Explore our Hills and Valleys around Rockville

Over the last week I've started to explore the surrounding landscape around Rockville with a friend we've made who is an Alaskan bush pilot and adventure resort owner/manager in summers (see Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge) and they're snowbirds in winters living just down the road from us.  What is amazing is that they also share a passion for conservation in Africa (as well elsewhere) and support directly a truly great organization--LightHawk International.  This organization coordinates and organizes volunteer pilots to carry out essential science and conservation work for the benefit of small-scale sustainable development efforts around the world--and in some cases rescue and evacuation work!

I had first come to know of  LightHawk International when they assisted a graduate student of mine (Daniel Gonzalez who is now finishing a PhD in Biology at Duke) to do aerial surveys of endangered MANATEES in Honduras.  This was while I was last at Loma Linda University between 2003-2008--see more HERE about our other projects in Mesoamerica!  We've also found we also share many other interests and common friends around the world and we both ended up living in a small town of 247 people in Utah.  Who would have thought it!

Below are links to some photos of recent hikes in albums posted on my Facebook page (use links below).  There is a lot to see around our neighborhood that is not in Zion National Park itself that is beautiful and exciting from both a natural history as well as cultural-historical perspective.  Come explore with us sometime!

1. Horsetail Wash Hike toward Eagle Crags 
2. Rockville Bench or Mesa Hike
3. Virgin River Utah around Zion National park
4.  First Hike to Eagle Crags Mesa from our New Home