Guernsey State Park: Paddling the Guernsey Reservoir

 It's been a rainy spring thus far in western Nebraska. This morning was forecast to be the nicer of my two days off this week and so we took advantage by getting the canoe out for her maiden voyage of 2023 and her first voyage on Wyoming waters. I had done my research and purchased our Wyoming Aquatic Invasive Species sticker last month, so after a quick stop to have the boat inspected at the Lingle Port of Entry, we made the drive into Guernsey State Park.

We put in at the first boat ramp we encountered. 

From there it was a short paddle under the towering cliffs of Bremmer Point. 

We continued to paddle through the main channel, headed west. The views and weather were spectacular. 

There was no wind at the start of our paddle and so the lake surface was like glass. 

Wesaw lots of birds on the water, mostly grebes and mergansers. 

We passed under the "Castle" and turned around at the point where the reservoir enters the canyon with great views out to Laramie Peak. 

On the way back we paddled close to limestone cliffs that were home to many swallows and their nests.

We took a short side trip into a narrow side canyon 

and then started to make our way back to the boat ramp. 

We stopped at an unoccupied, lakeside campsite where I rested and Sierra went for a dip in the cold waters of the dammed North Platte River.

After a bit of relaxing, we made the short paddle back to the boat ramp 

in a pretty brisk head wind. I think we got off the water just in time. It was a great first paddle in the Cowboy State. I hope to paddle further west into Fremont Canyon at some point soon. 

Lory State Park: Timber/Kimmons/West Valley Loop

We've been wanting to get out of town for a family outing for a few weeks now. It seems like every time we want to go somewhere lately, rain is in the forecast. It's made for some green landscapes, but not the type of weather that you want to drive 100 miles to go hiking in. Today, we finally had a window of nice weather and so we made the drive down into Fort Collins and over to Lory State Park to do some hiking. 

We paid our entrance fee and drove a short distance to the Timber Trailhead. At first there was not a space to park, but after turning around to find a different lot, a space opened up. We readied our gear and hit the trail, starting out on the short trail that leads to the unnamed waterfall.

It is an extremely short hike. The sign looked like it said 1 mile, but perhaps it actually said .1 miles. It was that short. We hiked through green vegetation, including chokecherry with blooming flowers.

After a few creek crossings, we were at the waterfall.

We admired the water flowing over the rocks here. Apparently, there is often not much water here. However, lots of snow melt and spring rains have made their mark on the falls, and on the greenness of the vegetation. We turned around to head back to the parking lot.

Once we were back at the parking lot, we headed out on the Timber Trail. Ironically, there isn't a whole lot of timber on the trail. 

It's pretty exposed to the sun and so I'm glad we opted to make this hike before the peak of summer heat. What the trail lacked in trees, it made up for in copious wildflowers.

There were also lots of great views east to Horsetooth Reservoir 

and west to the surrounding foothills. 

Smoke from wildfires in western Canada gave the sky a hazy look.

It was an enjoyable hike, though admittedly, not the most amazing hike we've ever been on. Lack of an ultimate destination (like a peak or lake) and having to dodge mountain bikes made the hike less enjoyable than others we've been on. Still, the green vegetation, blooming flowers and nearly perfect weather made for a pleasant hiking experience.