Cody Williams
Well-known member
Thought I would post up a few (poor quality) photos of a neat trip I took this week-for a few years now there has been a particular canal I've been interested in that flows from a local river and across the mud and alkali flats out into the Great Salt Lake. This canal is particularly interesting because it has enough of a flow to stay open when pretty much everything else is frozen. It looked like it might be navigable, and could allow access onto a part of the lake that is usually only accessible by airboat-the north end of the lake, which is closest to where I live, is very shallow and not really boatable in a normal water year. I found a spot where I could launch my boat into the canal and set off to see how far I could make it. It was a really neat trip, the canal was barely wider than my boat in spots and lined on both sides by 10' tall phragmites that made it like driving through a tunnel. After I had gone for about 4 miles, suddenly the tunnel opened up into a great, wide flat, the water went from a few feet to a few inches deep, and the only thing on the horizon was a distant mountain range....made it!
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As a bonus, when I came out of the canal and onto the flat a group of about 50 mallards spooked off the water and rose off into the distance.....I found a small clump of cattails and threw out a quick spread to await their return.
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As I was sitting and waiting the first thing I noticed was how absolutely silent is was.....it was at least 4 miles in any direction to the nearest road or structure. Aside from the occasional jet from the nearby Air Force base and a few very distant gunshots the only sounds were the occasional passing bird and the whistle of the wind through duck wings. It's the perfect setting for some quiet reflection, and as I was letting my mind wander I realized that I was likely very close to the scene of an episode from one of my favorite historical books-Stansbury's Journal.
In 1849 the fledgling US Geological Survey commissioned an expedition to travel west from Fort Bridger in Wyoming to the Great Salt Lake valley to try to find a spot for a new fort and trading post, as well as to surreptitiously check up on what the newly arrived Mormon settlers were up to. They sent a party led by Captain Howard Stansbury, who kept a great journal their trip and what they encountered. They ended up being the first white men since Jim Bridger to circumnavigate the lake, and to map the valley and the western deserts for the government. When they reached the eastern side of the Promontory mountains Stansbury (after noting in his journal that the lake was almost black with huge numbers of ducks, swans, and geese) sent a party of men in a small boat across Bear River Bay to try to find the mouth of the Bear River-the men ended up being caught in an October blizzard, had their boat overturned, and spent 2 nights in freezing weather under the shelter of their upturned boat before they finally made it back to Promontory "in a much reduced condition." Judging by where I was on the lake and where Stansbury said the men launched from I'm pretty sure that I was within a mile or so of where the men were stranded-pretty neat to be able to see where it all happened first hand! It also made me very grateful for modern waterproof clothes and hand warmers!
After an hour or so the mallards started coming back in small groups, and a few stayed behind with me. All in all it was a fantastic exploratory trip with just the right amount of adventure (it was really interesting to run back up the canal, in the dark this time!) I was reminded once again to be thankful that in this day and age, there are still spots where a person can be truly alone with their thoughts and the uninterrupted sounds of the natural world. Hope that you guys all have a great end to your seasons, and get a chance to do some exploring of your own!
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As a bonus, when I came out of the canal and onto the flat a group of about 50 mallards spooked off the water and rose off into the distance.....I found a small clump of cattails and threw out a quick spread to await their return.
As I was sitting and waiting the first thing I noticed was how absolutely silent is was.....it was at least 4 miles in any direction to the nearest road or structure. Aside from the occasional jet from the nearby Air Force base and a few very distant gunshots the only sounds were the occasional passing bird and the whistle of the wind through duck wings. It's the perfect setting for some quiet reflection, and as I was letting my mind wander I realized that I was likely very close to the scene of an episode from one of my favorite historical books-Stansbury's Journal.
In 1849 the fledgling US Geological Survey commissioned an expedition to travel west from Fort Bridger in Wyoming to the Great Salt Lake valley to try to find a spot for a new fort and trading post, as well as to surreptitiously check up on what the newly arrived Mormon settlers were up to. They sent a party led by Captain Howard Stansbury, who kept a great journal their trip and what they encountered. They ended up being the first white men since Jim Bridger to circumnavigate the lake, and to map the valley and the western deserts for the government. When they reached the eastern side of the Promontory mountains Stansbury (after noting in his journal that the lake was almost black with huge numbers of ducks, swans, and geese) sent a party of men in a small boat across Bear River Bay to try to find the mouth of the Bear River-the men ended up being caught in an October blizzard, had their boat overturned, and spent 2 nights in freezing weather under the shelter of their upturned boat before they finally made it back to Promontory "in a much reduced condition." Judging by where I was on the lake and where Stansbury said the men launched from I'm pretty sure that I was within a mile or so of where the men were stranded-pretty neat to be able to see where it all happened first hand! It also made me very grateful for modern waterproof clothes and hand warmers!
After an hour or so the mallards started coming back in small groups, and a few stayed behind with me. All in all it was a fantastic exploratory trip with just the right amount of adventure (it was really interesting to run back up the canal, in the dark this time!) I was reminded once again to be thankful that in this day and age, there are still spots where a person can be truly alone with their thoughts and the uninterrupted sounds of the natural world. Hope that you guys all have a great end to your seasons, and get a chance to do some exploring of your own!
