Adventuring to Warm Springs

My friend Chelsea and I decided to explore/go off-roading. Our first trip wasn’t very successful since we began our questing so late in the year. We went exploring in Provo Canyon and, seeing as it was early November, many roads had been gated, especially in such a large, well-known, and well-traveled canyon. It was fun though; we saw a lot of roads that looked promising, explored the quaint little cluster of houses outside of Vivian Park, and got in lots of girl talk.

Our second trip was much more successful—we only wished we had more time! We set out to explore the ghost towns around the Eureka, Utah area with one of Chelsea’s friends named Brandon. We went south on I-15, getting off at the first Santaquin exit onto Main Street and just followed that West. Just before we hit Goshen, we saw the cement remains of what looked to be some sort of abandoned mine or processing plant. We drove towards it to see how close we could get and soon turned onto a dirt road. Our passage, at least by car, was soon halted due to a gate across the road. The area, labeled Warm Springs, was closed due to high levels of heavy metals such as iron. We ventured on foot (taking note to avoid the water) and were able to reach the remains. The walk didn’t take too long and it was worth it! The cement shell was incredibly fun to explore and climb on and it took us probably close to an hour before we reached the top of the structure. (The building was built on the side of a hill.) 

On our way back to the car, we noticed a bird/duck on the other side of one of the pond that, although he was on the edge of the water, could not manage to get himself out. Brandon and Chelsea were able to cross to the other side of the pond over a river and approach the bird. As I watched from across the water, I was amazed to see that the bird didn't even panic as they approached and then picked up the bird. It was obvious that this was one ill bird. When Brandon and Chelsea crossed back over the where I was, they reported that there was another bird lying on the ground dead. It was obvious that the bird we were attempting to rescue couldn’t move his legs so we thought that the heavy metals in the water may have poisoned him. Brandon sacrificed his shirt to wrap the bird in and we took him with us. We had no plan in mind and honestly, it’s not something I would have ever done myself. It was going to die anyway though so we thought we may as well try to do something.

We continued on our travels toward Eureka to continue our adventures/find a gas station to clean ourselves up at. We found two in Goshen…but they were closed. One of them was worth stopping for a picture:

There was also a gorgeous sunset:

The first gas station (that was actually open and operating) we encountered was in Eureka. We went in to use the facilities but a sign read: “Customers Only”. We weren’t sure if we really needed a bathroom and after much indecision, Brandon bought a couple of (overpriced) items and we washed up.

(The bird was just chilling in my car on the passenger’s seat the whole time.)

By the time we came out of the gas station, the last bit of light was fading into night and we had to terminate our travels and return to civilization.

We took the bird back to Brandon’s roommate, Steve, (who wants to be a veterinarian and has worked at a veterinarian’s clinic) who took a look at the bird and found a puncture wound on the bird’s back behind his left wing. We guessed it to be the result of a small bullet or pellet. We also confirmed that the bird had no control over its legs but I observed that he could still wag his tail. Very intriguing. We borrowed a roommate’s stethoscope and listened to his heart. I learned that birds lungs don’t work in the same way as humans so it is very heard to hear lung sounds. I, of course, only think through medical problems in terms of humans and wanted to listen for a pneumothorax. I think I remember Steve saying that a pneumothorax can’t occur in birds due to their different respiratory system.

After finding the puncture wound, we tried to find someplace we could take the bird. We found a wildlife rehabilitator but both of their numbers on their website appeared not to work. (Although this could have been due to the fact that it was a Saturday night.) We considered keeping the bird at my house until Monday and then trying to take him in, but then the concern of infection was brought up and we realized this bird probably didn’t have much of a chance anyway. Brandon took the sad responsibility of putting the bird out of its misery and that was the end of that. Poor bird.