Decided to take a road trip and camp in Dinosaur Park on the CO/UT border for a few days. Had a very relaxing time and Darwin LOVED it. I think being in an environment so close to his natural habitat kicked something into gear because he ran around like a crazy man and was head bobbing and basking and really enjoying himself. He is darting all over the house now that we're back home too. It was fun to watch his behavior kick into a sort of natural rhythm. I tried not to interfere aside from when I needed to keep him safe from something and he covered a TON of territory over the course of the day. I was surprised how much area he started defending and exploring. He enjoyed slithering around in dirt, searched out tall grasses and shrubs, basked on rocks etc. Since the nights were cold I put one of the 72hr heat packs in under his blanket and then covered his carrier with fleece. Spot checks throughout the night showed that the carrier stayed in the high 70s which is much better than I expected in 25-30 degree weather at night. It was in the 70s during the day with intense sunshine which was perfect. UVI stayed around 4-5 at the height of the day and surface temps got up into the 90s-100s in direct sun. He spent more time in the direct sun than I expected and just changed his colors throughout the day as needed. Added a few more states to his travel list as well. He's been through NE, WY, CO, UT, KS, and MO now in addition to IA, MN, WI, IL, IN, OH, NY, VT, NH. I should make a little passport for him =)
Basking at the campsite.
Hanging out at the campsite at sunset.
Hike along the green river bed.
Hike up along the canyon wall along the river.