We avoided the November cold and grey in Salt Lake City by heading south to St. George, Utah. A couple of days in this warm western desert on the Joshua Tree Road and Snow Canyon State Park gave me such an appreciation for stark beauty, the play of light on the desert and the abundance of life out there. We picked up 5 new life birds: Greater Roadrunner, Canyon Wren, Cactus Wren, Crissal Thrasher and Gambles Quail.