Tar Creek, 11/30/10

12/10/13: The US Forest Service will be enforcing access restrictions to Tar Creek soon. TC is part of the Condor Sanctuary established as critical habitat to this endangered bird and other wildlife. Epic numbers of visitors, and the trash and graffiti they have left behind, has led to the acknowledgment by the Forest Service that access must be curtailed and enforced. For more information on the impending action visit: Tar Creek Closure.

Sometimes my schedule seems opposite from the days Ruth (my wife) has off work. While this is good for the blog, it's not the way I would actually prefer things to be, and yesterday I was once again footloose. I used that time to do some exploring in and around Tar Creek. In addition to catching all the usual sites I added excursions up several small side canyons and tributaries. I was kind of hoping to get lucky with wildlife, or at least find some bones or fossils.
I couldn't have asked for a nicer day to take a solo jaunt. The weather was perfect and the light in the canyon was superb for picture taking. At last, a day of perfect weather with no high-mileage agenda. A day to just take things as they come, see what's to see, kick back on a warm rock, get caught up on some writing, etc...
I didn't run across any rare critters but I did find a nice vertebrae stuck in a crack. Another plus, I didn't see another living soul all day, which used to be the norm in this canyon. I wish I knew just how many times I've visited Tar, considering that the first time I saw the place was in 1992. I'm guessing it's near 150 times, but I just have to keep coming back.

I hope you enjoy the photos.