The Adventures of Fric and Frac: Adventure 259: Golden Spike RV Park/Brigham City, UT/Post B

Home of the Largest Migratory Bird Refuge in America.

After enjoying southwest winds that built from twenty to forty knots throughout the day, we're now experiencing the beginning of the cold front which will pass through this area tonight. Thanks to our long drive yesterday, we find ourselves at the northwest edge of this event. Glad we are that we weren't driving today. Right now it's beginning to snow and the temperature, which was sixty-eight around noon, is now in the low forties (And dropping). The locals seem nonplussed by the weather, so when in Rome (Utah), we're less plussed than we normally would be. This morning, despite the steady thirty knot winds, we took Gregg Friesen's advice and drove out to view the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. The main thing we got from the visit is a promise to return when the weather is more favorable. It would be a fabulous place to spend the day on a tandem bicycle (Perhaps in September). The visitor center is quite well done, and while we did see quite a few birds, most of them were walking. After our run to the Refuge, we did what has become normal for us if we stay in an area for long. We drove around. Brigham City, a tidy little town with wide streets, has two spectacular church buildings, which face each other across the wide main boulevard just east of the downtown core. One is the historic Box Elder Tabernacle, which was finished about 1890. The public is allowed to tour this building May through September (We just missed it). The building across the street, a massive shiny white two spired structure with the golden angel atop blowing his horn, covers an entire Utah block (Double most city blocks). I don't believe non Mormons are allowed inside the building, but it captures the spirit of Man paying homage to our great God. We also did normal errand things while fighting both the wind and the blowing dust. As a finale to our outing for the day, we enjoyed a very nice lunch at the local bakery/sandwich/soup shop. The cheerful teen girl behind the counter made ordering fun, and the quality of the lunch could match any sandwich shop we've been in on this trip. Then we hunkered down. We read, watched the weather channel, listened to the wind howl, monitored the change in temperature, and even did a little trailer dancing (Nothing is nicer than wintling to the rhythm of a wind rocked Airstream). And, of course, we played cards. The battle for all of the golden trumpets in Utah will be decided tomorrow morning. I narrowly won this morning, and this afternoon, the Cager hammered me like a true believer converting a misguided Papist (Catholic). I fully expect to see a covering of snow tomorrow morning, but Judy thinks the brunt of the storm will pass south of us. Regardless, we hope to push on to Filer, ID to see the Hooley clan tomorrow. If it's too treacherous, we'll simply hunker down in Frac. It's warm, fully stocked with edibles, and even if the weather outside is frightful, we're snuggled in here like a couple of hibernating hamsters. So, life is good, especially today.

A concerted effort in the early 1920s built canal systems to manage thousands of acres of habitat. Once again, where would the natural wonders of America be without Teddy Roosevelt's influence?

Art shot of the day.

Except when winter freezes the marshes, a dazzling array of birds pass through this refuge.

The haze is the dust being blown up by the winds.

As temperatures rise from spring through summer, the marshes dry, which shrinks the food supply for the birds and degrades the water quality, which causes disease in the birds.

That is why the management of the water level has been so instrumental in reviving the habitat.

Truly a remarkable place, another great view would be from the air. To see the Bear River flood into the Great Salt Lake from the air would simply stun the senses.