We traveled 8,932 miles through 19 states, for almost 6 weeks!  We went to 10 national parks, 4 national grasslands, 3 national wildlife refuges, 3 national recreation areas, 3 national monuments, 2 national forests, and 14 state parks.  We camped on 29 nights, all on national or state land.  We were in California, Arizona, and Colorado for more than half the time, with 10 days in CA, 6 days in AZ, and 5 days in CO. Our target sites were the Kaibab Plateau on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, California Parks and habitats (including Placentia), and the Rocky Mountain tundra in Colorado.  Our target species included birds, mammals, and even trees. 

Target Species
Birds:  Yellow-billed Magpie, California Thrasher, White-headed Woodpecker and White-tailed Ptarmigan; 
Mammals:  Kaibab Squirrel and Pica; 
Trees:  Joshua Tree (really a Yucca)  and Bristlecone Pine. 
Except for the Ptarmigan, we had wonderful views of all our targets and many, many more.

We saw 254 bird species, 32 mammal species, 26 butterfly species, and learned more about the volcanic geology of the southwest.  A few experiences stand out: 

>A Henslow's Sparrow enthusiastically defending his territory from a visible perch at the edge of a very large grassland at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, IN

>Kentucky Warblers as part of the soundscape at Clifty Falls State Park, IN.

>Brilliant colors and striking shapes of the rock formations at the El Malpais in NM, the Sunset Crater Volcano and the Painted Desert in AZ.

>A Western Screech-owl singing into the still of the night in the Pinyon Forest below the Kaibab Plateau.

>A Rock Wren flying from Joshua Tree to camp site to the rock wall behind us at Joshua Tree NP.

>A fun walk with Heather and Pixie along the banks of the Santa Anna River where we found 6 new bird species for the trip, including Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, and Pie-billed Grebe. 

>One group of Acorn Woodpeckers stashing acorns into a telephone pole on the campground at Lake Cachuma County Park, CA and another group drinking from the water fountain at the Potwisha Campground in Sequoia NP, CA.

>White-headed Woodpeckers chasing each other on the south end of Crescent Meadow at Sequoia NP.

>A blonde black bear pulling apart a log at Yosemite NP, CA.

>A long string of Avocets feeding amoung the Eared Grebes at the north end of Mono Lake while Phalaropes were feeding around the tufa at the south end.

>A Black Rosy-Finch in a tree not far from the spectacular Bristlecone Pine Forest on Wheeler Mountain in Great Basin National Park, NV.  This was a surprise because we had not reached the glacier or snow fields.

>The entertaining antics of a Pica population as each gathered grass to hoard under rocks at Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.

>Walking the alpine meadow at RMNP, with excited Pipits flying about and an array of beautiful butterflies to see, including High Mountain Blue, Colorado Alpine, Parnassian Phoebius, and Mead's Sulfur.

Temperatures during this trip were mostly just HOT.  The highest temperature that we recorded was 118F outside the van as we entered Joshua Tree National Park.  We traveled through deserts, and looked to the mountains for campgrounds to get away from the heat.  We camped at Joshua Tree that night, though.  The elevations were just high enough for the temps to drop to the 70s.  On a few nights in the mountains we needed sweatshirts and jackets.
 

SUMMARY by DAY