This time around there wasn't as much wind, and my two wheeled ride is powered by the ghosts of dinosaurs. I pulled up to the payment booth and read the reader board which informed me that the insect population on the island was really high... bugger.
The causeway that connects the island is about 7 miles long, with a lane headed either direction. As I rode I noticed the lovely smell of the Great Salt Lake, it smells of methane. It's a product of all the brine shrimp washing up on the shores and rotting, VERY smelly.
There's a lot of birds in the area, from seagulls to sandpipers. There were these little birds with black heads and greyish white bodies that were in groups. They were amusing to watch, they just bob their heads up and down for no readily apparent reason.
Once you get to the island your choices are pretty limited, right or left. I chose to go right, which would bring me to the visitor center. I stopped at the first pull off to check things out and take some pictures. Catching site of a latrine it struck me as funny that it was probably as smelly outside the latrine as it was inside.
I took my riding gear off and immediately regretted it. I had sprayed myself with bug spray before leaving home, but apparently it wasn't near enough because the horsefly's and other buzzing things either landed on me or divebombed me. I snapped a few quick pics and put my gear back on. I rode to the visitor center, which wasn't really huge, but did have a few interesting things. In addition the the flying bugs, there were these spiders all over.
I wondered why the Barn Swallows that were flying everywhere didn't eat the spiders, maybe there are too big for the little birds. The barn swallows had made several nests in the eaves of the visitor center and they were fun to watch. There were 2 or 3 chicks per nest it seemed and they looked old enough to fledge soon.
These Bison statues are all over the island and they are all painted differently. This one was in front of the visitor center. The visitor center had some interesting information. The Great Salt Lake is 24 to 26 times saltier than the ocean, so the only organisms that can live in it are the Brine Shrimp (Sea Monkeys :D ).
After going through the small visitor center I walked around the west side of the building and found this little guy just hanging out. He looked to be the same age as all the rest of the chicks that were in nests, so maybe he was a little more adventurous than his siblings. The mature Barn Swallows were all a glossy black on top while the chicks black feathers were muted like this fellow. His perch was so low that I could have reached out and touched him, and I was tempted to see if he would hop on my finger, but I figured that may lower his chances of survival, or scare him. I love animals and handling them, but when it comes to wild ones I try to observe with my eyes and just take pictures.
From the visitor center I rode around for a while just seeing what was on the island. There are several places with picnic tables, camp sites, sandy beaches, and even a Grill. I stopped at one of the highest lookouts on the island and took these pictures. This seagull just sat on the rail and just watched everyone.
There are many hiking trails and I took one near where I took the above pictures. I had already doused myself in bug repellent again and it seemed to be doing a pretty job, except for keeping away these huge fuzzy bugs I wasn't familiar with and they kept flying at me. I didn't get a picture of them since they wouldn't hold still long enough for me to.
After the hike I rode toward the ranch that is on the island. I thought it was still a running ranch, but it was more of a museum. On the way I got pictures of the islands larges inhabitants, and a sign that makes ya just a little uneasy to be riding on a motorcycle.
Fortunately I didn't get any pictures closer to the Bison, since that would have involved me being physically closer to them. For anyone who hasn't seen one in real life, they are about 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh more than a big cow. They are big, shaggy, and can be bad tempered. It's sad to think about it though, over 100 years ago there were herds of them that numbered in the millions, but as the settlers pressed west the bison herds were decimated. Now there are only a few hundred pure bison left.
I arrived at the Fielding Garr ranch and was greatful to see modern toilet facilities. The ranch is about 130 years old and was in operation until approx 1970 when control was given over to the Parks department. It started out as a cattle ranch, but at some point they were herding sheep instead of cows. Here's a pic inside the shearing barn and the big engine that powered the belt and pulley drive near the top. The setup reminds me of the stuff you see in pictures of old time factories in the New England area around the time of the Industrial Revolution.
There was a store room with all sorts of really cool things. The saddle made me think of one of my co-workers who trains and rides horses, so I snapped a picture of it. The tooling was pretty nice looking.
I found an old detinator box, plunger style.
The only thing missing is Wylie Coyote.
There was a fair amount more to see at the ranch, if you ever get a chance to visit the island I recommend it. As I rode back from the ranch to the causeway I couldn't help wondering about the ecosystem that has evolved in this otherwise hostile environment. There are grasses and shrubs that are growing in soil that is super salty. Nature is an amazing thing, it can adapt to just about any environment.
Here is one more bison statue that greets you as you enter the causeway to leave the island. He seems like a handy sort of fellow ;)
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