Five Days

It's been five days now since somebody came up the driveway. That's unusual even for summer. That will end today as there are a couple of check ins. #25, #26, and #27. I have to say we have a shortage of rock squirrels and the sunflower seed/bird seed feeding each morning is going much further without their cheeks stuffed with sunflower seeds.

It's Quiet

It's slow in the summer. No one has come up the driveway in the last three days. Couple of bookings per week and it's slow until September. If you can adapt your sleeping schedule it's a wonderful time of the year assuming you can get up early. If not for driving to Dripping Springs each day to release rock squirrels I wouldn't have seen anybody for three plus days. Nearly always somebody at the Wind Caves.

Central Utah is on Fire

A few days ago as the day aged the smoke came drifting in getting thicker as the day went on. By the following day, it was mostly gone.

They Aren't Coming Back

Each morning when I go out to feed the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks, there are less rock squirrels. No issues with all the other morning creatures but the rock squirrels just won't quit destroying stuff. #21, #22, #23, and #24. I quit painting their tails. Nobody is coming back from Dripping Springs. Also had a hat trick in on day. Caught a rock squirrel in the morning, afternoon, and a third in the evening.

OMG #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20

Rock squirrels have had their babies in the last month and it's as crowded as ever. Some of the caged being dropped off are relatively young.

Linster

Linny moved out here with me in 2007 when she was three years old. I thought it was going to be temporary and I tried to discourage her when I moved out here but she kept saying "Tom, I can do this. You know I can do this." She spend a good chunk of the next sixteen years out here until swept away in a flood one day. When she made it up on dry land I remember he calling on the walkie and said "Tom, I'm alive." She went back to San Diego for healing, had a baby and now lives there. Though the last two years she has come out during part of the busy season to help. She did so again this year.

Sometimes

Sometimes you get the elevator and sometimes you get the shaft. This is the shaft.

#13 and #14

We haven't had any blue tails return that we have dropped off in Dripping Springs. One side by side went down by the Wind Caves and the one we have left has windows on it and it's hot. Trips to drop off Rock Squirrels are brutally hot. Jax and I are dropping them in Dripping Springs which true to it's name has springs for water and no view of the water or The Saddle rock formation across the river which is how I think they were finding their way back from the "Train Station" part way up Hurrah where we dropped off 35 of them. Some are young. I feel bad we didn't catch the mothers before they had babies but I can't keep taking the damage they've been doing to the property. The cage which was green is now more blue with the spraying of the tails.

Blue Tails #9, #10, #11, and #12

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Fielder Arch

Out behind Chicken Corner.

The Road

After some folks complained to VRBO that I mislead them on the road, despite sending out the same warning and directions for ten years, they show up in a small truck overloaded with stuff on their month long journey. When this happens occasionally I tell them not to yell at me because somewhere out there Karma is listening and the next vehicle or two that pull up will make them look bad. This time was no exception. I loaded all their stuff in my truck and had their empty truck follow me to within a couple miles of town and magically there were no issues with the road on the way back. Didn't stop them from compaining after I went above and beyond. Next two vehicles.

The Season

 March, April, and May is the busiest time of the season and it was a pretty good three months. Seems things have almost returned to normal. I hear the same thing when I'm in town.

Now the busy season is over until September so a lot of time is available to explore as there will be few guests the coming three months. If you sort it out the summer isn't so bad. Do your exploring in the mornings and evenings when it's cool. During the 11am to 4pm go to the river, the Wind Caves, get on a side by side and get some air on you, or turn the AC on in your room and catch up on reading, sleep, or work if need be. Turns into two five hour days.

I'm 74 not and Jax is 86 so we're picking our hiking time with care to make sure we don't over do it. It's been 20 years out here for me and 12 for Jax and it's still amazing. Right now we just get a few random vehicles pull up the drive way each day to see what this is and the amazement on their faces is still enjoyable.

As Usual, Not Over Yet

 As I'm driving to town yesterday to get food for Kobae, a haircut, gas, and Jax's butt swelled up, he had cancer a few years ago, they said they got it all but it might come back, so taking Jax to the vet, the truck starts cutting out and barely makes it up Hurrah Pass. I drop trash, drop a side by side tire with a sidewall flat, non fixable, I take Jax to the Vet. They are booked but if I leave him whenever the vet has a free moment he'll check him out. I call Chris, mechanic, to tell him truck not running well and bring it to his place. "Squirrels", he says. Ate some plug wires. Doing the math, $1400 in squirrel wire repairs the last eight months. 

Jax doesn't have cancer and he'll be ok. What a relief. After 12 years together I'd be devastated. 

Teresa dropped off a blue tail when we were in town and Jax and I dropped off two more. That makes seven in the last eight days or so. I'm starting to see a difference around the property but I also saw a very small one on the front porch so they've had their babies. #7 Blue tail and #8.

Blue Tails #2, #3, #4, and #5.

 Caught four more rock squirrels, painted their tells blue and dropped them off in Dripping Springs and so far none have come back. It's some work and some side by side wear and tear in addition to drive round trip 50 minutes out and back to drop them off but it seems to be working.