Bull Creek Hills Thank You for this Autumn Day

How fickle you are Mother Nature!  We are fortunate to be surrounded by playgrounds of all sorts so when a forecast quickly changes for one area, we just as quickly head off in another more user-friendly direction.  We aimed south then west with intentions of hiking up to Bull Creek Hills and carrying on behind, below and beyond the Hills to explore the terrain and to incorporate some other shape rather than just a straight line in and out.    

We began our adventure early. 

Shortly thereafter we arrived at a welcoming arch. 

Moab is still on my mind. 

We passed under!   

Upon the first Hill, the ground cover glistened in autumn shades.  

I was thankful for the blue sky.  Off in the distance it did not look so blue so I opted to take some photos while it was bright.  It was slightly windy all the time with wind gusts some of the time.  Those gusts were quickly bringing dark clouds in and out.  

The way to the true summit was obvious even though the cairn was scattered.  We built it back up then carried on down and then up to the metal summit pole. The gusts were ferocious so when it was time for our summit shot, I firmly planted the tripod poles into the dirt a cm or two.  Here we are!

Even here the autumn shades were so nice.

It was well before noon, but still time to refuel.  Shelter was the main priority and it was easy to find. We settled down with a fabulous view and dined.  I kept checking over my shoulder, keeping an eye on the sky.  The dark clouds were accumulating, it was becoming colder, we savoured a few more drinks and bites then bundled up and continued on.  

I always wondered what was behind and beyond these Bull Creek Hills ever since seeing folks hiking along a ridge off in the distance one time.  We had loads of time so went off to explore.  The ridge down was pretty with colorful ground cover and rocks but we had to contend with those wind gusts while in this wide open space.  We explored, using our route finding skills, reading the map, following the topography on the GPS and scouting out and assessing as we went.  We completed a large loop and met back up with the main trail.  

I was very thankful to have no snow along the way, and to be able to see the reds, oranges and golds. For a moment or two, I felt like a child swishing my feet through the fallen leaves.  It was quite a colorful day.

Feeling quite content with our accomplishment, we aimed for the trail home.

I took one last look back before entering the tree-lined trail.

With this being Thanksgiving weekend, I took a little more time to give extra thanks for everything I have in my life.  Thank you for this Autumn Day!