Grassland Parks and Canyon Shrublands

An expedition along the Ute Trail to Badger Creek, and back through to Red Canyon.

Following Currrant Creek up from Lucero Canyon, blacktop quickly faded to a distant memory at Smith Gulch. The ensuing manicured gravel road enabled mostly undetected travel along the stretch, though not quite enough to prevent one lone settler curiously emerging from his homestead.

More pressing matters inhibited dialog. Cottonwood Creek stood in the wings waiting to lead on to Black Mountain and beyond, to even larger landscapes. An impenetrable haze of dust blowing in from the Sahara, coupled with smoke from fires in New Mexico, obscured more distant views in the lens.

In closer proximity, Mountain bluebirds basked under a warm afternoon sun, surveying the variety of accommodations available along the Ute Trail.  Random wildflowers found purchase here and there, where attainable in the harsh conditions of the high grasslands.  Life is a bit more demanding in this most southern region of South Park.

A much more lush and inviting environment lie amidst this, draining down to the Arkansas River.  Winding between jagged and tumbled rock from the surrounding scenery, Badger Creek bubbled seemingly out of nowhere.  Hiking about a half kilometre down to the beginning of the cascade, both pilot and spotter stretched out on the best rock available.  The cool air, warm sun, along with the sound of rushing water entranced them, and their journey south along the creek bed ended.

They missed a fantastic landscape, an environment solely dedicated to this creek.  Outstanding views unfolded with every step, increasing the difficulty in generating any desire to return.  However, it seemed only prudent to do so after about 2 km. Returning to inquire on their situation found both still lounging lazily in the same location they had been left. Time had stood still.

Saddling up and moving back east along the Ute Trail, more wildlife appeared in plain sight, than earlier along the same path.  Most offered a wary eye, while others could not be bothered to look up from their lunch.  Unsure of what Golden Eagle attempted to convey by hopping around the side of one nearby hill, he was left to his own devices.  

A Red Canyon beckoned just south of halfway between the Thirtyone Mile Mountain and Pikes Peak.  When the distinct red band appeared amidst the green landscape below, confidence of the pilot soared.  Instinct towards discovering the fabled east entrance into Red Canyon Park had paid off, and getting down to it the only remaining task.

The trail into the valley proved relatively easy, and not much different from other adventuring of the day.  Occasionally, it offered tests of maneuverability, and a chance to peek at a previously discovered abandoned settlement.

A  review of charts became necessary, once deeper in the valley, to ensure continuity in the proper hearing, and after passing the right turn, which was actually on the left.  Course correction in place, the trail put suspension and agility to the true test, and often leaving all wishing for better padding.

Just about the time it seemed it would be less jarring and more expedient to get out and walk, the goal appeared. The road improved about that moment too, and celebrations ensued.  Copper Mountain stood tall against a foreground of beautiful red formations.  Numerous trails led in a variety of directions, but existing maps of the area were insufficient for any more than roadside endeavors on this expedition.

A waning afternoon encouraged heading back to base camp, leaving a bit of time to observe a few more peculiarities. The Garden Park Schoolhouse stood on the land originally deeded.  It is a second rendition, built in 1865.  The school operated through to 1960, when more formidable educational facilities arose.

Lingering by the side of the road, a thick set of antlers rose up against the later afternoon sun, pausing to monitor the presence of new intruders.  They were as startled to see our party, as our party was to see them.  Standing boldly out in the open, they patiently waited for party to move on, ready to dart at the sign of any indiscretion.

Everyone seemed to be on guard at this time of day, as if waiting for an invasion.  This old bird hardly budged from her perch ten meters in the air, continually regarding the omnipresence of flowing humans through her vicinity.

Everyone was famished by the time we arrived back at base camp.  An awesome home cooked meal topped the day perfectly, with a few other guests joining in quiet company on the range.

Badger Creek to Red Canyon - June 2020

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Further Reading

Red Canyon Park
RoyalGorgeRegion.com

Garden Park School

Colorado Encyclopedia

Devil’s Roaring River Kitchen

A beautiful day unfurled for an expedition to a familiar pause along the regular trail south. Proper reconnaissance of the situation aided immensely in arriving quickly, allowing more than enough time to enjoy the geologically contemplative 2.4 kilometre walk through the Devil’s Kitchen at Roaring River State Park.

The map made available locally lacked much detail beyond the trail outline. Undeterred, a couple just then leaving indicated the best route to be along the right fork, saving the prize for last. Trail markings were not quite what they could have been, expediting arrival at another trailhead along the west bank of Roaring River. Doubling back to a previously noted fork, another passing couple confirmed the misstep.

Having completed their journey, they offered a much better map they had obtained from a different source. While the trail map itself was equally as uninformative, it did contain a guide to all of the notable features along the way. The intended exploit into the Devil’s Kitchen suddenly became much more educated.

The first stop along the way is known as “The Bench.” This contact zone between the dolomite and limestone lurks in the background through much of the stroll, here surrounded by oak and hickory.

Small shelter caves are scattered everywhere near the second signpost. 15 of the 20 of the structures within the park are found along the bench. Bluff-dwelling tribe from 10,000 years ago once called this home and safety from the elements.

Only meters away at the third station, the living Lignite Cave carves a joint into the rock for 10 meters before narrowing to only 10 centimetres. A chimney at the back of the cave completes the abode, but buyer beware, water travels that path during heavy spring rain and extensive wet periods.

Above the bench in a dry chert woodland, the trail through marker 4 is much like walking through ground glass. The flint-like material litters the trail and surrounding landscape, hosting Ozark Chinquapin, Farkleberry, and an assortment of other undergrowth pushing up from the layers of chert.

Near the top of the ridge, several outcroppings of the sedimentary rock, layered into the limestone, are available for review along the way. In the late summer foliage, very little is visible though without a detour off the main trail.

Nearly 100 meters above the trailhead, the ridge finally tops out at a massive 414 meters above sea level. A pine woodland lies below with some trees in the grove estimated at over 225 years in age. Conditions on this south-facing slope are relatively favorable to them, with regular intense sunlight and the chert filled, acidic soil. The trail cuts back through the bench in this part, and the pines fade into Eastern red cedars, peppered with farckleberry and blueberry.

Along the way, a small spring carves a new cavity in the soft sandwich of Chattanooga shale layered between limestone and dolomite. It is much to small to explore for anyone other than the grotto salamander and likely the sustenance it requires, the cave cricket, among others.

The bench suddenly becomes broken and shattered here and there, seemingly in a slow-motion tumble. Soft layers of shale within the rock keep things moving along at a fairly quick geologic pace, but to stand and watch in real time could mean death by boredom.

Evidence of this appears at the final station, Devil’s Kitchen. The massive rock falling at every angle began moving hundreds of years ago, creating a small shelter in the massive boulders. Legend says Civil War guerrillas leverage the spot for one nefarious purpose or another. It well they did not use it for long. The roof of the kitchen collapsed in 1985, and again in 2001, sealing off back entrance to the kitchen.

Red cedar, chinquapin, oaks, and blue ash escort the remainder of the way, offering up an exhibit of an array of weathering and erosion effects. While typical of much of this region and the Ozark plateau, as with any sort of karst topography, it is unique environment to this specific location.

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further reading

Roaring River State Park

Missouri State Parks

Grotto Salamander

Missouri Department of Conservation

Ozarks Studies Institute

Missouri State University

Relocation along the Santa Fe

Crossing western Kansas into Colorado along the Sante Fe Trail

Choices for breakfast before leaving Dodge City were clear. A review of Miss Kitty's Cafe identified it as the only place in town one could get a "normal" breakfast. After enjoying pancakes, bacon and eggs, the remains of the Santa Fe Trail Tracks followed soon thereafter. Having already made an attempt to observe the phenomenon and failed, survey of the situation was turned over to the navigator, who remained equally hard-pressed to identify a situation suitably representative either.

Crossing the empty plains and blue skies of western Kansas, pausing seemed a generally poor idea for this particular region.  An outbreak in one of the biggest counties along the trail encouraged a speedy and environmentally controlled crossing of what little remained of the Sunflower state.

The first exploration of the day discovered the Granada Relocation Center, affectionately known as Amache.  Once host to thousands of Japanese-Americans forcibly incarcerated at the facility in Colorado during World War II, this was home for them from 1942 to 1945.  All but rattlesnakes and a few building remain now.

Passing through Hasty, a weathered blaze appeared burning out of control.  Experts already on the scene were preparing a daring rescue of one endangered citizen.  Rather than add to the massing onlookers, it seemed more appropriate to stay out of the way, and simply move on down the road.

The opportunity to stop and explore the new fort fell out of my and flew on by.  Bent's Old Fort continued to hold strong though, even though Bill and Chuck had abandoned the proposition long ago. The new fort relocated some kilometres east to a new spot, but no longer stands.  They just do not build forts the way they used to.

Small town continued to flash by, occasionally offering a moment to pause and puzzle.  Manzanola hosted several interesting old structures, seemingly recently rehabilitated in daring and unique colors.

A 1914 schoolhouse in Crowley stood proud as one of the oldest public buildings in the county. Serving the community until the 1960s, it deteriorated over the years, but came back strong in the 1990s.  It now serves a grateful community as town hall, museum, and meeting space.  Another structure stands nearby, with all the signs of being another historic school, but hosting more specific signs warning of the relative privacy of the grounds.

Pueblo is quite an artful town, with a distinct history and community all its own.  Every expedition captures one unique treasure or another.  This occasion discovered an interesting creative community space in what had been three old abandoned and previously boarded up homes.  It serves the local community through education, music, art, gardens, technology and media.

On the other side of town, the last spot left to explore met a battalion of geese standing guard, though doing a rather poor job of it.  They seemed more consumed with the abundance of snacks in the area, and were easily flanked.

A disembodied voice crackled over speakers within minutes after arrival at Lake Pueblo.  However, toes and ankles enjoyed momentary pleasure in the cool clear waters of the pond below the dam.  Several future exploration may be required to determine the true potential for enjoyment.

Valiant efforts to enjoy a little time at the beach did not go unrewarded, an alternate cooling solution suddenly appeared on the grounds, as if by magic.  The robotic servant vacuumed-delivered wares readily upon receipt of legal tender, without argument or confusion about selection.

Base camp lay another 60 km west of Lake Pueblo State Park, usually requiring an hour or so to attain.  Flying low to the ground, a cool and rested pilot accomplished the feat in just over two minutes, with only a couple of pauses along the way.

Dodge City in Kansas to Florence in Colorado - July 2020

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Further Reading

Amache Museum
Amache.org

Granada Relocation Center National Historic Landmark
National Park Service

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
National Park Service

Crowley County Heritage Center
CrowleyHeritageCenter.com

Pueblo Music House
PuebloHouse.org

Lake Pueblo State Park
Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Saharan Dust Plume Safari

Across Kansas from Sand Hills State Park to Dodge City, on expedition to Colorado.

In a rare occurrence, the same path traveled the fall previous filled the windshield for this summer journey across Kansas to Colorado.  It offered the navigator a chance to witness these sights first hand, having only seen them through photos.  Not everything was the same though. A few other oddities made their usual appearance.

Sand Hills State Park covered new ground to all involved, and without any further research than the location on the map.  That turned out incorrect on Google, leading to the wrong side of the park.  Trails were still accessible, but the east access point involved a longer hike than time constraints permitted. A minor course correction, with the aid of paper maps, resolved the issue.

The west entrance offered a stroll through a few hundred meters of forested trail, opening on small rolling hills covered in native grasses, wildflowers, and wild raspberries, along with a decision.  The trail splits, and in one direction, wanders aimlessly between mounds.  An alternate path drives intently up a nearby knob 10-20 meters high.

The latter choice prevailed, possessing the virtue of enabling greater visibility of the surrounding situation and said dunes.  About halfway up the knoll it became apparent that it hailed as one of the dunes, hidden discretely beneath grass, yucca, and assortment of other creatures.  Viewing from the pinnacle confirmed a landscape littered with similar features and very little else.  It was time to press on.

The Saharan dust plume passing through the region continued to intensify, bringing with it a herd of camels in Nickerson.  Having recently parachuted in, they gathered around the table Hedrick's Inn enjoying a good breakfast, mostly segregated from their Zebra comrades who landed only a short distance away.

In the exact same location as the previous October, without having changed at all, Pawnee Rock State Historic Site stood firm.  The air quality was an entirely different story. Harvesting added more dust to air already saturated with the dirt and filth from the Dark Continent.  A more conditioned and filtered situation became the standard for the remainder of journey on this date.

Fort Larned National Historic Site was also found exactly the same as it had been, and at about the same time of day, again deterring anything beyond a passing glance tour.  However, more appropriately maintained grass heights licensed a stroll to the cemetery grounds at the site on this occasion, while the navigator became enthralled with the blacksmith.  At the cemetery, all residents had moved on.  According to one sign, they had packed up and left, and are believed to have moved off to Fort Leavenworth, likely seeking a more moderate climate.

Without so much as intending to, an unexpected arrival at midpoint of the country necessitated a pause to validate location and reflect.  The Edwards County Sod House and Museum was just then closing up, but a gregarious and generous caretaker lingered allowing a peek inside the resident 1884 church, further offering to open the whole place up for review.  

Hidden intrigues of the Sod Museum would have to wait for another occasion.  A more intense urge to review food and beverage requirements insisted on immediate forward progress across the final 65 km of expansive fields filled with bovines and windmills.

Dodge City continues to impress on every visit.  The community is making great strides to improve the friendliness of odors in the air.  This visit to the bustling metropolis found no stockyard smells lurking in the air, just as with last time, but not the time before.  It might simply be a matter of timing.

After checking into accommodations that surpassed expectations, enough daylight remained to seek local refreshment from a day in the saddle.  The brief journey back to downtown produced discovery of a relatively new establishment, which offered sublime pizza to accompany their beverages.  A brief wandering of the mostly empty sidewalks downtown followed immediately thereafter, connecting finally with the Snow Station.

Sand Hills State Park to Dodge City - Google Maps - July 2020

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Reflections on the second part of the journey to the Southern Rocky Mountains will follow soon, with a link posted in this space.  Until then, enjoy a glimpse of this path, accompanied by music

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Further Reading

Sand Hills State Park
Kansas Wildlife, Parks & Tourism

Sand Hills State Park
Kansas Geological Survey

Hedrick's Bed, Breakfast, and Exotic Animal Farm

Hendricks.com

Fort Larned National Historic Site
National Park Service

Edwards County Historical Society Museum

EdwardsCountyMuseum.com

Dodge City Brewing

DodgeCityBrewing.com

Boot Hill Museum

Boothill.org

Draft of Student Security Risk

I am concerned student identities are often unwittingly leaked on the internet, posing threat to their current and future well-being. I am not looking to call out any one person, though feel this topic needs addressed in our community. 

 I already emailed this colleague, expressing my concern with her post.  She had not realized their names were showing up and has since deleted her posts, thanking me for bringing this to her attention. Attached is only one example of several I have noted in recent times, where screenshots of Microsoft Teams meetings display student faces and their names.  Other instances sometimes show awards with names, or a name is used in a post, identifying the student. A long successful career in Information Technology sector instilled in me an acute awareness of the problems associated with distribution of names, faces, and other identifying factors.   These things are an extremely high information security risk to student identity, families, not to mention the personal safety of their children. I feel that all staff within the district would benefit from a soft reminder of the potential harm from these situations, as well as a future PD designed to inform of potential online threats and how to avoid them. I am willing and able to help with that. Too often, students do not have a clear choice, or possess enough knowledge of potential risks associated with the simple distribution of their name and/or face online.  It is imperative we do our best to protect them and their future.

gTodd