Snake Valley ~ as the Crow Flies

I had the opportunity to get a ride in my friend Richard's small plane. He's been piloting planes for 30 + years. It was more than just a flight. He showed me where the features were on the plane and how to inspect it. Educational experience. I was excited to see the view of Snake Valley from the air!

We took off and went Northeast and passed over the fields near the Heckethorn's residence. A herd of cattle were being pushed down the Gandy road by horse and riders. Pretty cool! They looked like ants.

Check out this drainage system going through the field...... I love how you can see all the details of the landscape from above (without being on Google Earth!) I was secretly hoping to find some UFO crop circles  ;)  Hahaha

We flew over the community of EskDale and all their fields and dairy.....

Shortly after, we found ourselves over near Bethel (Hi Mom!) ........

Richard let me take control of the plane for a while, what a thrill! We flew by the town of Baker and decided we had time to go over to Garrison as well. The weather was perfect. Sunny and very little wind. Such a great way to spend the morning.

Closer view of the town...

Finally, the landscape and town of Garrison. What a different perspective everything is from a plane! 

So, there it is ~ beautiful Snake Valley, as the crow flies   :)

Final Bat Flight.....

Autumn continues on. The leaves are now blowing off the trees and fluttering across the ground.  Bare branches of trees ready for winter slumber. Some are still in their radiant foliage of reds, oranges, and yellow. The last flights of Rose Guano Cave are in action. The kids and I were happy to go up to see the winged mammals in their October symphony.... before they leave on their hibernation route. It was a beautiful, warm early evening.

The Mexican Free-tailed bats were already beating their wings as Ava and Isaac climbed the rope into the mouth of the cave.......

The sun began to set. The light painting the valley floor and warming the rocks of the cave before it disappeared. A bone-warming October glow.

This trip up, I wanted to focus on the researchers this time as they process the bats and release them after collecting data. They have a smooth system and it amazes me that they account for 500 -900 individual bats each night here. Impressive.

I have a great appreciation of bats and I am reminded that they play a valuable role in the web of life. They too contribute to this delicate balance of our planet.