May 7, 2008

Willard Bay, Bear River & the Golden Spike

One of the nicest campgrounds we've stayed at in many weeks was on the extreme northeast corner of Salt Lake at Willard Bay. With a beautiful view of the Bay in front, snow-covered peaks in the back and spring bustin' out everywhere, we just "hunked down" for a couple of days and enjoyed the view, breeze & sun.

I spent an afternoon "on the beach" getting a nice sunburn while watching the amusing play of some large carp playing in shallow waters. If I'd been in Louisiana, I'd say they were redfish....??

Nearby Bear River Refuge is a favorite amoung birders, and we were'nt disappointed. Although no "lifers" were seen, we enjoyed the brilliant breeding plumage on the birds.
http://www.fws.gov/bearriver/

The late afternoon sun provided rich enhancement to the entire area....

Getting "clean" shots of the landscapes was difficult though, due to the millions of flying critters towering everywhere in tornado-like swarms. Interestingly, they didn't bother or bite, just made the photography a bit challenging. We were told what they were, but forgot....perhaps one of you could comment on the subject?


Leaving this relaxing area three days later was difficult, but we just had to allow time for a stop at the Golden Spike National Monument. You can find much about the history of America's first continental railroad on the web, http://www.linecamp.com/museums/americanwest/western_clubs/transcontinental_railroad/transcontinental_railroad.html
so I won't bore you here, just leave you with a few pictures.....

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