spend it sloshing through an icy, water-filled canyon where the non-appearance of direct sunlight is the only guarantee?

A few thousand CFS of cold, clean, snowmelt roaring through one of the driest climates in the United States is a sight to behold.

With tens of thousands of Ancestral Puebloan sites spanning the Four Corners, rock art decorates countless desert-varnished boulders and cliff walls. These ancient etchings conjure tales that almost seem best left to the imagination.

What else signals the arrival of spring better than experiencing canyon country’s finest hour?

Chlorophyll makes a triumphant return to the Animas Valley! Yes, green pigment never looks as green as when the first leaves emerge from the icy depths of winter.