Friday, June 23, 2017

The Dam and Little Hole

Flaming Gorge  High 82  Low 62

Flaming Gorge Dam is 502 feet high and 1,285 feet long. The spillway consists of a 675-foot long tunnel that runs through the left abutment of the dam. Two 16.75-by-34-foot gates at the tunnel entrance will pass up to 28,800 cubic feet per second of floodwater.

These pictures do not show the force of the water being let through the dam. It was incredible.

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Just below the dam is where the rafters and drift boats put in. There is a Park Ranger (or two) stationed here to keep traffic flowing. It wasn’t real busy when we were there but they do not let you park and walk over to the water. It is kept open for the lines of boats needing to be launched.

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One of the pull out points on the Green River is at Little Hole. Just driving around the backroads, the scenery is amazing. We decided to follow the signs to Little Hole and check it out.

This area was devastated by a wildfire in 2002. A car crossing a cattle guard, had a blow out and a spark from that started this fire. It burned almost 20,000 acres and took 17 days to control.

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We saw these pronghorns very much alive in this fire stricken land.

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There is a scenic overlook just before you get to Little Hole. I run out of words describing how beautiful this land of ours is.

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Can you see the overlook we stopped at?

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There are three boat ramps at Little Hole to handle all of the rafts and drift boats that come down the river from the dam.

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Another one of those hidden gems off the beaten track.

If you plan on coming to the Gorge to enjoy this outdoor wonderland, I would highly recommend you sign up for either a fishing expedition or a rafting tour. I wish we would have.

10 comments:

  1. We went to Flaming Gorge the first time we went west. We saw it from higher up. I want to say we drove down (or up) from Yellowstone. Could that be right? I remember thinking how beautiful it was, but we saw it from a higher perspective.

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  2. Another place to remember but I must say there are areas of BC that look about the same. So glad you are mobile. We will be soon.

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  3. Sad to see all the fire damage, thankfully nature will heal the devastated area. Not as quickly as we wish, but things will continue to grow fine. Nature is amazing.

    So nice that you find these wonderful gems to see and explore. :c)

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  4. Another hidden gem is right. You two are on a roll.
    We have never seen pronghorns up close and personal. What a treat.

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  5. Yes we do have a beautiful country and you are really seeing some of it. Your pictures are breathtaking. The water looks so refreshing.
    The fire damage makes my heart hurt.

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  6. That sure is some pretty water and country.

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  7. Love your picture 'postcards'. Thanks for sharing! I'm wondering what the water temps were.

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  8. It's amazing that a fire would start from such a small event as a tire blowout. As devastating as the fires are, they do bring new life into an area.

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  9. Looks like you've had a great and scenic journey north. Now it's time to start working on your tracks south.

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Thanks for visiting today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a beautiful day.