Miko and Me: Birds, Copper, Bison

After Denver, I was headed for Rocky Mountain National Park. On the day I was going to go there, they got three feet of snow. Nope, change of plans – too much snow for me. My next stop was going to be the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. It turns out that it was too early in the season for any RV parks to be open. Again – change of plans. I looked at a map, closed my eyes, pointed my little finger at the map and decided that Salt Lake City was where I was going.

Salt Lake City is a pretty town. It seems that wherever you look, you are surrounded by mountains.

My first tourist stop is Liberty Park, a huge city park that has just about anything you think a city park should have, sport courts, fountains, small amusement park – but I'm here to see the Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts. I love me the Folk Arts. Again, upon arrival I find that it closed but that is ok because right next to it is the Tracy Aviary. They have about 135 species from all over the world, some of which participate in their Species Survival Plan. In other words, some of these birds are on the edge of extinction.

West African Crowned Crane. Her name was Jessica.
In 2012 this species was uplisted from vulnerable to endangered

Check out the solar panels over the flamingos. Art and Solar together!

I was amazed when I saw the Kennecott Copper Mine. This mine happens to be the largest man-made excavation and deepest open-pit mine in the world. It is so big that you can see it from space. The mine has been in business since 1906.

The numbers: 3/4 mile deep, 2.5 miles wide, covers 1,900 acres

This is massive!

This is me and all my imaginary friends on the ride up to the top of the mine.
I guess I could say that I had my own personal chauffer.

The outside of the mine

The inside of the mine. Those little black dots are those giant mining trucks.

This shovel can carry 120 tons at a time

I figured that since I was in the area, I should probably go and see the Great Salt Lake, especially since it is supposed to be disappearing. After talking to a docent, it seems that things are not as dire as we think. While the lake is still below where it should be, after five years of drought, it now back to 2019 levels. It is a positive trend. In the middle of the lake is a large island called Antelope Island. It is 42 square miles and to reach it you drive on a long, long causeway. I stopped at a trail head and headed out onto a point. I had heard about brine flies and they were swarming. Pretty soon, as I'm walking, my head and ears start itching. I went back to the truck and looked up brine flies. No, they do not bite. The docent in the visitor center informed me that the no-see-ums are out. He said that during this time of year, the park staff are covered from head to toes with netting because the no-see-ums are so thick. Wish they had told me before I had ventured out. As it is, I was itching for the next couple of weeks. Ish!

The really cool thing is that in the late 1800s, a rancher on the island became concerned about the disappearance of the American bison (buffalo). He brought over to the island about 12 bison, today there are several hundred. They are an important genetic pool for bison breeding and conservation purposes.