Yesterday, Herb and I decided to go to upper Powers Creek. We drove up Glenrosa to take the Jackpine Forest Service Road but we found that there is still too much snow up there. As soon as we got on to Jackpine, the snow was so deep that although there were ruts of previous use, my Tracker was dragging its undercarriage. With considerably steeper country ahead, we decided to turn back.

As an alternative, we hiked the southwestern part of Goats Peak again. We parked alongside the highway near the Seclusion Bay road and hiked up from there. It was a beautiful sunny day. Wildflowers blooming were Woodland Stars and Sagebrush Buttercup. We saw a lot of Desert Parsley but as most of it wasn't in bloom, I hazard to try to name the species.

As we neared the top of the mountain, we came upon three Mallards, a female and two males, in a temporary snow-melt pond. While I was taking pictures of the setting, a movement to my right, further up the mountain caught my eye and I turned to see a coyote slip away into the brush. During the hike, we say quite a few mule deer, at least seven or so, in twos and threes.

We ate our lunch on the peak and later, back home, I called up an image on Google Earth to illustrate our position--with indicated GPS readings.

 Our position is indicated by the label, P409002. Westbank is in the background. The label "Home" indicates the position of Westwood, where we live.

After climbing about the highest points awhile, enjoying the scenery, we headed back down to our car and home.

This morning, when combing my hair in the bathroom, a tick dropped into the sink. Obviously, I had brought home a hitch-hiker without realizing it. It was an adult male Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, the common tick in this area. It is not a vector of Lyme's Disease and is in my opinion, not much to be feared. It can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, but that is rare in our area. 

A female tick of that species is shown for comparison in picture.